The Genius TikTok Hack For Frying Fish Without The Smell
Fried fish's crackly, golden-brown crust is the perfect counterpoint to its soft, buttery flesh underneath. While a lot of people love the taste and texture of this seafood preparation, the biggest drawback to these dishes is often the smell. Frying up this delicious aquatic fare is usually a process accompanied by aggressively briny odors as all the fish's natural oils evaporate into the air– and it's not usually a pleasant experience for anyone in the house.
While this fact might make some steer clear of frying fish entirely, there are some ways to mute these intense smells and possibly to even make them go away entirely. While there are a few different methods that work to varying degrees, one genius TikTok hack for frying fish with confidence relies entirely on cinnamon. As a few TikTokers have shared with their followers, boiling a pot of cinnamon water alongside a pan of fried fish is the key to keeping the kitchen from smelling like the ocean. The intensity of the cinnamon overpowers those fishy odors, so you can take your hand off your nose and use them both to cook.
How to try this hack out for yourself
Some content creators have also tried adding vanilla or nutmeg to their simmer pot as a complementary scent, as well as leaving their windows open to keep the air circulating. Fellow TikTokers were quick to express their support for these simple tricks in the comments, with one even claiming they boil a pot of cinnamon alongside every meal they cook as it's just that great at diffusing odors. Others suggested adding even more spices to the pot, such as cloves, to really help fully neutralize the smell.
@angeleyez1497 Quick tip! Get rid of the fish smell! Use water and cinnamon! Watch the video! Simple and easy! #quicktip #fishsmell #fryingfish #fish #cookingfish #cinnamon
To try this cinnamon trick out for yourself, simply fill a pot with water and a few tablespoons of cinnamon, then let it boil. (And yes, using a few cinnamon sticks instead will work just as well.) Turn the heat down low to let it simmer, then fry your fish as usual and notice the difference in the air. No, it's not a crisp autumn day you're smelling, it's just a successful attempt at hiding the smell of your fried fish. Cinnamon's intense aromatics make it a great spice to use for masking unsavory smells. If you're in the market for other solutions, there are a few more ingredients that will mask the smell of fish in case you have some backups ready to go.
Other ingredients that will overpower the smell of fish
While cinnamon's potent spice can easily hide the smell of fish, there are other ingredients that will work just as well in a simmer pot to get rid of the smell of fried fish. For example, vinegar can easily get the job done. As it boils and evaporates, vinegar will bind with the oceanic smells present in the air, and its natural acidity will overpower the alkaline nature of the fishy odors. To try this trick, boil white or apple cider vinegar with water in a pot as your fish cooks.
If you're out of vinegar, boiling other acidic ingredients such as citrus fruit will have the same effect. Options like lemon, grapefruit, or orange peel will work well, so use whatever you have on hand. Finally, baking soda is another equally powerful deodorizer, and can also kill odors in your fridge. So, if you've got some leftover fish, you might want to place a bowl in there with them too.
To really keep those marine odors at bay as you fry fish, boil some cinnamon and see just how well it can trap all those fishy smells. With this easy fix in mind, you don't have to compromise on enjoying a delicious meal alongside an unsavory odor. Maybe you really can have it all.