Make your home smell like fall with an apple cinnamon simmer pot: video tutorial

Cody Godwin, USA TODAY
·2 min read

Walking into a room or a home that smells nice is a simple pleasure that we all enjoy. Whether the scent is meant to mask or eliminate odors or to create a seasonal fragrance, there’s an easy and cost-effective way to make your home smell delightful.

What you need is a simmer pot, for which you can use a Dutch oven or a pot of a similar size. Then, just add water and your choice of fruits, herbs and spices, and do what the name implies -- simmer the mixture. The best part is that you can use items you already have in your home, including foods that might have been headed for the compost bin.

Watch this video to see how easy it is to make your home smell like fall.

Easy simmer pot

To make a cinnamon apple-scented simmer pot:

  1. Fill a pot with water.

  2. Bring the water to a simmer.

  3. Add apple slices, star anise, cinnamon sticks, fresh rosemary, and a few drops of essential oil of your choice.

  4. Let it simmer on low for a few hours.

  5. Enjoy!

Simmer pots are a simple way to add some atmosphere to a holiday party or family gathering. To ensure the scent has time to fill the air, start simmering a few hours before your gathering begins.

Depending on how long it’s simmering, you may need to add more water as needed.

Simmer pot ideas

There are so many possibilities when it comes to scented simmer pots! Get creative with your concoctions and add the scents that you enjoy.

Consider using:

  • Lemons, limes and oranges.

  • Fruits like apples, pears, pomegranates and cranberries.

  • Cinnamon sticks.

  • Spices like star anise and cloves.

  • Herbs like rosemary or mint.

  • Honey.

  • Tea.

  • Vanilla extract.

  • Your preferred essential oils.

Simmer pots are also an easy way to maximize your money and get as much as you can out of some of the foods you buy. Instead of tossing them in the compost bin, consider tossing these foods into a pot of simmering water, instead:

  • Squeezed citrus slices or peels.

  • Apple or pear cores or fruits past their prime.

  • Leftover herbs from tea.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fall simmer pot recipe: Here's how to make a marvelous cinnamon smell