Last night’s steak stuck around for an encore aroma performance, and it was being very sneaky about it. Even after cleaning the range and the glass on the kitchen hood above the oven range—and liberally spraying with Lysol and lighting perfumed candles and opening windows—we just couldn’t get that meaty smell out of the air.
But Nate knew what we had to do: disassemble the vent and clean it.
“We’ll run it through the dishwasher,” he said. “The instructions online say you can for this model.”
And that sounded wonderful. If all we had to do was put the vent in the dishwasher after a meaty meal cooked on the stovetop in a grill pan, then I was in.
I’d never been so happy to put things in the dishwasher and run the cycle. And when the dishes were done, it felt like opening presents on Christmas morning, except the gifts were all hot and steamy and ready to melt your face when you looked inside.
In any case, the vent smelled great—and so did the house, but the vent did not look so good after a spin through the dishwasher cycles. It still fit into the hood, and it still works to this day, but it’s a little scorched. So, we will buy a new vent and just soak it overnight in a sudsy sink when stubborn steak smells refuse to leave at check-out time.
We could just limit cooking over the stovetop/range, but Alex has discovered a love for the grill pan and making his own lunch over the stove, and I love that he’s found a new hobby, so we’ll just have to add a few more things to our routine:
–Alex cooks his lunch and cleans up—like he’s always been doing.
–We might come by with Lysol, candles, and an open window throughout the day, when we feel like it.
–Once a week, we’ll drop the vent into the sink filled with sudsy water.
–Rinse and repeat.
–Hope the plan works, if we stick to it.
Lessons Learned:
–There are lots of things to clean in a house that we did not know about.
–They won’t all get cleaned.
–Dishwashers sometimes scorch things.
–Strong smelling candles add a romantic touch to lingering meaty odors.
–We have an outdoor grill that we’ve forgotten about.
Your Turn: What’s your favorite method for cooking? Oven? Stovetop? Microwave? Outdoor grill? Other?
Fixin' Leaks and Leeks 
I’d have to say the oven because cookies come out of it.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes–and no one minds the lingering smells of cookies.
LikeLiked by 1 person
😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Grilling. But I’ve been thinking about opening a Mongol warrior-theme restaurant, which would have to be near a race track. The steak is placed under the warrior’s saddle, and by the end of a day’s ride The meat is cooked and tenderized. I don’t think they would allow scented candles in the stables, though.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, yes! I think I’ve heard of this–it’s called Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede Horse and Dinner Show:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSNftgQWBgc
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s it! The Golden Horde would love that place!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Strong smelling candles add a romantic touch to lingering meaty odors.—Haha. You’re leaving at check out time line was also a great one. Too bad about the scorching. Good plan with the soaking in a suds bath. I’m just glad the vent is so easy to get in and out. I hope it doesn’t become loose from all that activity and eventually not stay in. That would be the way of it in my house, I’m sure.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, even if it does not stay in, replacing it is cheaper than redoing the whole kitchen. Even if we have to replace it a few times.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sounds good.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi. I don’t do a lot of cooking. But much of the little I do takes place in a skillet atop a burner. Grilled cheese sandwiches and scrambled eggs are among my “specialties”.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That sounds delicious!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Cecilia,
I like using a pressure cooker as well as a water bath to cook meat.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, yes–the meat would be nice and tender and perfectly done each time.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m good with stove top or oven cooking and use the charcoal grill and crockpot quite often. I’d like to just get rid of the microwave completely, but my husband still uses it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can’t wait until we start doing more grilling outside. It has been a little chilly, but spring is just around the corner.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m gonna grill up some steaks tonight. 🙂
LikeLike
I use a gas stove top for much of my cooking, but baking in an oven is also a popular choice, especially if it’s a dessert. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes–desserts smell great baking in the oven.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We’ve also learned the hard way that dishwashers run very hot and can melt things!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think they do come with warnings about that–but who reads those? Not me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nor the people who use flatirons on their eyelashes apparently!
LikeLiked by 1 person
One of the few things I can cook is a pan seared steak. Unfortunately, the hood over my stove is kind of fake. It doesn’t have a vent. Just a fan. So that means it’s just blowing all the smoke and aromas around for a nice distribution throughout the house. I’m pretty sure I did a post about it a few years ago because the Houseguest was not amused because she has a super sniffer.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pan-seared steaks are so good, though!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Stovetop and oven, and microwave oves sometimes. Dishwasher is my best friend 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes–those are the cooking methods we use the most in our house. Can’t wait to grill outside when the weather is better.
LikeLike
I’m really enjoying my new air fryer (and it’s easy to clean:)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, air fryers are wonderful!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes!
LikeLike