Note: This post was originally published on my old blog on March 9, 2011. I am reposting it because the tip is timeless. Try it the next time you tackle some garlic on the chopping block!

Don’t you just hate it when you are chopping garlic and then have to get that smell off your hands?

Well, many years ago, I discovered a quirky tip for removing the smell of garlic from my hands quickly and easily. I found the tip in some very little vintage booklet that has long since disappeared. Nonetheless, I often demonstrated this tip while teaching some basic cooking classes at Seattle’s natural foods coop, PCC. The students loved it. So, here’s the tip:

Turn on the faucet, grab a stainless steel spoon and rub you fingers over the spoon while holding them under running water. Wash your hands quickly with soap. And, voila, you are ready to answer the phone or sign that field trip permission slip! Try it and let me know if you like it.