Next time your apple pie drips into your oven and fills the house with a less than lovely burning fragrance (hey, it happens!), try this simple kitchen trick to keep your place smelling inviting and warm.
Yes, cinnamon! When an apartment in my building caught fire a few years ago the damage to my own place was minimal, except for a smell that lingered for months. A chef tipped me on to a trick; simply put a cinnamon stick or two in a pot of boiling water and keep it simmering 30 minutes or so before your guests arrive. It's magic! I had a holiday party that year and the cinnamon worked better than the scented candles I had previously tried to mask the odor.
Your place will be left smelling great and your guests will never know the difference. Read on below for tips on adding baking soda to the pot and even using your crock pot instead of the stove.
Related: Try This! DIY Air Freshener in the Crockpot
(Image: Flickr user PinkStock Photos licensed for use under Creative Commons)
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My grandma always does this! She likes to make her own little pot of potpourri on the stove, simmering away. It always has cinnamon sticks, plus some citrus peels, and whatever else she has.
It makes her whole home smell wonderful. Great tip!
We have a wood stove, and I'm going to start putting a pot on top of the stove with some cinnamon sticks and other yummy-smelling things when the stove is lit. That will make the house smell fantastic.
My friend's mom, growing up, always, always had a "smell pot" on the stove with orange rinds, lemon rinds, cinnamon sticks, etc just simmering away.
Ooh, neat idea. So I have a question: does this actually help neutralize existing odors, or does it just add a new smell to the house? Almost every time I cook, my house ends up reeking of garlic. (I love garlic, OK?) If I boil cinnamon, will the house just smell cinnamon-garlicky? Or does it really cover up the existing odor? Thanks!
simmering white vinegar actually neutralizes existing odors. yes, your house smells vinegary, but that goes away very quickly. i add cinnamon to my vinegar.
I was about to say what others mentioned- my grandma used to always keep those crocks for liquid potpourri on the stove with cinnamon sticks, a few cloves and various citrus rinds. The citrus mixed with the cinnamon it smelled SO nice. Even if you're not a big cinnamon smell fan (my husband is obsessed with it in our home and this reminded me of something I hadn't smelled/ thought of since I was a girl!)
What a good idea. I saw a big bag of cinnamon sticks at the dollar store the other day. I was wary of using them for cooking but I bet they'd be great for potpourri.
ATers LOOOOVE vinegar!
if you're having a party, why not simmer (or use a crock pot) apple cider, and add in cinnamon sticks and cloves? or orange slices? then you get both the wonderful smell AND a lovely beverage to enjoy?
Not to be persnickety, but I think that's cassia in the photo, not cinnamon. Cassia has the thick, hard bark, whereas cinnamon is thinner and more shatter-y.
@bboettner - I love that idea!
@RosieGreenie - you're right, most of what's labelled cinnamon is actually cassia. Real cinnamon would be a treat but cassia would work for this as well...I'd save the good stuff for eating :)
Has anyone tried simmering baking soda with cinnamon?