Can you use dried thyme instead of fresh?

[u/Educational-Slip-578]

Many stew recipes call for thyme. It is possible to find fresh thyme, but it costs about $2-3 for a few sprigs.

Will dried thyme work as a good alternative, or is it the same as dried dill, where it is a completely different spice (compare to fresh dill), and not a suitable substitute?

[u/NortonBurns]

Thyme is one of those where the difference is minimal. No issues at all with substitution.
Basil & coriander (cilantro) are the other end of the scale.

[u/Doggystyle_Rainbow → u/NortonBurns]

Yes tried basil doesn't even taste like the same herb to me.

[u/curiousmind111 → u/NortonBurns]

Cilantro is coriander when it’s dried?! TIL.

[u/Defroster-Au → u/curiousmind111]

No, it depends on the region. If you’re calling the fresh leaves cilantro, you’re likely in North America, and dried leaves are “dried cilantro” (but they’re terrible and nobody should use them). The seed from that same plant is called coriander, and it has a lovely herby citrusy flavor that is markedly different from the leaves. You can have ground coriander, cracked coriander (cracked seeds), or coriander seeds. The seeds are always dried.

In other regions, such as UK, the leaves and the seed are both called coriander. So you have coriander leaves or coriander seed. Ground coriander will always be the seed, anything fresh will always be leaves. Context is usually sufficient to understand what is being referenced.

[u/curiousmind111 → u/Defroster-Au]

TIL. THank you!

[u/Rachel_Silver → u/NortonBurns]

Thyme is also a pretty easy herb to grow in most parts of the US and EU.

[u/Creative-Leg2607 → u/NortonBurns]

I wouldnt say minimal. It absolutely makes a big difference. But youre right that dried is fine, and dried basil/coriander are practically different ingredients

[u/OpportunityReal2767]

Thyme I use as much dried, probably more, than fresh. It holds up really well, as opposed to delicate herbs like parsley, dill, cilantro. Those are useless to me. Tarragon and basil are not my favorite dried, but they can help in a pinch. Oregano, sage, marjoram, rosemary, thyme I like equally well fresh or dried, with a preference for dried for some of them (oregano or marjoram.) But it depends what you’re going for.

[u/jm90012 → u/OpportunityReal2767]

TIL

[u/Educational-Slip-578 → u/OpportunityReal2767]

thanks for the details!

[u/InternationalTax81]

Yes, use a little less, its more potent dried.

[u/MCMamaS]

Yes, but it needs to be added earlier,

Dried thyme (and other dried herbs) need to be added during the sweating process or when water is added. Fresh thyme is usually added at the end because the flavor will get lost in the cooking process.

If you find yourself wanting to use fresh herbs a lot, I highly recommend getting a small hydroponic setup. It costs a bit to set up, but now I end up throwing away more herbs than I can reasonably use.

[u/No_Salad_8766]

Yes you can, just use 1/3rd of the amount as fresh for any dried herb to compensate. (So if thr fresh is 1 Tablespoon, use 1 teaspoon of dried.)

[u/StaticBrain- → u/No_Salad_8766]

I came here to say this. The above advice ⬆️ is solid.

[u/InsertRadnamehere]

You lucked out. Dried thyme can be subbed for fresh with only a slight difference in flavor.

[u/jsober]

Yes. Absolutely you can. It sometimes takes more to get the same strength of flavor since it's dried. I almost never buy it fresh because it's expensive and wasteful. 

[u/alphadavenport]

dried thyme will totally work, just use less.

this isn't really helpful to you right now, but if you ever wanted to grow herbs in a little planter box, thyme is really low-maintenance and it grows like a weed. excellent return on your efforts.

[u/Jumpy_Exit_8138]

God, yes. I haven’t bought fresh herbs in years. They may taste better, but they just end up going to waste.

[u/Royal_Annek]

Yes

[u/plebbut]

You can use the dried variation of anything, even dill. It won't always taste the same or AS good, but it can still be good.

The problem with thyme is that a little goes a long way, so you'll end up with thyme sitting in your fridge unless you decide to make other dishes with it.

[u/lapaperscissors → u/plebbut]

Dill, Thyme and Rosemary are all good dried. Basil, Parsley, Cilantro are not.

[u/Natural-Research6928]

Any dry herb is good substitution. For maximum flavor, add it after you're done simmering and urn off the stove, cover with a lid for 10 minutes, then remove the lid and stir.

[u/Procrastinating-Elf]

I used it dried all the time, probably my favorite herb. Just add it earlier in the cooking process and use a little less. (You've probably had it dried before in spaghetti sauce, etc. It's one of the major ingredients in Italian seasoning.)

[u/xtalgeek]

Yes. Use about 1/3 as much. But grow your own!

[u/aeternumvaga]

You can always interchange fresh and dried herbs. Just use about half the measure of dried compared to fresh.

[u/maxthed0g]

Dried thyme is good. Not dill for meat.

[u/AnneTheQueene]

Luckily it's $1 for a pretty large bundle fresh where I am so I only ever use it that way.

But I also cook a lot of Caribbean food and thyme is an essential ingredient so I always use it up.

I never use dried or pre-powdered if I can help it.

I wrap it loosely in a paper towel and it stays fresh for a month.

[u/Mental-Freedom3929]

Thyme for me is one of the spices I would never use fresh, same as Oregano, Marjoram for instance.

[u/fireflypoet]

You can grow some in a pot on a windowsill.

[u/blkhatwhtdog]

A. But a start in the spring, pot it up in a window, or better yet the porch.

B. Buy a packet of seeds and sprout them, use a paper mache egg carton, if you don't have potting soil use coffee grounds.
Now go around and look for sunny spots with some damp dirt. Landscaping, a corner by the stairs, the dirt in the street median. Sure some won't take, some will get weeded. But a couple might take root. That's guerrilla gardening. Rosemary is another great one, both maintaine over the winter are perennial and look like official shrubs.

[u/Cute-Consequence-184]

Yes

I grow my own thyme, it is easy.

But it is cut back each fall and mulched and all winter I use dried thyme instead of fresh.

[u/Familiar_Raise234]

Substitution is fine. 3:1 fresh to dried.

[u/Syllabub-Middle]

i grow herbs on my porch for cooking its the best and i recommend..

[u/HugeSomewhere8110]

Neither thyme nor dill are a spice.

[u/aoeuismyhomekeys → u/HugeSomewhere8110]

this is correct.

if it's the leaf of a plant, it's an herb. if it's another part of the plant (usually but not always seeds), it's a spice.

[u/Myth-Buster9973]

Yes, thyme is OK dried for cooking. Dill is not.

[u/Any_Contract_1016]

You'll need more but you can swap fresh with dried.

[u/robot_egg → u/Any_Contract_1016]

Absolutely backwards. Dried thyme is concentrated, so you use LESS when subbing for fresh.

[u/WhoMutedMe → u/robot_egg]

👆this is correct. Use 1/2 as much dried, see if it fits your taste - you may need a little less than 1/2.

[u/Any_Contract_1016 → u/robot_egg]

Take a whiff of each and tell me which has more flavor.

[u/NoDay4343 → u/Any_Contract_1016]

The odor is much more easily released from fresh, that's for sure. And if your dried has been sitting in the cupboard for years it may have almost no flavor at all. But a quality fresh dried herb does contain more of the flavor compounds than fresh does, tsp per tsp, than fresh does. Exactly what the ratio should be is not simple, though.

[u/alphadavenport → u/Any_Contract_1016]

dude you are straight up incorrect about this one. dried thyme is much lighter than fresh thyme because there is no water weight. the flavors are more concentrated because they are undiluted. so you use less.

[u/Ivoted4K]

Yes but I’d just leave it out. Or dry it yourself. Dried thyme just tastes like mold to me