The first autumn I tried this I used my tallest pan, because it held the most water and I assumed that meant it would last longest.
The kitchen smelled lovely. The rest of the house smelled of absolutely nothing.
Use a wide pan, not a deep one
It’s surface area, not volume. The scent travels on steam, and a wide shallow pan evaporates far more than a tall narrow one holding the same water. A frying pan or a sauté pan works better than a saucepan, and a wide casserole is better still.
The trade is that it runs dry faster, which is the other thing nobody mentions. Top it up roughly every hour and set a timer, because a simmer pot that boils dry doesn’t just stop working, it scorches, and burnt orange peel is a genuinely awful smell to have to explain.
Two other things that matter more than the recipe.
Peel, not slices. The fragrant oils are in the peel, not the flesh. A whole sliced orange looks prettier in photographs and smells weaker. Use the peel of two oranges rather than slicing one.
Crack the spices. Snap the cinnamon sticks in half, crush the cardamom pods with the flat of a knife. Whole and intact they barely give anything up.
Before you start, if you have pets
This is the question I get asked most and it deserves a straight answer.
Never add essential oils. Not to a simmer pot, not ever if you have animals. Cinnamon, citrus, pine, clove and tea tree oils are all genuinely toxic to cats, who can’t metabolise them the way we do. Whole spices and fruit simmering in water is a much gentler thing entirely.
Birds are the real concern. Their respiratory systems are extraordinarily sensitive, and strong airborne scent of any kind can harm them. If you keep birds, I’d skip this completely.
For cats and dogs, whole ingredients in water is generally considered low risk, but keep a door open, don’t run it all day in a closed room, and stop if anyone seems bothered. If you’re at all unsure, ask your vet rather than me.
And never leave it unattended on the hob. It’s a pan of boiling water on a lit ring.
Six that work
1. Apple and cinnamon
The default, and it’s the default for a reason.
Peel and core of 2 apples, 2 cinnamon sticks snapped in half, 1 tsp whole cloves, 1 tsp vanilla extract.
Smells like something baking, which is the whole point. If you make one, make this.
2. Orange, clove and star anise
Peel of 2 oranges, 1 tbsp whole cloves, 3 star anise, 2 cinnamon sticks.
Grown-up and slightly spiced rather than sweet. This is the one I have on when people are coming.
3. Cranberry, orange and rosemary
1 cup fresh cranberries, peel of 1 orange, 3 sprigs rosemary, 1 cinnamon stick.
The prettiest by a distance, and the one to photograph. The rosemary keeps it from going too sweet.
4. Pear, ginger and cardamom
Peel and core of 2 pears, a 2-inch piece of ginger sliced, 8 cardamom pods crushed, 1 cinnamon stick.
Less obvious than the rest and my favourite. Warm and slightly sharp rather than sugary.
5. Apple cider and vanilla
2 cups apple cider instead of water, 2 cinnamon sticks, 1 tsp cloves, 1 vanilla pod split.
Uses cider as the base so it’s richer and sweeter. It also costs more and doesn’t last as long, so save it for a day when people are actually in the house.
6. Lemon, rosemary and vanilla, for afterwards
Peel of 2 lemons, 4 sprigs rosemary, 1 tsp vanilla extract, no spices at all.
This one isn’t autumnal, it’s practical. It’s what I put on after cooking fish or anything fried, and it clears the house properly rather than layering cinnamon over the top of it. Worth knowing about.
How to actually run one
1. Fill your widest pan about two thirds with water.
2. Add everything and bring it to a boil.
3. Turn it straight down to the lowest simmer. You want a lazy bubble, not a rolling one. A hard boil burns through the water and the scent fades much faster.
4. Top up with hot water every hour or so.
5. Turn it off when you’re done and leave it on the hob.
6. Next day, bring the same pot back to a simmer. It’ll give you two or three days before it stops smelling of anything, at which point everything goes in the bin.
Things I learned the hard way
A lid kills it. Obvious in hindsight. No lid, ever.
Don’t use your best pan. Cranberries and long simmering will stain, and turmeric or anything with colour will stain permanently.
A slow cooker works and is safer, if you want to leave it going while you’re out of the room. Lid off, on low. It’s less effective than a wide pan but you can ignore it.
Dried fruit works out of season. Dried orange slices and dried cranberries are weaker than fresh but they keep in a jar all year, which matters if you’re making these as gifts.
Making them as gifts
This is where these get genuinely useful. Dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks, star anise and cloves layered in a jar with a tag telling people to tip it into a pan of water. They look lovely, they cost very little, and everyone is pleased to get one.
Dry your own orange slices at 200°F for about three hours, turning halfway. Shop-bought dried fruit works too and takes no time.
Check out my and easy potluck dishes for more ideas to bring to a gathering
Questions people ask me
How long does one last?
Two to three days if you reheat it, four at a push. The scent weakens each time.
Can I drink it?
No. It’s been sitting out and reheated repeatedly. Make mulled cider if that’s what you want.
Can I use a candle warmer instead of the hob?
Yes, in a heatproof jar, and it’s much safer for leaving alone. It’s noticeably weaker though, because there’s far less steam.
Why doesn’t mine smell of anything?
Nine times out of ten it’s the pan. Too narrow, not enough surface area. The other time it’s a lid.
Can I reuse the ingredients?
For a few days, reheating the same pot. Once it smells faint on the first reheat, it’s done.
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