Can You Freeze Thyme? – Interesting Ways To Preserve Thyme in the Freezer

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Can You Freeze Thyme?: A common herb used in spice blends is thyme. It works well with fish sauces, poultry, stuffing, chowders, soups and stews. This herb imparts a mildly minty flavour to the cuisine. It goes well with so many different kinds of food. However, just because a herb is adaptable doesn’t imply you never end up throwing it away. You might immediately have a question in mind: Can you freeze Thyme? If yes, then this article is for you.

This article covers all the information you require for freezing thyme like whether can you freeze thyme, how to freeze it, whether can you refreeze and much more. Read the article to get all your answers.

Can You Freeze Thyme

Can You Freeze Thyme?

The answer to this question is Yes. You can freeze thyme for up to 6 months. Thyme can be chopped up and frozen in ice cubes, or it can be frozen in full sprigs in a freezer bag.

How To Freeze Thyme?

Thyme can be frozen in two ways: as complete sprigs in freezer bags or as ice cubes that can be used right away in your cooking. Before choosing how to freeze thyme, take into account how you utilise it.

Choose the ice cube approach if you often chop it finely to add to sauces and stews. Use the first approach if, on the other hand, you frequently put a whole spring into a platter of roasted vegetables, for instance.

How To Freeze Thyme Sprigs?

This is the technique to use if you want to give yourself a quantity of thyme from the freezer.

  • Clean and Dry: Start by thoroughly washing and drying your thyme. They shouldn’t be frozen by pests or dirt. Thyme dries most effectively when sandwiched between two layers of paper towels and squeezed. Most of the extra moisture will be absorbed by the kitchen paper.
  • Bag Up: Now, place a kitchen towel along either side of a zip lock bag to line it. Insert the thyme into the bag’s centre.
  • Seal: Squeeze out as much air as you can as you seal the plastic bag.
  • Freeze: Put in the freezer to freeze.

Keep in mind that the sprig of thyme will be quite fragile if you put it in a bag. Of course, if you want to be on the safe side, you can transfer the sprigs to a solid container after they have frozen.

How To Freeze Thyme In Ice Cubes?

It is strongly advised to make your own bouquet garni combination when it comes to freezing thyme in ice cube trays. This is an ice cube filled with flavour made from a combination of similar woody herbs. Then, all you have to do to rapidly improve the flavour of a stew or soup is to add an ice cube to it.

  • Prepare herbs: Take a bunch each of thyme, rosemary, and sage first. Thyme stems should have the leaves removed. Sage leaves should be rolled up and sliced, and rosemary leaves should be finely diced. All of these should be combined in a dish.
  • Ice cube tray: Take an ice cube tray now, and quickly spray some oil on it. If you don’t have a spray, use a piece of kitchen paper to wipe some oil into the ice cube pan. Each ice cube slot should contain a few teaspoons of your herb mixture.
  • Oil: Add some high-quality olive oil to the top now. You may give garlic-infused oil a go.
  • Flash freeze: Put the tray in the freezer and wait until it is completely frozen.
  • Final freeze: Pop the cubes out of the tray, then put them in a ziplock bag. Put the bag back in the freezer.

Now, if you need to add flavour to a dish, just grab an ice cube packed with flavour. The list of herbs mentioned above can also be modified by adding spices or citrus flavours.

You can give thyme, chilli, and lemon zest a try. Alternatively, fennel seeds can be crushed and used with oregano and thyme. Another option is to blend a variety of herbs in a food processor to make the matter even simpler.

Find Out:

How Long Can You Freeze Thyme?

You can freeze thyme for up to 6 months. Like the majority of herbs, thyme keeps exceptionally well in the freezer. The only negative is that the likelihood of the flavour deteriorating increases the longer you leave them in there.

Some Tips For Freezing Thyme

Some tips that can be followed are:

  • Do not restrict yourself to thyme. It can be frozen when combined with several other herbs and spices. You might add garlic and lemon zest to it to make a dish that is distinctly French. Thyme, rosemary, bay, black pepper, and sage can be used to make an all-purpose stew seasoning.
  • Butter with flavours freeze quite well. All that is required is to blend thyme and butter, form into sausages, and freeze them wrapped in cling film. Again, you can change it up by including different herbs and spices in your mixture.
  • You can make a salsa verde, pesto, or chimichurri instead of freezing the herbs in a mixture, and you can freeze these instead. The procedure is the same: divide it up into portions, seal each one with a little olive oil, and freeze.

How Long Does Thyme Last In The Refrigerator?

Depending on how it was when you first placed it in the refrigerator, fresh thyme might last anywhere from 7 to 14 days.

How To Defrost Thyme?

You don’t need to defrost frozen thyme before using it in cooking.

If you’re using a frozen sprig, take it out of the freezer, remove the leaves, and then proceed as usual or as directed per the recipe. Due to their small size, they will practically immediately defrost when they contact your plate.Again, if you’re using the ice cube approach described above, simply drop the ice cube into your dish; it will melt quickly.

Can You Refreeze Thyme?

While it is technically safe to refreeze thyme, we wouldn’t advise it. Thyme will lose flavour if you refreeze it, so just thaw what you need. The two approaches we’ve described above ought to make this quite simple.This explains why freezing thyme using ice cubes is so successful.

Wondering how to freeze the herb chives then have a glance at the article Can You Freeze Chives and clear your doubts in a fraction of seconds.

Does Thyme Freeze Well?

Freshly plucked thyme from the garden is unbeatable, but most ingredients are equal to that. However, freezing is a fantastic technique to keep thyme fresh. It will continue to taste good if used wisely, stored properly, and not kept in the freezer for an extended period of time. In general, any kind of fresh herb can be frozen.

Can Frozen Thyme Go Bad?

If thyme is kept in the freezer for too long, it may turn bad. It develops freezer burn just like any other food that is kept in the freezer for an extended period of time. Thyme may stay fresh for up to six months if stored properly. The herb’s quality will then gradually deteriorate over time.

If the thyme is still stored in the freezer after a year, it will probably have severe freezer burn, which will lead it to spoil. The thyme will now lose all of its tastes and textures. It’s still safe to consume them after a year, but it’s best to discard them as the herb has lost all of its nutrients.

When frozen thyme is allowed to thaw for an extended period of time, it can also become bad. Thyme defrosts quite quickly, and if it isn’t used within an hour or two, it will start to go mushy. Thyme should always be stored in the refrigerator if it needs to be defrosted. The thyme will gradually defrost in the refrigerator without losing its taste or texture. Additionally, you will have some time before using them.

FAQs On Can Thyme Be Frozen

1. Is Chopped Thyme Freezable?

Thyme can be frozen in whole, chopped, or sprig form. Before freezing in oil or water, the leaves from the sprigs should be removed, chopped, and packed into the slots of an ice cube tray.

2. Can Dried Thyme Be Freezed?

You can freeze dried thyme. There is no need to, though. In an airtight container, dried thyme (and the majority of dry herbs) will keep well for two to three years. The benefits of freezing them would be nonexistent.

3. Can Lemon Thyme Be Freezed?

Yes, it can be frozen. All types of thyme, including lemon thyme, can be frozen using the same techniques as regular thyme.

4. Is fresh thyme better than frozen?

If stored properly following all the steps, they are nearly as good as fresh.

5. Do fresh thyme sprigs freeze well?

The answer is that you can freeze the herb and sprigs. The leaves will come off the sprigs once it has thawed or been cooked.

Summary

We hope that we were able to clear up all the confusion you have about whether you can freeze thyme or not. Thyme can be frozen for up to 6 months. It can either be chopped up and frozen in ice cubes, or it can be frozen in full sprigs in a freezer bag. There is no need to defrost thyme before cooking and it is not advisable to refreeze it.

However, if you have any questions or any recommendations, please let us know in the comment box below. You can read our collection of articles like Can You Freeze Wild Garlic at canyoupreserve.com

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