Certain foods give themselves away even if no one can see what’s cooking. You can pretty much figure out when anyone’s sautéing garlic and onions or baking chocolate for a decadent dessert. When these ingredients warm up, their natural aromas are heightened and magically make their way through the vents and into our senses. Well, one of the most incredible things about working with food is just how versatile it is. Besides throwing it into recipes, we can utilize it as funky centerpieces, vessels for appetizers, and even as a potpourri for our homes!
You know how hard it is to resist walking past an aisle of scented candles without opening the lids to whiff the sweet smells for ourselves, right? We like to sniff them, compare one to the other and see just how accurately they are labeled. “Oh yea, that really does smell like ____!”
Well, what about filling your home with an aroma that actually comes from the delicious scent it reminds you of? I was visiting friends this past weekend and noticed a warm essence of oranges permeating through the air. When I walked into the kitchen, I discovered a pot full of citrus rinds simmering over the stove. Instead of throwing them away after using the segments in a fruit salad, my friend Ivonne cleverly used them to make the room smell yummy!
Although we love surrounding ourselves with these colorful jars of wax that give off a bouquet of calming or uplifting foods (fresh-baked sugar cookies, pumpkin spice, etc.), they can often be very overpowering or only stretch their fragrance to reach a small square footage.
This alternative gives you a natural and inexpensive way to counteract potent kitchen odors and fill your home with warm, lovely aromas all year round. Try other varieties for different seasons such as cinnamon sticks, vanilla bean or mint leaves!
Instructions:
Fill a small pot with water and your fragrance of choice (lemon or orange rinds for a clean feel, cinnamon sticks for an autumn spice, vanilla bean for sweetness, mint leaves for freshness…)
Simmer on low, refilling water as it disintegrates. Keep attended on the stove as long as you’d like!
That’s SO Jenn wants to know: What clever multi-use tips do you have for food?
