Is your recipe calling for you to use some sprig of thyme? If you’ve never heard of it before, thyme is an aromatic plant that can be used to elevate and enhance various types of food dishes.

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If you need to use a “sprig” of thyme in your upcoming dish, all it means is that you are going to need to make sure that the stem and leaves have been kept intact.

Instead of pulling of the leaves (which is usually what it done when cooking with thyme and adding it into a recipe) when you are required to add a sprig of thyme to your food.

How Do You Cook With A Sprig of Thyme? Everything You Need to Know

It essentially means that you will need to add the thyme leaves as well as the leaves and steam that the thyme is connected to. This is done in order to help elevate the flavor of the thyme and give the dish a more authentic and rustic feel.

Additionally, more often than not, when a sprig of thyme is used to prepare a dish while cooking, the leaves will typically be allowed to fall off from the branch naturally (especially when cooking soups and stews) and then the branch can be removed before the dish is served.

So, to sum up everything that we have just mentioned above, if your recipe is calling for you to cook with a sprig of thyme, all it means is that you are going to need to add in the thyme along with the branch and leaves, instead of just simply removing the thyme as you might normally would.

Are you planning on preparing a recipe in your kitchen that requires you to add a sprig of thyme? We’re here to help you.

In this article, we are going to be showing you how you can add your sprig of thyme into your recipe correctly in order to help enhance the flavor of both your thyme and the additional ingredients in your recipe.

Just read on!

How Do You Cook With A Sprig of Thyme? Everything You Need to Know!

To help make sure that you are able to use your sprig of thyme correctly in your recipe, we are going to be providing you with everything you need to know about this aromatic plant. Just keep reading!

What Is Thyme?

Before we get any further into this article, we first think that it would be helpful to explain what it is that thyme actually is – as well as what it can be used for!

Essentially, thyme is an aromatic plant that grows in Europe, and is typically found growing in the Mediterranean. Thyme is very aromatic and consists of small leaves that are green in color and have a sweet flavor.

There are many different varieties of thyme across the world, ranging from garden thyme to lemon thyme. It also grows all year round, so it is readily available!

When choosing thyme, regardless of whether you are using fresh or spring – you should be sure to pick thyme that is green in appearance without any brown or moldy areas.

How Do You Cook Thyme?

One of the best things about thyme is that it is extremely versatile to cook with!

You can use thyme in a variety of different recipes, although the most commonly used dishes that thyme is used to in are marinades, scrambled eggs, stews, soups and even to help elevate the flavor of stuffing!

Along with this, thyme can also be used in combination with a variety of other aromatic herbs and plants, ranging from oregano, herbes de Provence and even parsley.

When cooking with thyme, it is typically used as a way to help enhance the flavor of other ingredients in the recipe that is being prepared.

More specifically, when cooking with a sprig of thyme, the thyme is placed inside the cooking bowl or pan with the stem and leaves still held intact.

Recipe Card: Cooking With A Sprig Of Thyme

Prep time: 1 minute Active time: 4 minutes Total time: 5 minutes

Quick answer: Are you preparing a recipe that requires you to include a sprig of thyme but not sure what that means, exactly? Don’t panic!

When using a sprig of thyme in a recipe, all it means is that you are going to need to make sure that the leaves and stem of your thyme is kept intact when you place it inside whatever it is that you are cooking – such as soup, broth or even soup.

By doing this, you will allow the woodsy-ness of the stem to infuse itself into the food that you are preparing, which will not only help to elevate the overall flavor of the dish that you are making, as well as helping the flavor of the thyme to be elevated, too!

Materials

To add your sprig of thyme to your dish, you are going to need to make sure that you have the following:

Spring of Thyme
Freshwater
Paper towel/cloth
Cooking prongs

Step-By-Step Instructions

First things first, before you even think about adding the sprig (or sprigs) of thyme into your cooking bowl or saucepan, you are first going to need to make sure that the sprigs of thyme you are going to be using have been washed. This is especially important to note as you are not going to be working with just fresh thyme, but instead you are also going to be adding in the stem and leaves that the fresh thyme is attached to.
After you have washed the sprigs of thyme that you are going to be using, you can then go ahead and gently pat them dry with either a paper towel or a clean, dry cloth. This will help to prepare them to be placed in the pan.
When you are ready to, go ahead and place the sprigs of thyme that you are going to be using inside the pan or cooking bowl that you are using to prepare the rest of the ingredients in the recipe. To do this safely, we recommend that you use cooking prongs so that you do not burn your hands – just be careful to handle the sprigs of thyme gently to prevent any parts from falling off.
Once you have placed your sprigs of thyme inside your cooking pan, you can then allow them to simmer on the surface until you can visibly see that the leaves and thyme have begun to fall off the stem. While you are waiting for this to happen, allow the stem to sit inside the cooking water in order to impart a woodsy aromatic flavor to the rest of the ingredients in the pan.
After the leaves and thyme have separated from the stem, you can then carefully remove the stem from the cooking water using the cooking prongs you used earlier, and then safely dispose of them. Be careful not to touch the stem, as it is going to be hot from the water.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is The Difference Between Cooking With A Sprig Of Thyme And Cooking With Fresh Thyme?

There are a few differences between cooking with a sprig of thyme and cooking with fresh thyme that you should be aware of.

On one hand, a sprig of thyme will essentially require you to cook your thyme with the stem and leaves still intact, while on the other hand, fresh thyme will simply consist of the thyme.

How Do You Prepare A Sprig of Thyme?

Preparing a sprig of thyme is easier than you might think! As you don’t need to take away the stem or leaves, all you are going to need to do is simply clean your sprig of thyme that you are going to be using and then place it into the cooking bowl or pan that you are using.

How Do You Store A Sprig Of Thyme?

Depending on what type of thyme you have, the way that you will need to store it can vary. If you happen to have fresh sprigs of thyme, then we recommend that you wrap them inside a damp cloth and then place them inside a container or fridge-friendly bag.

This will then help to ensure that your sprigs of thyme are kept in optimum condition for around one week.

Alternatively, if you have a dry sprig of thyme, then storing is going to be a little easier for you. Instead of needing to go to the trouble of wrapping your sprigs of thyme inside a damp cloth.

All you will need to do is simply place them inside an airtight container and then place them inside a cool and dry area. When stored correctly, dry sprigs of thyme should keep for around 4 months – sometimes even longer!

How To Cook With A Sprig Of Thyme

Prep Time: 1 minute

Active Time: 4 minutes

Total Time: 4 minutes

Cooking with a sprig of thyme is super simple and it adds so much flavor to a dish. Just wash the thyme and then place it into the saucepan. After some time, the leaves will separate from the sprig and you can simply remove the stem, leaving your dish with this wonderfully earthy thyme flavor.

Materials

Sprig of thyme
Water

Tools

Paper towel
Cooking prongs

Instructions

Wash the thyme: It's important that you wash your sprig of thyme with clean water.
Pat the thyme dry: As you don't want any additional water in your dish, gently pat the thyme dry with a paper towel.
Put the thyme into your dish: Depending on how much thyme you need, it's a good idea to place just a small part of the sprig of thyme into your pan first and taste it. You can use cooking prongs or a spoon to stir in the thyme. Make sure that the bottom of the sprig is outside of the water or sauce.
Allow the leaves to separate from the sprig: After a while, you will notice the leaves separating from the sprig, and you can then remove the sprig from the pan. Be careful, it may be hot so use the cooking prongs again.

Author
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Jess Smith

Hi, my name is Jess Smith, and I love cooking in my spare time. Around three years ago, I decided to give up my day job as a teacher to pursue my passion for food. While I have enjoyed sharing tips and tricks on Social Media, I have decided to expand my horizons through this blog.

Through this blog I hope to help others learn the basics and more intricate details of cooking. I know from personal experience how frustrating it can be to cook a meal, only to realize you are missing one ingredient from your list. This is why I love to write articles chatting readers through some great substitutes that can be used in an emergency.

I hope you will find this blog useful, and that it will help you to develop your culinary skills, to help you cook up a storm!