Quick answer: fill a pot half to two-thirds with water, add a fruit, a whole spice and an herb, bring it to a gentle simmer, then turn it down to low. Add water as it evaporates, and don’t leave the house while it’s on. One batch smells good for a few hours.
The method
- Fill a saucepan half to two-thirds full of water.
- Add the ingredients. A good first pot is 1 sliced orange, 3 cinnamon sticks, 1 tablespoon of whole cloves and 2 sprigs of rosemary in a 2-quart saucepan.
- Bring it up to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
- Turn the heat down to low, so it’s just steaming with an occasional bubble.
- Set a timer for every 30 minutes or so, and top off the water when it drops.
- Turn it off when you go out or go to bed.
Watch the water level and the heat. With too little water, the pot scorches or boils dry. With too much heat, the fruit falls apart and the scent fades within an hour or two.
The simmer pot ingredients guide covers what else you can put in, and how much.
What you need
| Item | Notes |
|---|---|
| A pot | Stainless steel, enameled cast iron or stovetop-safe glass; more on this below |
| Ingredients | A fruit, a whole spice and an herb; see the combinations below |
| A kettle or second pot of hot water | Topping off with hot water keeps the pot from dropping off the simmer |
| A timer | So you remember to check the water |
Choosing the pot
Use stainless steel, enameled cast iron or a glass pot made for the stovetop. Clemson University’s extension service suggests avoiding aluminum, because reactive metals can change how the blend smells.
If you keep pet birds, don’t use a nonstick pot. The Merck Veterinary Manual says overheated nonstick (PTFE) cookware gives off fumes at around 536°F that can kill pet birds, often with no warning signs before death. That won’t happen while there’s water in the pot, but it can if a forgotten pot boils dry.
Stovetop or slow cooker
A saucepan on the stove gets the scent going fastest, and it’s the best choice for an hour or two in the afternoon.
For a longer day, a small slow cooker is easier. Fill it about three-quarters full, set it to low, and leave the lid off or cracked open so the steam can escape. It heats more gently than a burner and is less likely to scorch. It still loses water, though, so check it every hour or so and top it off.
Eight simmer pot combinations
Each of these is for a 2-quart pot. Treat the amounts as a starting point and adjust to taste.
| Name | Ingredients | Smells like |
|---|---|---|
| Classic | 1 orange, 3 cinnamon sticks, 1 Tbsp whole cloves | Warm citrus and spice |
| Christmas | 1 orange, 1 cup cranberries, 3 sprigs rosemary, 2 cinnamon sticks | Bright, piney and sweet |
| Thanksgiving | 1 orange, 1 apple, 2 bay leaves, 2 cinnamon sticks, 1 tsp vanilla extract | Baking spice and fruit |
| Apple pie | 2 apples (or the peels and cores of 4), 3 cinnamon sticks, 1 tsp vanilla extract, half a whole nutmeg, cracked | Apple pie in the oven |
| Lemon and lavender | 1 lemon, 1 Tbsp dried lavender, 2 sprigs thyme | Clean and floral |
| Citrus and mint | 1 lime, 1 lemon, a handful of fresh mint | Fresh and sharp; good for spring and summer |
| Chai | 2 black tea bags, 6 cardamom pods, a thumb of sliced ginger, 2 cinnamon sticks | Spiced tea |
| Evergreen | A few sprigs of fir or cedar, 3 sprigs rosemary, 1 Tbsp juniper berries | Pine and fresh herbs |
For the evergreen pot, use greenery you can identify. Yew looks a lot like other evergreens and is toxic to pets. If you have pets, check the ingredients guide before you choose: several of the ingredients above are on the ASPCA’s toxic list.
If you’re choosing ingredients for what they mean as well as how they smell, the witchy simmer pots guide covers the traditions behind them.
How long a simmer pot lasts
One batch of ingredients gives off scent for a few hours, which is also the figure Clemson’s extension service gives.
You can keep the same pot going longer by adding water, but each refill smells a little weaker as the ingredients give up their oils. Citrus fades first. Whole spices like cinnamon sticks and cloves hold out longest. Once the fruit looks mushy and the smell has dropped off, it’s time for fresh ingredients.
Can you reuse a simmer pot?
Yes, for a couple of days. Let the pot cool, cover it, and put it in the fridge. The next day, add some fresh water and bring it back up to a simmer. A fresh orange slice or another cinnamon stick will perk it up.
We haven’t found an authoritative source on how long one keeps, so this is our own rule: two or three days at most. Throw it out sooner if the liquid turns cloudy or slimy, smells sour, or has anything growing on it. Some recipes online say a week; we’d rather start fresh.
Safety
Stay home while it’s on. The NFPA says unattended cooking is the leading cause of kitchen fires. Its advice for anything simmering is to check it regularly, stay home while it cooks, and use a timer as a reminder; Indiana’s state cooking safety handout reprints it. That includes simmer pots, so turn it off before you go out or go to sleep.
Don’t let it boil dry. An empty pot on a lit burner overheats quickly, scorches whatever is left in the bottom, and can damage the pot. It’s also how a nonstick pan reaches the temperature that harms birds.
Keep it away from pets. We haven’t found guidance on simmer pot steam specifically. The clear risks are a pet drinking the liquid, eating the ingredients, or knocking the pot over. The ASPCA lists lemon, orange, bay laurel and lavender as toxic to dogs and cats, along with the seeds and stems of apples, and nutmeg can cause problems in large amounts. Keep the pot, and the cooled leftovers, where pets can’t get at them. The ingredients guide has a pet note for each ingredient, including the herbs that are listed as non-toxic.
Mind the handle. Turn it in, away from the edge of the stove, where kids and pets can’t knock it.
Other ways to scent a room
If you want a room to smell good while you’re out, a reed diffuser runs for weeks with no heat.
Frequently asked questions
How do you make a simmer pot?
Fill a saucepan half to two-thirds full of water, add a fruit, a whole spice and an herb,
such as a sliced orange, a few cinnamon sticks and a sprig of rosemary, and bring it to a
gentle simmer. Then turn the heat to low, add water as it evaporates, and stay home while
it’s on.
How long does a simmer pot last?
One batch of ingredients gives off scent for a few hours. You can keep it going by adding
water, but the smell fades as the ingredients get used up. Once they look mushy and the
scent has dropped off, start fresh.
Can you reuse a simmer pot?
Yes, for a couple of days. Let it cool, cover it, keep it in the fridge, and reheat it the
next day with more water. Our own limit is two or three days, and we throw it out sooner if
the liquid turns cloudy, slimy or sour, or anything starts to grow on it.
Can you make a simmer pot in a crock pot?
Yes. A small slow cooker on low with the lid off or cracked open works well and heats more
gently than a burner. It still loses water as it steams, so check it every hour or so and
top it off.
Is a simmer pot safe for cats?
It depends on what’s in it. The ASPCA lists lemon, orange, bay laurel and lavender as toxic
to cats, and the clearest risks are a cat drinking the liquid, eating the ingredients or
knocking the pot over. Keep the pot and the leftovers out of reach, skip essential oils, and
choose ingredients like rosemary and thyme, which are listed as non-toxic.
Can you leave a simmer pot on overnight?
No. Fire safety guidance from the NFPA is to stay home while food is simmering and check it
regularly. A pot left on overnight can boil dry, scorch, and in the worst case start a fire.