Perfectly Dupe The Williams Sonoma Simmer Pot With An Herb You Already Have

There's a spiky, pungent herb in your garden or pantry that's best known as a seasoning for poultry or potatoes. It's also the (not so) secret ingredient in Williams Sonoma's simmer pot recipe. Sprigs of rosemary, along with a few other aromatics, are the unexpected key to how this home goods store gives you an olfactory greeting every time you pass through its doors. Copy this concoction with ease and low cost to turn your home into a good-smelling oasis.

Williams Sonoma shares its recipe for this five-ingredient team on its website, but there's no reason to shell out a small fortune for the high-end ingredients it promotes along with its formula. A trip to your neighborhood grocery store will suffice, as long as it carries vanilla, rosemary, whole peppercorns, and fresh lemons. Add some heat and time, and those rosemary sprigs will be the key to turning the store's legendary aroma into your signature home scent, too.

Grab a pot (an attractive enamel Dutch oven looks great, but any large saucepan will work) and fill it with 8 cups of water. Slice one lemon, and place the pieces in the water along with three sprigs of rosemary. Measure out 1 teaspoon each of vanilla extract and whole peppercorns, and add them to the mixture. Bring the liquid to a simmer uncovered, and let it continue simmering to perfume your home for up to two hours.

This peppery, piney herb plays well with plenty of other ingredients to make equally nose-pleasing combos. If you don't have a pack of whole peppercorns, don't make a grocery run. Instead, toss a few orange peels into the mix for a sweet citrus boost. A pair of cinnamon sticks stands in pleasantly for the peppery component, too. There's no need to sacrifice an entire lemon or orange to the pot. Squeeze the juice into a refreshing drink, and drop just the peels of one orange and one lemon into the bubbling water along with the same ingredient proportions as the Williams-Sonoma method. To go this route, cut the water quantity to 4 cups to concentrate the aroma better. However, you'll also need to keep a closer watch on water levels as it simmers, since it will boil out much more quickly.

It's hard to top how fresh the scent of citrus can make a space feel, but a straight herbal pong can transform your home in an equally invigorating way. Simmering a combination of three rosemary sprigs, a branch of fresh eucalyptus, and either ½ cup of dried lavender or 6 to 8 drops of lavender essential oil in about 4 cups of water does wonders to brighten up a scentscape. If the aroma is too strong, simply add more water. Too weak? Throw in a few more herbs!