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    Home » General

    15 simmer pot recipes

    Published: Nov 29, 2022 by Susan Moncrieff · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

    Simmer pots are an easy way to make your home smell fresh and inviting.  I specifically love having a simmer pot blend because it doesn't contain chemicals like store bought air fresheners and the flavors and ingredients can be customized.  In many cases, everything you need is already in your home or yard.

    What is a simmer pot?

    simmer pot that contains slices of orange, springs of thyme, cranberries and cinnimon sticks this to Pinterest

    Essentially, it is a pot of water containing fragrant ingredients that are brought to a boil and then simmered on low heat. This accomplishes two things. It releases fresh flavors into the air and it also helps humidify the air.  Personally, I love having a simmer pot when I'm home on a cold day!

    A small saucepan can be used, however, I prefer using a small slow cooker (crock pot). You don't have to watch the slow cooker as closely to make sure there is sufficient water in it. This is the slow cooker I have. I love the size and the color (and the price!). It's a smaller size, more along the size you would keep appetizer dips in. A crockpot is perfect because it keeps your ingredients at a low heat.

    Simmer Pot Ingredients

    Items that have a fresh smell are the best. I combine certain groups, but let me give you some ideas as to what can be used.  A simmer pot is usually made up of lots of water and 3 to 5 of the ingredients below. Ingredients can be from your fridge, pantry, garden or yard.  Below are a few pictures showing you some of the ingredients you can use.

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    Want to create your own DIY beautiful planters? I'll be sending lots of ideas and inspiration. "How to plant" tutorials & planter care tip articles will be shared too!

    Fruits, especially citrus fruits

    plate with oranges, a lemon, lime and an apple surrounded by green herbs
    Orange slices
    Orange peels
    Lemon slices/lemon peels
    limes/lime peels
    grapefruit
    Apples/apple slices/apple peels
    Apple cider or apple juice
    Cranberries (awesome for a splash of color!)

    Herbs and spices (fresh if you can but dried also work)

    fresh sage, thyme and rosemary
    Sprigs of rosemary
    whole cloves
    vanilla extract
    sprigs of thyme
    star anise (so pretty!)
    nutmeg
    bay leaves
    lavender
    fresh rosemary
    cinnamon sticks
    fresh ginger slices
    mint

    ginger, star of anise, bay leaves and cinnamon sticks on a white plate

    From the yard - non-edibles

    a small sprig of cedar (arborvitaes work)
    Spruce or pine from a tree

    Combinations I use & enjoy

    Modern simmer pots are about both fresh and clean scents and also have a pretty appearance. These are not the old stovetop potpourri mixtures that were brown and on the unsightly side.

    Cranberry & lemon

    • This is my favorite fall simmer pot. Probably because it's just so pretty! And the cranberries are only available for a certain period of the year.
      lemon, rosemary, cranberry and vanilla extract
      Sliced lemon
      cranberries
      rosemary sprigs
      vanilla extract (a teaspoon or a tablespoon's worth, depending on how large your pot is)

    The William Sonoma scent

    This was the first simmer pot recipe I ever used. It is widely shared that it is actually what William Sonoma uses in its stores. (I can't confirm that but their stores smell divine!).

    simmer pot with lemon slices, cinnamon sticks and rosemary sprigs
    Sliced lemons
    Rosemary sprigs
    Cinnamon sticks
    vanilla extract

    Cranberries & oranges

    simmer pot that contains slices of orange, springs of thyme, cranberries and cinnimon sticksCranberries
    Orange slices
    cinnamon sticks
    sprigs of rosemary

    Gingerbread

    ginger slices, cinnamon sticks, cloves and anise

     

    Thinly sliced fresh ginger
    2-3 cinnamon sticks
    whole cloves
    whole star of anise

    Orange & mulled Spices

    Sliced orange
    2-3 cinnamon sticks
    mulling spices
    A sprig or two of fresh rosemary

    Citrus

    This always smells fresh and clean in a house!

    sliced lemons, oranges and limes in a white simmer pot
    Slices of oranges, lemons and limes.
    Cranberries (optional garnish)

    In the Woods

    I take small clippings of aromatic trees in my yard. To me, it smells like being in the woods! None of these simmer pots are to be consumed. If you don't have a dedicated one, I would avoid using your food pot to heat items you would not consume.

    cedar and fir clippings
    Clipping of cedar
    clipping of spruce

    Apple Pie

    This is perfect when you have apples that are just past where you want to eat them.
    Apple slices, cinnamon & cranberries
    Apple slices
    Cinnamon
    Cranberries (optional - for color,and flavor)

    Ginger and Lemon

    Did you know these two ingredients make ginger tea? It's so good!

    ginger and lemon slices floating on water

    Thinly sliced fresh ginger
    sliced lemon
    (add something colorful for garnish - I had cranberries handy).

    Smells like Chai!

    Speaking of tea, this mixture of anise (the star shaped spice), whole cloves, cinnamon sticks and whole peppercorns is such a wonderful scent on a cold day!
    cinnamon sticks, whole anise, peppercorns and cloves on a white plate
    Cinnamon sticks
    Whole anise
    Whole cloves
    peppercorns

    Fresh outdoor scent!

    cedar, rosemary, bayleaves
    Clipping of cedar (not edible)
    Sprigs of rosemary
    Bay leaves

    Cinnamon and Cranberries

    cinnamon sticks with cranberries and rosemary floating on water
    Cranberries (lots of cranberries)
    Cinnamon sticks
    Rosemary

    Richly spiced orange

    Did you know that anise is the flavor of black licorice? It's such a rich flavor!
    Sliced oranges
    Cinnamon Sticks
    Whole Anise
    Whole cloves
    orange slices, anise flowers, whole cloves and cinnamon sticks floating on water

    Lovely Lemon & Crannberry

    lemon, cranberry and cinnamon stick simmer pot ingredients

    Lemon
    Cranberries
    Cinnamon

    Orange Rosemary & Pine

    Another outdoor woods type scent!
    Orange slices, rosemary and pine cutting in a simmer pot
    Orange slices
    Rosemary sprig
    pine cutting

    Fruit and Pine

    apple orange and lemon slices with a sprig of pine
    Orange slice
    apple slice
    lemon slice
    cinnamon sticks pine sprig
    vanilla extract

    Lemon & Sage

    Makes me think of Thanksgiving!
    lemon slices, sage and whole cloves
    Lemon slices
    Sprig of sage
    Whole cloves

    Ways to save money with your simmer pot ingredients!

    Some of these ingredients (looking at you cinnamon sticks) have become very expensive over the last few years.  Here are some frugal ideas to obtain less expensive ingredients.

    Use what is in season!  Cranberries are beautiful and also add a nice scent in combination to other fruits, herbs and spices.
    Buy items on sale. Fruit for example. Buy the inexpensive apples or the citrus that is on sale that week.
    Use up what you have. Apples not crisp? Slice them and use them this way.
    Slice fruit peels and use those. Orange peels, apple peels can be sliced and used.
    Buy things like cinnamon sticks at the dollar store or the bulk store. So much cheaper!
    Use what is in your garden (or ask a neighbor who gardens if they can share).
    Forage in your yard for fresh-smelling ingredients (cedar, spruce & fir trees).
    Use up old herbs & spices in your spice drawer.

    If you have any other ideas on how you make pretty but inexpensive simmer pots, let me know!

    For those of you using these to add humidy into your home, take a look at this post called Increasing Humidity in a Dry House.

    two simmer pots using fresh fruit, cinnamon sticks and rosemary. There is a text overlay stating 15 plus simmer pot combinations

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    1. Tessa

      December 05, 2022 at 2:21 pm

      I love these! Can't wait to try the fruit and cedar one - we have tons of cedar.

      Reply
      • Susan Moncrieff

        January 20, 2023 at 9:54 pm

        I love the smell of cedar in my home!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Susan Moncrieff! I love sharing easy recipes, especially those that take less than 30 minutes and have less than 5 ingredients. I'm passionate about gardening and creating flower planters. My home is 100 years old and sometimes you will see it in my posts! It was a true fixer upper and I love it!

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