# Garlic and Stainless Steel

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garlic-and-stainless-steel/230938>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 24, 2004, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garlic-and-stainless-steel/230938 "2004-02-24T18:23:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Rev.G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@Rev.G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rev.G)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2004, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garlic-and-stainless-steel/230938/1 "2004-02-24T18:23:32Z")

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I was watching a cooking show the other day and the chef mentioned that you can remove the smell of garlic from your hands by rubbing them on stainless steel. I have a science background but must admit that I can’t imagine how this works. Isn’t stainless steel, by definition, very difficult to oxidize? What other reaction might be taking place? Does it act as a catalyst?

So how would this work?

Thanks  
Reverend G

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**Author:** ![Gumbercules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gumbercules](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gumbercules)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2004, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garlic-and-stainless-steel/230938/2 "2004-02-24T18:35:18Z")

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Cecil doesn’t know either…

[http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a990618b.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a990618b.html)

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**Author:** ![Rev.G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@Rev.G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rev.G)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2004, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garlic-and-stainless-steel/230938/3 "2004-02-24T18:40:43Z")

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Oops! Tried searching the message board and upset the hampsters. Didn’t think of checking the actual articles.

Thanks for the link.

Rev. G