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Writer's pictureJodi Jill

French Fries Candles: What a Sniff

French Fries Candles? Yep!



Once a year I head down to the candle shop here in our little village and make a candle. Typically it lasts about a year, but honestly the smell from last year's candle was a wee bit too much so I was itching to make something new. And I made that candle earlier this year.


Candle Making Fun Once a Year


Anyhow, after cruising around the store, I decided to use French Fries oil for making a French fries candle. I admit that I was slightly focused on the fast food I consumed prior to this decision, but life is bound to impact you when you engage. So that's what the final project became.


When I first considered this idea for a candle, I thought: fresh, unique and eccentric. Then reality set in after I started pouring the wax during the project. Was I really going to have a candle smelling like Mickey D's fries? Walking around the house I would smell like a fast food joint gone wrong? At that point I decided I probably ought to light the candle outside to see how much the oil impacts the air.


For the candle itself, I decided a bright yellow wax a very thin embossed jar would be the perfect presentation. Finding a wick long enough proved to be a little bit of an issue, but I managed. From that point it was all about pouring the hot liquid inside the jar evenly. Yeah, that sounds easy, but not really. I felt like I was on pins with every drop trying to avoid bubbles to mess up the candle.


Once the wax was poured, I actually was able to tie the wick properly and then wait for everything to set. I was very proud of myself until I realized I sort of had too much oil in the mixture of wax. So there were three measuring instruments on the table. Each setting next to the ingredients used to make the candle. Well, never assume that the measuring instrument setting next to ingredients in the right one. I'm talking from experience here. It's always good to double check by looking at the directions.


Long story short, I used five time too much French Fries oil in the candle. That means you're going to have super sized fries smells when lighting the candle. When I discovered the issue, I sort of chuckled. Life happens. I promised myself to be sure to start the candle outdoors - just in case it was very smelly.


French Fries Candle is Weirdly Appealing


When I kicked off the first burn of the French fries Candle, it was something of an overwhelming grease fest atmosphere. And yes, it was obvious way too much oil was used. What I did discover is the smell is weirdly appealing.


Yes, I do like the smell, but so does everyone else within the area. I saw people walking their dog sniffing the air as they moseyed by and even the next door neighbor peered out the window. In particular I found that the mosquitos started swarming (almost immediately), I saw a bunch of bees, flies and other flying insects. I even saw the roaming neighborhood cats coming around when the candle was slowly burning.



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