Herbs

Thyme: what it is, how to pick and store it

A small-leaved herb, used fresh in sprigs or dried, for roasts, soups, stews and beans. As a rule, 1 teaspoon dried stands in for 1 tablespoon fresh.

How to pick it

Fresh thyme with green, fragrant leaves on firm stems. Strip the leaves by pulling the stem through your fingers against the grain.

How to store it

Fresh: wrap the bunch loosely in a damp paper towel, slip it into a bag and keep it in the fridge. Or trim the stems and stand them in a glass of water in the fridge with a bag loosely over the top. Dried: a closed jar away from heat and light.

Thyme: cups to grams

Dried thyme (leaves)
MeasureGrams
1 cup48 g
½ cup24 g
⅓ cup16 g
¼ cup12 g
1 tablespoon3 g
1 teaspoon1 g

Weights from USDA FoodData Central. Dried thyme: converter and grams to cups

Recipes with thyme (49)

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Pick and store tips are in our own words. Storage times and safe temperatures are only shown where a U.S. government source gives them, named on each line; for anything not listed here, see USDA's FoodKeeper app.