If you have recently noticed a fishy, aridic smell in your kitchen and outside as well, you may want to check your deep fryer oils. What if the deep fryers can give off an unpleasant smell. You may certainly want to know how to get rid of it.
Do deep fryers smell?
Deep fryers certainly smell because of the large amounts of oil that are heated in them. Since oil has a natural smell to them already, heating the oil causes a chemical breakdown that further produces an unpleasant smell. Cleaning the deep fryers immediately can help reduce the smell.
Do deep fat fryers smell?
Deep fat fryers will smell, thanks to the oil being heated up now and then. Filters and lids used on the fat fryers help to reduce the smell, but what helps is cleaning up thoroughly afterward.
Why does my deep fryer smell?
It is indeed worrying when your deep fryer starts to smell. To get rid of the smell, you would first have to know the reason why such odors spread in the first place.
Here are a few possible reasons why your deep fryer might be smelling:
The natural smell of oil:
Like most fats, oil has a smell of its own. Whether you are using canola oil or olive oil, it is most likely that you would immediately smell something when you open the oil.
Oils such as peanut or corn oil do not smell as much as olive oil or a reused vegetable oil. When the fat on the oil is based on animals, the smell tends to be fishy. While plant-based oils give off a nutty smell, which only gets stronger when the oil is heated.
The chemical breakdown of oil:
When oil is cool and sitting on your counter for days, it would only have a natural smell. However, whenever you are deep frying and heating oils to very high temperatures, the oil will give off a stronger smell.
This occurs because when oil is heated, there is a chemical bond that breaks down and creates an unpleasant smell. The more you reheat and reuse a batch of oil, the odor only gets stronger.
Less refined oil:
How much your deep-frying oil will give off the smell and how strong the odor would be, could well be dependent on what kind of oil you are using.
Refined oil, when heated, does not give off as strong odors. Refined oil is purified by altering the oil by using chemicals.
When more solid particles are removed from oil, they become refined and hence smell less. When oil is less refined, it is likely that the leftover smell would be quite strong. If you don’t clean up immediately, the smell might even turn into a fishy scent.
Oil splashes outside:
It does not matter whether you are boiling water, chicken broth, or lots of oil. Even if you use a deep-frying pan, it is normal that the oil will splatter and splash all over the kitchen.
Unless your deep fryer has a filter or lid to stop the splattering, your kitchen floor, stove top, and vent are going to be filled with oil splashes. When this oil sits for a few days, they start to give off an undesirable smell.
Lack of cleaning:
There is a reason why manufacturers have labels on kitchen appliances and instructions on manuals on how to properly clean a deep fryer.
It is vital that you clean the fryer and the oil splashes around the kitchen area immediately.
Otherwise, the oil build up is most likely to cause an unpleasant smell. This would only increase when you again use the deep fryer.
Is there a deep fryer that doesn’t smell?
Unfortunately, there are no deep fryers that don’t smell up. Whenever you use large amounts of oil, particularly for frying at high temperatures, there would be a smell that you cannot avoid. This is because the oil itself has a natural smell to it.
When this oil is heated, the chemical breakdown enhances this smell and turns it into something more unpleasant. However, deep fryers that have filters that have integrated cover lids are less likely to smell.
You can go for filtered deep fryers which absorb 70 to 80 percent of the odors given off by the heated oil. The lids stop the oil splashes, so you wouldn’t have to worry about a strong smelling kitchen.
Which deep fryers don’t smell?
Few deep fryers are designed in a way that they do not smell as bad as others.
Presto CoolDaddy Deep Fryer:
The temperature control on this deep fryer allows you to cook at a lower heat, so your oil would not smell. The lid on the fryer also prevents the oil from spreading.
T-fal Odorless Stainless Steel Lean Deep Fryer:
This is a deep fry that would guarantee to reduce almost 80% of the smell in your kitchen coming from the frying oils.
Since the basket is lower and the oil splashes are stopped, the smell is not an issue with this one.
Breville Smart Deep Fryer:
This dishwasher safe deep fryer is similar, where no matter how many times you reheat the oil, thanks to the powerful smell absorbing filter.
Cuisinart Mini Deep Fryer:
This is one of the deep fryers that is integrated with a filter. The filer will absorb the smell of heated oil without you noticing much outside the kitchen.
How to get rid of the deep fryer smell?
Luckily there are several simple, hassle-free ways to get rid of the deep fryer smell.
Use low temperature:
If you cook at a lower temperature, it is possible that the oil breakdown does not take place significantly.
Using lower heat will prevent that, preventing the oil from producing an odor.
Switch to refined oil:
Although refined oil is not considered to be healthy, for deep fryer smell to not build up, you can use refined oil.
These types of oil are usually chemically purified and do not produce odor.
Ventilate the kitchen:
When your kitchen has no windows and no proper ventilation, the smell is likely to stay longer.
Either you can take your fryer outside or have enough ventilation so that the smell disperses easily.
Use fryer filters:
You would find deep fryers in the market that are designed with a filter that gets rid of odors.
If you want to get a new one, it is smart to invest in one with a filter. They may be expensive, but if the smell bothers you, these filters are worth the price.
Fill with other smells:
If nothing else is working, just light candles to fill up the house with fragrance from the candles. It is also a great idea to bake some cake and cookies to fill the house with baking smells.
If the smells have spread to other rooms, you can spray some air fresheners, but remember never to spray fresheners in the kitchen.
Vinegar and Water solution:
A homemade solution to absorb the bad odor from the deep fryer oil is effective.
All you have to do is mix a cup of water with a tablespoon of vinegar and a few drops of vanilla extract or any other fragrance. Bring the solution to a boil and let it cool on the counter.
Clean up immediately:
If you don’t clean up the splashes of oil around your kitchen, the smell would stay for a long time.
Cleaning up immediately is the ideal way of getting rid of the odor from the deep fryer.
Is deep fryer oil supposed to smell fishy?
When large amounts of oil are heated at higher temperatures, deep fryer oil will likely smell fishy. Sometimes, it almost smells like somebody has cooked fish.
Any cooking done in deep fat oil being reheated can cause this fish-like smell to spread.
To get rid of this, deep fryers must either have a lid or filter. You can also boil a mixture of water and vinegar and add desired fragrance.
Some people add rosemary or lavender essential oils, while others just drop a little vanilla essence. Once the mixture cools down, this will absorb the fishy smell coming from the fryer.
How to get rid of the deep fryer smell in the house?
Getting rid of the deep fryer smell in the house is simple. You can light up fragrant candles for long lasting effects. You can also use air fresheners and use them around the house, in rooms other than the kitchen.
One other way is to bake butter, cakes, and loaves of bread. The smell of baking takes away the unpleasant smell quickly.
What is the easiest deep fryer to clean?
T-fal Oil Filtration Ultimate EZ Clean Deep Fryer is especially easy to clean after cooking, thanks to its design.
Breville Easy Clean Deep Fryer is also another option that would not make you work hard when you plan to clean the fryer up.
Final Thoughts:
As deep fryers use so much oil, it is normal for deep fryers to give off strong odors after cooking. However, when you are reusing oil and not cleaning up after, the smell could spread through more. You may want to switch to fryers with filters if you wish to diminish the smell by some degree.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why Does My Deep Fryer Keep Shutting Off?
Can You Put Water in a Deep Fryer?
Can You Use Lard in a Deep Fryer?