How to get rid of the broccoli smell?

[Geila]

I've been making a soup that I really like - Italian sausage with broccoli and cauliflower. Tasty, low-carb, and super easy to make. But Lord, my fridge stinks to high heaven! It's horrible. The smell about makes me gag every time I open the fridge. It smells like there's something horribly rotten in there.

Anyone have any ideas on neutralizing the smell? I have a dairy allergy, so can't add dairy. And I'd like to keep it low-carb, but I'm open to any other suggestions y'all might have. I'd really hate to have to give up this soup.

[razz]

Coffee grounds have been used with great success to clear a bad odour out of a car.

[lhamo]

Baking soda is supposed to absorb odors -- try putting an open box in the fridge (not in the soup....)

[Strongsoul]

I believe, you need to clean it and after that put there special dehumidifiers for fridges. Moreover, there are special boxes for these reasons. I think, you may order them online, if there are o any in the stores in your area.

[KayLR]

It's the nature of broccoli and cauliflower to be smelly. No getting around it. A couple of things you might try are not cooking it until it's too soft, and adding a tsp of apple cider vinegar to the soup.

Others above have good advice, but also check your drip pans in the fridge. They notoriously have funky stuff in there making things smell dead.

[kib]

I use a spray product in the house called Zorb (in the vicinity of the catbox). It works the same way as Febreze, it's a neutralizer, not a cover-up, but it's unscented. I wouldn't spray it directly on food but you might try spraying it on a washcloth or just in the general open doorway of the fridge? You could also try isolating the soup container by placing it in a ziplok baggie.

[Geila]

I did try the baking soda, put some on a saucer and it helped but didn't get rid of the smell altogether. And then I got to the point where I had been eating the soup long enough that I got tired of it. But when I make it again I'll try the apple cider vinegar and see if that helps. Thanks!

Oh, re: reducing the cooking time to reduce the smell, what I like about this soup is that if I cook it long enough the veggies break down and it tastes like a creamy soup without the use of dairy (I'm allergic to dairy).

I cook in big batches so I would't be able to put it in a ziplock bag. But I wonder if freezing it would do anything to change the chemical composition and break down the smell. I'll have to try it and see!

[catherine]

I don't mind cooking smells--broccoli, fish, garlic, curry, whatever. (I don't like greasy smells, though) Better than some of the alternatives (smoke, pet, stuffiness).

[Gardnr]

Airtight container. Mine never stinks.

[kib]

I did try the baking soda, put some on a saucer and it helped but didn't get rid of the smell altogether. And then I got to the point where I had been eating the soup long enough that I got tired of it. But when I make it again I'll try the apple cider vinegar and see if that helps. Thanks!

Oh, re: reducing the cooking time to reduce the smell, what I like about this soup is that if I cook it long enough the veggies break down and it tastes like a creamy soup without the use of dairy (I'm allergic to dairy).

I cook in big batches so I would't be able to put it in a ziplock bag. But I wonder if freezing it would do anything to change the chemical composition and break down the smell. I'll have to try it and see!

Ziploks come in bigger sizes than you ordinarily think of, up to 24*32" I think. I was thinking to put the whole pot inside one, not to use it as a pot, but the totally airtight option suggested
might be more practical. - ETA, don't put the pot in the fridge until it's completely cooled or you will have stinky condensation and steam escaping.