Making and Using Simmer Pots

If you aren’t familiar with simmer pots, they’re quick and easy ways to add fresh and clean fragrances to your home.

What are Simmer Pots?

Simmer pots, also known as stovetop potpourri, freshen the air naturally:

1. Fragrant ingredients like fresh fruits and herbs are simmered in a pot of water set over the stove.
2. The heat and steam from the warmed mixture causes the ingredients’ natural essential oils to be released into the air.
3. The result: a gently comforting and relaxing aroma fills and infuses the room.

Simmer pots also act as a natural humidifier, as they bubble away on the stove and release steam into the air.

Why Use a Simmer Pot?

While candles, room sprays, plug-in fragrances, and incense are typical favorites for adding scent to the home, many of these options contain toxic and synthetic fragrances and chemicals that can damage your health and contribute to poor indoor air quality. 

Simmer pots are a natural way to add fragrance to a room. They’re sustainable, and cut down on the single-use plastic packaging typically found with air fresheners and room sprays.

The natural ingredients used in a simmer pot can even be composted when you’re finished.

Making a Simmer Pot

To start simmering, look to the fresh fruits and herbs and other ingredients you may have on hand.

Some options to try include:

• citrus peels
  • lemon
  • lime
  • orange
  • grapefruit
• sprigs of fresh mint, thyme, or basil
• pure baking extracts
  • vanilla
  • almond
  • peppermint

Fresh fruit peels create the same aroma as whole slices when simmered, so it doesn’t matter which you use.

Reduce food waste by saving apple peels, fruit cores, and citrus rinds in resealable bags. Store them in the freezer until you’re ready to use them in a simmer pot.

Using a Simmer Pot

Here’s the basic procedure to follow when setting up a simmer pot.

See the recipes that follow for specific ingredient measurements.

Stovetop Pot

1. Fill a stovetop pot with water until it’s three-quarters full. 
2. Bring the water to a boil. 
3. Add ingredients as desired (or see our recipe ideas below). 
4. Reduce heat to a simmer. 
5. Simmer for 30 minutes. Check water level, adding more necessary.
   • You want the water level in the pot to stay at least half full throughout the simmering time.
6. Continue simmering for three hours or more, checking the water level every 30 minutes or so.
   • Keep topping the pot with more water as needed to ensure it doesn’t completely evaporate and the ingredients don’t burn.

Using a Slow Cooker

A slow cooker can also be used to simmer fragrant ingredients.

1. Fill a slow cooker with water until it’s about three-quarters full.
2. Add desired ingredients, pop the lid on, and set the device to High.
3. When the cooker begins to steam, remove the lid, and set the machine to the Low or Simmer setting.
4. Be sure the water remains at the halfway mark inside the container during the entire simmering process.
   • Check every 30 minutes, and add more water as needed.

Keep in mind that most simmer pot sessions last about two hours.

Ingredients

You should always select something seasonal, whether in Spring or Autumn, but here are some general tips.

• Reducing Waste

  Save apple, pear, and citrus fruit peels, as well as those last remnants at the bottom of a spice jar, and put them to good use in a simmer pot. Consider freezing the peels until you’re ready to use them.

• Reusing Ingredients

  You can use simmer pot ingredients (also known as aromatics) more than once. Drain the water from the pot with a strainer.

  Store the aromatics in the refrigerator for up to three days. When ready to use again, add fresh water to a pot and simmer away.

  The smell may not be as strong, but it will still be lovely.

• Get Creative

  • Fruit Juices

    Try substituting your favorite juice for the water (try cranberry, grape, apple, or pear).

  • Tea Bags

    If you don’t have a particular herb or spice in your kitchen, or you don’t want to use up your expensive spices, try substituting or adding in various tea bags (chai, black, or herbal blends).

    Keep in mind that a couple of bags are needed per simmer blend to release the tea’s aromas.