The Definitive Ranking Of The Best Kitchen Scents

Fact: The kitchen is the most scent-filled room in your home. (If it's not, you're doing something wrong.) Of course, the best smell of all may come after the dishes are dirty. That's right, we're talking about Gain Dish Soap, the scent seeker's dream.

37. Sauerkraut

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The Scent: Slightly offensive, but totally irresistible to some.

The Fantasy: You're in an adorable German village, eating brats to your heart's content.

36. Mustard Seeds

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The Scent: Sharp. Very sharp.

The Fantasy: Enjoying mustard without staining that new white blouse that you wouldn't have worn if you'd known you were going to be enjoying mustard today.

35. Pickles

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The Scent: Brine, baby. Brine.

The Fantasy: Sitting on a wooden picnic table with a jar of your favorites, unafraid of the bad breath that awaits you.

34. Kalamata Olives

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The Scent: Savory and salty.

The Fantasy: You are a Greek god, and you are lounging, and you are eating olives while occasionally dabbing the scent on your neck as cologne.

33. Pungent Cheese

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The Scent: The funkier the better!

The Fantasy: You're roaming the aisles of a speciality food store in the Hamptons when the smell hits you. It's love. And the guy behind the cheese counter doesn't even blink when you straight-up ask for the smelliest cheese they've got.

32. Sliced Watermelon

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The Scent: Summer.

The Fantasy: Summer.

31. Cooking With Red Wine

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The Scent: Super fragrant and indulgent. Like perfume for your pots.

The Fantasy: You're an incredibly balanced (and pretty bougie) Literary Studies professor and author who's on a sabbatical in Spain.

30. Cider

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The Scent: Cinnamon and spice and all that is nice.

The Fantasy: A cabin in the Catskills with your frands. "Is it fall in here, or am I just happy to be drinking cider?"

29. Toasted Tortillas

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The Scent: Starchy delight.

The Fantasy: It's Mexican Night, and the feeling's right.

28. Ripe Peaches

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The Scent: Sweet and soft and perfect.

The Fantasy: You just picked a bunch of these babies with your hilarious Southern aunt before returning to her massive Savannah mansion.

27. Buttery Mashed Potatoes

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The Scent: Our National Comfort Food.

The Fantasy: A big, comfy family dinner (or a night alone in your pajamas).

26. Saffron

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The Scent: Exotic and alluring.

The Fantasy: A vacation to Crete where you happen to meet a sous chef who's named Pete while you're strolling the street.

25. Caramel

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The Scent: A dessert you definitely don't need but totally deserve.

The Fantasy: Agreeing on how to say "caramel."

24. Marinara Sauce

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The Scent: Garlic, tomato, oregano... Are you drooling yet?

The Fantasy: You're a very family-oriented person about to cook a meal for 45 of your closest relatives at your apartment in Parma. You realize that you leant your only wooden spoon to a little Italian girl earlier in the week so that she could play a ceramic bowl like a drum in the street with her friends. Just when all 45 of you are feeling hopeless, there's a knock on the door. It's the little Italian girl. "I smelled the marinara," she says in her Italian accent, "and I knew you musta been missing this." She presents you with the spoon. After a moment of silence, everyone bursts into "Awww!"s and applause. Dinner is served, and the little girl is the guest of honor.

23. Coconut ANYTHING

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The Scent: Subtle when on sweet desserts, sweet when on subtle dinner dishes.

The Fantasy: A casual dinner in a modest home in Bali.

22. Biscuits

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The Scent: Buttery and doughy.

The Fantasy: Waking up to find that you're in the most magical bed-and-breakfast EVER, and that your only job is to sit back, relax, and eat.

21. Pink Grapefruit

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The Scent: Tart yet sweet. This scent is basically the perfect gal pal.

The Fantasy: A room that smells ONLY of grapefruits.

20. Tomatoes From the Farmers Market

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The Scent: Earthy and sweet.

The Fantasy: A farmers market in Berkley, the sun on your neck, a man with an indistinguishable accent playing a little guitar, you, contemplating a slice of rhubarb pie.

19. Nutmeg

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The Scent: Nutmeg is one of the two spices derived from several species of tree in the genus Myristica. The other spice is...mace. But let's not talk about that, OK?!

The Fantasy: Taking a baking class with a really handsome baking instructor who jokingly scolds you every time you forget the nutmeg.

18. Oranges

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The Scent: Fresh and fierce.

The Fantasy: Picking oranges in an orange farm that literally looks like it flew off of a carton of orange juice and into reality. A wise old man shows you how to choose the best oranges. You take his advice.

17. Mint

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The Scent: Sprinkle to taste — inhale liberally.

The Fantasy: Preparing the most perfect rack of lamb, and feeling so proud of yourself.

16. Cinnamon

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The Scent: Warm and fuzzy with a kick.

The Fantasy: Christmas morning.

15. Freshly Baked Cookies

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The Scent: Melting chocolate, butter, and all that is good in the world.

The Fantasy: After a long day at work, you come home to a plate of piping-hot cookies on your kitchen counter. You break down and cry tears of joy. You eat.

14. Vanilla Bean

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The Scent: Heaven.

The Fantasy: You stumble upon a little gelato place that seems relatively unknown to the general population (but it must have amazing reviews online). You sit, by yourself, and enjoy the most amazing vanilla gelato you've ever had. You thank the owner, walk out the door, turn back, and...it's gone. The little gelato place is gone.

13. Truffle Oil

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The Scent: Intense.

The Fantasy: You spend your time riding very expensive horses, hosting lavish soirees in the South of France, and leading a pack of massive pigs on a hunt for black truffles.

12. Basil

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The Scent: Italian.

The Fantasy: You have the insanely clever idea to throw a pizza party with invitations that read "Margheritas for everyone!"

11. Toast

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The Scent: Simple joy.

The Fantasy: Saturday-morning cartoons.

10. Homemade Bread

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The Scent: CARBS!!!!!!!!!!

The Fantasy: Finally clearing some time on your Sunday calendar to do this thing right.

9. Bacon

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The Scent: Breakfast of Champions.

The Fantasy: A little breakfast spot off a highway in middle America. The decor is funny pig sculptures.

8. Roasted Chicken

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The Scent: Ahhhhhhhhh. Enough said. (OK, one more time: ahhhhhhh.)

The Fantasy: Your first totally successful dinner party.

7. Sweet Potatoes

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The Scent: Thanksgiving realness.

The Fantasy: A delicious side dish that's actually good for you. Oh wait, that's no fantasy. That's SWEET POTATOES.

6. Lemon

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The Scent: Fresh, simple, supremely unoffensive...just like you on a good day.

The Fantasy: You're sitting on the spacious deck of a seafood restaurant that has been in business since 1867. You squeeze lemon on everything you order. The sun smiles at you.

5. Cinnamon Rolls

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The Scent: Pure, unadulterated happiness.

The Fantasy: You wake up from a bad dream about being in a school play and forgetting all of your lines. You remember that there are leftover cinnamon rolls in the refrigerator. You turn the oven on, warm one up, and breathe in the sweet smell (while also realizing that you are not currently in a high school production of Anything Goes, let alone in high school).

4. Garlic

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The Scent: Comes before an amazing meal.

The Fantasy: Getting the smell out of your fingers.

3. Coffee

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The Smell: Peaceful mornings.

The Fantasy: Running through the coffee aisle at the grocery store, sniffing it all in, spinning as if you're on top of a hill in Switzerland, and you are the nanny to a group of singing children with a taskmaster father. The best part: No one is judging you.

2. Rosemary

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The Scent: Improves all things.

The Fantasy: You and your significant other decide to quit your 9-to-5 and open up a rustic Italian eatery in New York City's West Village. Your relationship has never been stronger, your cooking has never been better, and a famous person comes in at least three times a week.

1. Brownies in the Oven

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The Scent: The Undisputed Champ.

The Fantasy: Brownies. The brownies are the fantasy.

No matter where your favorite scent fell on the list, the best scent experience is the one you get when you wash up with Gain Dish Soap!

The fantasy? Loving the scent of Gain Dish Soap so much that you wash your dishes over and over and over and… Sorry, what were we talking about?