Thyme is an important aromatic flavouring ingredient; picking the leaves off the stems is a mind-bending boring job everyone loves.
A common task for every station is to have a bin of “chopped herbs,” which means having to pick through fresh thyme leaves, chop them, and adding them to the herb mix. If the stems are woody, then the task isn’t too finicky. Most thyme you get in restos is grown too quickly, so the stems are tender, break easily, and are a major pain in the ass because they eat up your valuable prep time.
That’s why I like to let the thyme dry until it’s crumbly, then take each branch and pull your fingers against the direction the thyme grows. I find the leaves are more likely to separate from the stems. I swear that it has absolutely nothing to do with how much my wife hates the herbs taking up space on the counter.
How about you? Do you have a repetitive task that sucks to do, but the result is worth it? Hit me up in the comments.