How to Use Thyme Herb in Cooking

Thyme is an herb that grows great in most gardens with little gardening know-how. It is great dried or fresh, and comes in many different varieties to suite whatever dish you are creating.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Fresh thyme, from the garden or from the market
• Dried thyme, in the form of dried leaves
• Dried thyme, in the form of ground thyme

1. Using fresh thyme is one way to add character to poultry and meat dishes. To use, rinse off and pat dry. Remove the leaves or use whole. The leaves are mostly used for dishes where the thyme will be kept in the dish and not removed, like stews, soups, sauces and baked dishes. Thyme that is kept on the sprig is great for baked chicken and whole roasts, where you can remove the entire sprig from the dish at the end of cooking. Fresh thyme sprigs are great for cooking items with long cooking times.
2. McCormick's dried Thyme Thyme that is dried can be used the same ways as fresh thyme leaves, except use less. Dried thyme leaves and fresh thyme leaves are both used at the beginning of the cooking as the cooking times will release the flavors and volatile oils of the herb. Dried thyme leaves are great for soups, sauces and baked dishes, and for dishes with longer cooking times.
3. McCormick's ground Thyme Ground thyme is great for dishes that won't have ingredients removed, or where the thyme cannot be taken out at the end. It is also great for sprinkling in sauces, baked dishes and can be mixed with other ground herbs and spices forming unique blends for cooking. When using dried ground thyme, use it at the end of cooking or when the cooking times and methods are much shorter and don't require long infusions.

Tips & Warnings

• Whole thyme takes longer to release flavor, so use the ground thyme for shorter cooking times, or at the end of cooking.
• There are many different varieties of thyme. Experiment with different flavors, matching the herb with the menu such as using Lemon Thyme with a Citrus Marinated Chicken.
• When using fresh or dried thyme, look to be sure the item is fresh and not past it's prime usage dates.