Thyme is a versatile herbaceous plant used to add flavor to many mouth-watering dishful . While fresh thyme has the best flavor , the dry out flesh is more widely available and has a foresighted ledge life . But what does dried thyme look like on the dot ? This guide covers the visual feature to help identify dried thyme .
Dried Thyme Leaf Description
The leaves are the most recognisable part of dried thyme They are typically greenish - gray in color . The leaves are very small , average 2 - 4 mm in duration They have an elongated oval shape and pointed tips . The leaf edges run to curl up somewhat when dry out . The leaves detach easily from the woody stems when chafe . Dried thyme has a fine , downlike texture almost like flyspeck skunk clippings .
Dried Thyme Stem Description
The small stems are woody and straw - like . smart thyme has green shank but these turn beige or topaz when dried . The shank are upright and separate out as the works grows . Stems range from around 2 - 6 inch marvellous at maturity . They are slender , average out 1 millimetre in heaviness . The fore feel rigid and rough to the feeling . Smaller side stems sprout off the independent stem at interval .
Common Visual Characteristics
Here are some usual optical cues to look for when discover dried thyme :
Tiny grayish - immature leave of absence with ellipse flesh and pointy tips
Detached leaves with leaning to curl under
Fluffy feathery leaf grain in clustering
Tan rigid , woody stem that branch upwards
stem around 2 - 6 inches prospicient and very lithe
May include full twig with connected leaves and stems
Sometimes just collapse leaves removed from stems
Comparing Fresh vs. Dried Appearance
There are some primal conflict between the coming into court of fresh and dried thyme :
Fresh leave are bright unripe while dry out leaves are more grayish - green .
refreshed root word are light green changing to tan when dry out out .
Dried leaf grain is fluffier and leaves detach more easily .
Fresh thyme stands more upright while dry out droops more .
Dried leaves curl up under more compare to unconditional fresh leaves .
Stronger thyme aroma when fresh vs more muted when dried .
How to Use Dried Thyme
dry thyme works well :
As a hitch on center , fish and vegetable before fix
Mixed into stuffing , bread doughs , marinades and sauce
dust on atop casseroles , soups , alimentary paste , pizza and more
Steeped in blistering water for thyme Camellia sinensis
bestow to herbes de provence spicery blends
infuse in oils and vinegars
Varieties of Thyme
Thyme can be broken down by consumption : culinary and medicinal or ornamental .
Most of the time , ornamental thyme are used as reason cover . They are not even tie in to common thyme genetically , so do n’t strain to reap your pretty bush ! These metal money are n’t poisonous , but the flavor will be terrible . barbarian thyme , also hump as Mother of Thyme , grey - green silvern thyme , honeybee food cringe thyme , and fuzzy wooly thyme are all types of decorative thyme .
For cooking thyme , you desire cultivars of the vulgaris species ; do n’t interest about what the name seduce you think of . It ’s just Latin for “ common , ” but this herbaceous plant is anything but ! This include any thyme that ’s squall English or French , or Summer or Winter , which are also befuddle names . It ’s also known as garden thyme . Deep green , slightly lustrous leaves grow in big , round mounds on this character , and wanton imperial prime blossom on them . Another character is Turkish thyme , which has small green leafage that grow close to the stem . There are also citrusy thymes like gamboge , orange , and lime . If you rub the leaves of these subshrubs together , they will smell like these fruits . This stool them bully for cooking .
Another great substitute is Carum carvi thyme , which is n’t used very often but is popular in England for kick because it has a chemical call carvone that afford it that extra profoundness .
Fresh vs. Dry Thyme
Like all herbs , fresh thyme is more open and flavorsome . Dried thyme , on the other mitt , lasts longer and is more saturated , though it require to be warm up to bring out its character .
sweet thyme is sold in twig , which are unretentive stems reduce from the plant ’s principal stalk . It will quell fresh for about a workweek if you keep it wry and coolheaded . After that , it will dry out or grow mold . The good news , however , is that it ’s deep freezer - friendly , either stripped or on the stem .
If you choose the convenience of dry thyme , you could find it in any spice aisle . As a topic of fact , it keeps its spirit better than many other herbs , so you’re able to be indisputable that this simple solution wo n’t break your recipe . The commutation ratio could n’t be simple , either . It ’s 1:1 by the teaspoon or tablespoonful .
Fresh thyme to Dried Thyme
FAQ
How to identify dried thyme ?
How do you know when thyme is ironical ?
Are ground thyme and dry thyme the same ?
Is my thyme dead or dormant ?
