Whether you’re prepping for a holiday party or spending the day in your jammies watching Christmas movies, a simmer pot is a great way to elevate your holidays. Fill your home with the scents of the season with this easy, natural air freshener.
What Is a Simmer Pot?
A simmer pot is pretty much what it sounds like. You put a saucepan on the stove, add water and things that smell nice and keep it at a low simmer. As the water heats up, the steam carries the fragrance of the spices and fruits throughout your home. You get that “I just baked something amazing” scent without dirtying your kitchen or dragging out your stand mixer.
Natural is Better
Don’t get me wrong; I’m a sucker for a good Christmas candle. But when it comes to seasonal air fresheners, most of them smell…well, not great. They’re either too strong or have a chemical undertone. Simmer pots use natural ingredients and water to freshen the air in your home.
Simmer pots are a great way to cleanse your home of lingering odors from the takeout you had last night or just make your home smell warm and inviting for the holidays.
Let’s Make a Christmas Simmer Pot
This is one of those things where a recipe isn’t necessary, but keep in mind that you’ll likely be using highly fragrant spices. A little goes a long way. Put three cups of water in a saucepan over medium heat and add any combination of the following:
- Two cinnamon sticks
- 6 to 8 whole cloves
- 1 star anise pod
- 3 cardamom pods
- 3 allspice berries
- Four orange or lemon slices
- A small handful of fresh cranberries
- Rosemary sprig
- Fir, spruce or pine sprigs
Bring your simmer pot to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat. It doesn’t have to be simmering constantly. As long as there is plenty of steam rising from your pot, the magic is happening.
Now relax and enjoy. Within minutes, you’ll be wrapped in the wonderful smell of all things Christmas.
It’s important not to let your pot dry out. Turn off the burner after an hour, and you’ll continue to enjoy the scent long after the water has cooled. (I like to set a timer so I don’t forget.)
Secret Advantage to Simmer Pots
One thing simmer pots have going for them that other ways of scenting your home do not is moisture. During the cold months when we’re heating our homes, indoor air tends to be dryer. This can wreak havoc on skin, hair and sinuses. Sure, you could run a boring old humidifier, but why would you do that when you can enjoy the fragrant steam from a simmer pot? Not to mention, cleaning a pot is much easier than cleaning a humidifier. It’s a win-win.
Simmer Pots Aren’t Just for the Kitchen
Traditionally, simmer pots have been a kitchen thing. But if you own a mini-crockpot, you can have the scent of Christmas throughout your entire home.
I own this little guy right here. It spends half the year buried in one of the cupboards in my kitchen that I can’t reach without a stool. But as soon as the mercury drops, I dig it out, and it gets used throughout the fall and winter. Sometimes, it’s on the kitchen counter with my favorite kind of simmer pot – the drinkable kind – sometimes, it’s in the living room filled with cinnamon sticks and sliced oranges.
Happy Holidays! It smells wonderful in here!
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