Thyme leaves can be used as a flavoring for stews.
Dried thyme is an herb that is commonly added to meats, marinades, and just about any dish that needs seasoning. Fresh thyme and dried thyme can be used interchangeably, although in different proportions. Dried thyme can be made at home from fresh sprigs. It is also widely available in supermarkets and specialty spice stores.
Thyme is a staple of many European and North African foods. It is an herb native to the Mediterranean region, from Spain to Greece and from Morocco to Tunisia. Thyme normally has a long growing season in these warm climates, but it is not a perennial plant. Drying thyme in the summer allows for storage and winter storage, making cooking with thyme a year-round possibility.
Home cooks and gardeners can dry thyme in small batches quite easily. Thyme usually grows on tall stalk-like stalks, which should be cut back near their base before the plants flower, usually in late summer. Gardeners should tie the stems upside down and hang them in a cool, dark place to dry for up to two weeks. Baking or toasting at a low temperature can achieve similar results in less time.
Cooks can follow the same drying method for store-bought thyme. A person who does not grow their own thyme can often find fresh sprigs for sale in the produce section of their supermarket. Most of the time, prepackaged thyme contains more sprigs than are needed for a single recipe. Rather than discard leftover thyme, many cooks choose to dry it to preserve it for future use.
Once dry, the stems can be stored in airtight containers for later use or, as is more common, the individual leaves can be removed, crushed, and stored. Thyme stalks are edible, but they don’t have much flavor and are often difficult to chew. The leaves are the only parts of the thyme plant that are used for cooking.
Dried thyme is usually available for sale pre-dried. In most parts of the world, thyme has become a ubiquitous culinary herb, and dried thyme is a staple on most store spice shelves. Commercially prepared thyme is dried in large dehydrating machines. Cooks who are serious about drying herbs can often purchase dehydrators for home use, although they can be quite expensive.
In most cases, cooks can substitute dried thyme in recipes that call for fresh thyme. If the thyme has been recently dried, it probably has a strong flavor. In dried form, however, it takes up less space, meaning the same measures of fresh thyme and dried thyme can actually contain different amounts of the herb. Most of the time, cooks use about half the amount of dried thyme that they would use fresh. Adjustments may be necessary for thyme that has been dried for a long time or has been on the shelf for a long time, as the intensity of the flavor dissipates over time.