Cannabis and shrimp on table
Since the dawn of the marijuana culture, cooking with cannabis has been a popular way to enjoy. Everyone knows that a little “oregano” makes the spaghetti better, and pot brownies are a party classic when you’re planning to stay in with friends. Once the infusion process is done, homemade edibles are not only delicious, but they also have very little smell. This has made cooking with cannabis one of the safest ways to enjoy your leaf for decades no matter what neighbors or relatives might be nearby.
We’ve all heard of the classics, but there are really dozens of recipes for cooking with cannabis. Each one requires only an oil-based ingredient that’s been infused with decarboxylated flower.
Cooking with cannabis is all about creating the experience you want to have. Your choice of strain, infusion, and recipe will shape how you enjoy your homemade edibles. You can make recipes that are sweet or savory, based in oil or butter; you can even infuse whole milk.
The strain of cannabis you choose will influence the effects of your edibles. Strains are defined by their THC strength, CBD content, and terpene blend. The terpenes can help determine if you have sleepy, body-high Indica, energetic and creative Sativa, or a balanced Hybrid with qualities of both. CBD strains also add more therapeutic benefits.
Decarboxylation is gently heat-treating the cannabis. You will need to chop up your leaf onto a cookie sheet, then bake it at a low temp of 250 F for about 30 minutes. This cleanly triggers the chemical transformation of non-psychoactive THCa to active THC. Decarboxylation replaces the lighting or heating of cannabis when smoked or vaped.
You can take control of your dosage by determining the strength and amount of cannabis used in your infusion. Your dosage is the THC% of your leaf multiplied by the total grams of bud. Then divide by 1000 to get the milligrams of THC that you will be infusing into your base – oil or butter.
Finally, take the mg of THC and divide it by the quantity of base ingredient. For example, 20% THC in 1 g of cannabis is 0.2 (20% of 1) x 1000 = 200mg. Infused into 1 cup of olive oil would mean 12.5 mg of THC per tablespoon (16 tbsp / 1 cup).
The standard dose of THC per edible is 10mg, but you can make them much stronger according to your personal preference. To know your dosage per serving, take the total mg of THC in the recipe and divide it by the number of servings in the recipe.
For best results, we recommend starting small and using a minimal amount of cannabis oil in your food to see how it takes effect. You may increase the dosage as recommended by experts over time.
Infusion should take at least two hours, and it can take up to six. During the infusion process, your decarboxylated cannabis should be gently simmering in your base ingredient. The longer they steep together, like tea, the more THC is extracted from the leaf into the oil.
Your base must be a lipid, like olive oil, butter, or whole milk, because THC and other cannabinoids are fat-soluble.
You can directly simmer cannabis in oil, but most people recommend using a double-boiler or a homemade pot-in-pot double-boiler arrangement to provide the heat indirectly through steam.
Don’t Overheat: The main reason for infusing CBD oil into food is to enjoy its medical benefits while consuming regular meals. The slight taste of this compound may elevate the taste, but only if you don’t overheat it. Heating cannabis-infused foods over 340º F may burn off terpenes that give CBD its true taste and smell.
Don’t Overconsume: As mentioned above, a common reason behind infusing cannabis oil into foods is to benefit from its therapeutic effects. However, these effects may take a while to kick in, especially if you are using around 50mg of cannabis in the food. Enjoy your meal, and be patient. You can always take another dose should you need it later.
CBD is the non-psychoactive cannabinoid known for its therapeutic properties. While most people cook with cannabis to enjoy strong THC edibles, you can also cook with CBD cannabis flower for a more relaxing and less recreational experience.
Cooking with CBD is no different in process from cooking with THC. You will still want to decarboxylate, infuse, and measure your doses in all the same ways. CBD also works equally well in the same recipes.
While most people look at cannabis cooking as a fun way to get high with THC, it’s also a valuable vehicle for therapeutic CBD.
CBD provides many therapeutic benefits that are similar but different from THC. CBD can help to regulate your sleep, pain, and appetite. It can manage inflammation and, in some cases, has been used as an anti-convulsant. Cooking with CBD can help to provide these therapeutic benefits through snacks and meals that don’t require classic cannabis activities like smoking or vaping, and can help you lengthen your therapeutic benefits to the rhythm of your metabolism.
Cooking with cannabis and CBD are legal anywhere you are permitted to buy cannabis or CBD. If you can buy leaf in a nearby dispensary, you can cook with it at home. However, there are restrictions on sharing and access. For example, most states do not permit selling infused foods, but you can host an adults-only dinner or party with infused foods on the menu. You cannot have more than the legal weight worth of buds cooked into food in your home, but you can cook your entire maximum amount into foods, if you so choose.
It’s also worth noting that some states restrict concentrates, and pure infused canna-butter or infused oil can be considered a concentrate.
First, learn the laws regarding cannabis or CBD possession in your state. Then be sure to adhere to those laws within the context of cooking cannabis at home. Clearly label medicated foods and keep them out of reach of children. Do not sell cannabis-infused foods or dose anyone without their knowledge. Lastly, where concentrates are considered less legal, use all of your infused ingredients and do not store extra canna-butter or infused oil in its ingredient form.
Cooking with cannabis and CBD is not only delicious, but also an enriching experience. Whether you are looking for a long-lasting high or all-day therapeutic effects, you will find your adventures in canna-cooking to be quite rewardable. Try some of the recipes we mentioned or alter your own favorite recipes by replacing normal oil and butter ingredients with your homemade infusion.
To find awesome strains to infuse and cook with, explore the Medizin dispensary. If you live in Nevada, you can stop by Medizin – a leading cannabis dispensary in Las Vegas – where you will find a wide range of CBD and cannabis brands, to suit your needs and personal preferences.
Contact us today to learn more.
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