Ever tried cooking with cannabis? It’s easy to make your own edibles and beyond right at home. Preparing your own cannabis creation is a really fun way to experiment with the plant. There are quite a few different ways that you can incorporate cannabis into your meal or snack. Some are totally homemade, and others use products sold at most dispensaries, so there are plenty of options when it comes to dosing your food.
The Quick and Short Science Behind Edibles
Simply ingesting raw cannabis buds is not going to get you high. In order to get your cannabis ready for preparing edibles, you need to decarboxylate it. Decarboxylation is the chemical process that occurs when cannabis is heated, and inactive compounds like THCA are converted to bioavailable THC. When thinking about creating edibles, keep in mind that THC and other cannabinoids combined with fat, like oil or butter, are more easily absorbed in the body.
Not Homemade
Stop in your local dispensary and see what goodies they have. Almost all dispensaries will have an ample selection of edible products. Gummy edibles are certainly the most common type of edibles that you will find. Chocolate is another classic combination with cannabis. There are a handful of companies in NY truly excelling at cannabis-infused chocolates. While slower to roll out here in NY, there are a few companies out there making non-gummy or chocolate edibles. There are some cookies out, maple candy and Rice Krispie-style bars. If you’re like me and prefer salty options, there are a few out there, but you’ll be more likely to find a sweet treat than a savory snack.
The edibles category includes drinks too! It is a thoughtful idea to stock get-togethers with some cannabis-infused drinks in addition to, or in place of, alcoholic drinks. As more folks start to be mindful about their alcohol consumption, THC-infused drinks are a nice touch. Stir sticks containing cannabis-infused powder are easy to shake into non-carbonated drinks. Drink drops or shots are awesome if you are looking to craft your own mocktail or infuse while on-the-go.
Kinda Homemade
If you are looking for an easier way of preparing homemade edibles, all you need is a THC tincture from your local dispensary. This is a great way to incorporate cannabis into items like salad dressings, drinks, or anything that doesn’t need to be heated. Since the THC in a tincture format is already activated, it doesn’t need to be decarbed again.
My suggestion would be to use tinctures in a fat-based preparation. A frosting would be an amazing way to easily include a tincture into cake or cupcakes. As I mentioned above, a salad dressing would be a great option to infuse with a tincture. If there is any “weedy” taste in the tincture, it would be mostly covered up by the other ingredients. A compound butter would be another fun idea. Combine softened butter with fresh (or dried) herbs for a savory option, or maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg for something on the sweet side. Oil-based tinctures won’t incorporate really well into drinks, but I have been seeing a lot of cocktails with oil floats recently.
Using cannabis concentrates is another great way to infuse dishes. RSO (Rick Simpson Oil) is already decarbed and a great option. Rosin edibles are becoming super popular. Rosin is a full-spectrum cannabis product that is extracted using only heat and pressure. (RSO oil, on the other hand, uses solvents like food-grade ethanol.) Since rosin is still technically raw cannabis, rosin does need to be decarbed before adding into whatever you make. From my research, one of the best ways to do this is to place the rosin in a glass container and then heat it in the oven for around 20 to 30 minutes at 220-250 degrees Fahrenheit.
Homemade!
Making edibles at home is fun and easy, plus I always feel like the end product is WAY more potent than what you buy at the dispensary. Here are two of the most popular ways to infuse at home with no equipment. I won’t be providing specific recipes with quantities; a little cannabis goes a long way in these preparations. (It’s notable to mention that there are some very cool gadgets out there. Levo and Magical are two of the most popular machines that will decarb and infuse. You can set the temperature and time, and these come with detailed instructions.)
In the past, there have been two main ways I’ve made homemade edibles. They both involve decarboxylating your cannabis first. In order to decarb, you will need cannabis, a grinder/scissors, an oven, and a baking sheet. Set your oven to 220 degrees F. While your oven is heating up, grind or cut up your cannabis and place it on the baking sheet. Cook for 10-20 minutes, stir, and bake for another 10-20 minutes until golden brown. Let cool before using.
Alcohol tinctures are easy to make. Place that decarbed cannabis in a mason jar. Fill the jar with Everclear and stash it in the freezer for at least a day. The freezing cold helps preserve the various cannabinoids during the extraction process. (You can use Vodka and keep it in a cool, dark place like a pantry as well.) Strain before using to ensure there are no flower particles in your tincture. From there, this product must be diluted.
Let’s finish off with probably the most popular way to make edibles – using cannabis-infused butter. Cannabutter is one of the most tried and true ways to get baked while baking. I simply combine my cannabis with butter and let it cook in a Crockpot set to low. I used to let this concoction infuse overnight, but that’s not actually necessary for a potent butter. Most of the cannabinoids release into the butter within an hour, so that cuts down on cooking time tremendously. Once the butter is infused, strain and chill. If you aren’t going to be using this up quickly, I’d suggest cutting the butter into portions and freezing it so it doesn’t go bad. From there, you can substitute this cannabutter for butter in any recipe.
Enjoy!
