Garlic is one of the quintessential flavour-enhancers that is a part of almost every dish in India. From curries to rice dishes like biryani and pulao, to even some flat breads like parathas and kulchas, garlic is used to add taste and flavour to a whole range of dishes. This is why a lot of Indian homes keep a stock of a ginger-garlic paste, which is used every day to add nutrition and flavour to the dishes. The beginning of almost every Indian dish involves sautéing onions with a basic ginger-garlic paste. However, lots of people prefer to chop fresh garlic daily, in order to get their dishes to have maximum flavour. But if you have ever cooked with raw garlic, you will know how strong the smell of this root spice is.
Garlic smell might add to the flavours of your dish, but it is difficult to get rid of. While cooking, a lot of people use chopping boards to cut up garlic cloves for use in dishes. The smell of garlic may end up sticking to everything it touches, including the chopping board, your hands, the knife, as well as any other utensils that you may have used. It may stay around for a while only eventually fading away, causing your hands and utensils to smell 'garlicky' even after you've washed it with soap.
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Here are some easy hacks to get rid of the pungent smell of garlic from your hands and utensils:
1. For Utensils:
If your chopping board and knife ends up having a strong garlic smell that refuses to leave, then you can leave them in warm water for some time. Take them out and cover them in undiluted dish detergent. Scrub the board and the knife with a good dish scrubber or brush and let it rest for some more time. Wash the soap away to reveal clean utensils sans the smell. If the smell still doesn't go away, then you can repeat the same process with salt or soda (sodium bicarbonate) and half a lemon. Sprinkle the salt or soda and use the cut up lemon to scrub them in and then rinse.
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2. For Hands:
Lemon can be used here as well. The easiest way to rid the smell of garlic from your hands is by washing them with a strong smelling floral hand wash. You can also dip your hands in a mixture of lemon juice and warm water, similar to finger bowls that we are served in restaurants. Lemon helps neutralise the odour of the garlic.
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Do you have any other ways to get rid of strong odours like that of garlic? Let us know in the comments section below!