The Accidental Scientist - The Science of Cooking - removing garlic smell from hands

07/01/02 at 00:54:48

diva Offline
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Florence Italy

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Posts: 2

I rinse my hands in cool water and then rub them on my stainless steel faucet and it removes the smell..
Why?

Everyone should try being Italian at least once a year

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Reply #1 - 07/01/02 at 09:27:08

foggy Ex Member

I've seen these "odor remover bars" in stores that claim to remove odors from your hands by washing with the bar under cold running water. Guess that's the same idea, but I don't know how they work.

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Reply #2 - 08/05/02 at 12:07:21

Princess_Lolly Ex Member

???
I remember one of my Botany professors in college, who was very into garlic, recommending that you always wash your hands in C
OLD water after handling garlic, not HOT. He said the hot water would "set" the smell and make it last longer. No idea why, though, or what the odor remover bars or stainless-steel sink might have to do with it...

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Reply #3 - 08/12/02 at 12:31:09

soupy Ex Member

I think you've got it there, the cold water is the trick and not the stainless. Anyway, I've tried those "miracle bars" made of stainless steel, before, and they just don't work.

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Reply #4 - 04/03/03 at 14:29:41

Joanne Guest

I find that rubbing my hands with lemon juice then rinsing in water works great .

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Reply #5 - 04/10/03 at 17:10:48

marc Guest

hot water opens the tiny pores in your fingertips, allowing the garlic juice to enter. Cold water closes the pores, keeping juice out. cool huh!

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Reply #6 - 09/10/03 at 03:52:58

Chilliestwilly Guest

I've used a combination of salt & lemon juice under cold water. It usually works very good for onion & garlic

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Reply #7 - 09/16/03 at 03:21:27

Jorge Guest

I cut a lemon in half, put some soap on it and ruib it all over where the garlic is. This works on cutting boards too!

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Reply #8 - 01/23/04 at 07:47:42

scott123 Ex Member

I'd love to remember which food science author it was and what exactly they said but... I do know that stainless steel reacts with the odor causing compound in garlic and that reaction removes the smell. Any stainless steel will do the trick (faucet, spoon, pan, etc.) so don't waste your money on those gadgets.

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Reply #9 - 01/24/04 at 21:33:30

Jay C Guest

One cannot have too much LOVE, too much MONEY, nor too much GARLIC!

Love, jsc
san jose,ca

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Reply #10 - 02/03/04 at 02:18:54

Jeanette Guest

Apparently cutting a potato in half and rubbing it over your hands will work too. I've never felt the need to try it though.

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Reply #11 - 08/12/04 at 12:51:24

Debi Covington Guest

Prevention is the best policy: spray Pam on hands or use a small amount of cooking oil as a lotion before handling garlic. My guess is that it seals the pores, preventing the odors from being absorbed. This works great with onions too!!

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Reply #12 - 07/23/06 at 09:01:52

Renee Guest

Alton Brown recommended the stainless steel trick in his garlic episode of Good Eats (though he shunned the expensive stainless steel hunks sold in stores, when one could just as easily use, say, a common spoon)

I wish I could remember what he said about why it works. Something about ions and molecular interactions, perhaps.

Sorry, that didn't help much, did it?

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Reply #13 - 02/27/07 at 09:43:02

burntoshine Ex Member

It works mainly because Chrome (not steel) acts as a natural antiseptic and general cleanser, i was told (something to do with ions?). As for the pores thing, it would help running your hands under cold water before handling the stuff to close them, then hot water after. I love spicy food, before i handle chile peppers i wash my hands in cold water and then rub olive oil into them, and that way the capsicin never gets in my pores or even on my skin, and i can wash it all off with soap. Chile peppers and contact lenses dont go together all that well. Wearing rubber gloves helps, but thats only necessary when you work with peppers like Naga and Jolokea.

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Reply #14 - 02/28/07 at 11:41:43

Luc_H Ex Member

Hello Diva,
And all other comment posters.

I have been pondering this question for a while and I think I can speculate on the reason why the garlic smell on ones hands often disappears when rubbed on steel.

Garlic stores a chemical in its tissue called alliin (correct spelling). An unblemished garlic cloves smells very little but when damaged or crushed, an enzyme breaks down alliin into allicin (the smell of fresh garlic) and Diallyl disulfide.
After a relatively short time (30 min to 1hr) most of the allicin converts to diallyl disulfide (DADS).

Allicin is thought to be a chemical compound that garlic has evolved to use defensively. Allicin has anti-insect and antimicrobial properties. Great mechanism: damage tissue, receive a chemical assault.

Like many sulfur containing chemical compounds (ex. skunk urine) allicin and DADS have a strong odour.

Both chemicals also are chemical cousins of DMSO.

All of these chemicals have particular affinities to iron. Allicin and DADS travel well in iron rich blood because of this affinity. When the blood reaches the lungs, their perfume is expel in the breath (i.e bad breath).

This iron affinity is strong enough that rubbing ones smelly hands on iron objects (i.e faucet) will take away these smelly compounds which prefer sticking to iron (steel).

Apparently, it is known amongst real old chefs that chopping large amounts of garlic (as a sous-chef) can dull a knife (probably because of this chemical iron affinity).

I can add more details but suffice said for this post.

Luc H.

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