When you visit a cannabis dispensary, there are a wide variety of edible options for you to choose from. Edibles are popular with both first-time and experienced consumers, but maybe you’re looking for a more unique experience. With a little research and some effort in the kitchen, you can make custom edibles.
What to Know Before You Begin: Decarb Your Marijuana
Cooking with cannabis isn’t as easy as buying a flower and throwing it into whatever you’re cooking. No matter what edible you plan on making, it’s important to decarboxylate – or decarb – your marijuana flower.
Decarboxylation is the process of heating up marijuana flowers in order to alter the chemical compounds present in cannabis such as the cannabinoid THCA. By heating the cannabis, THCA becomes THC, the cannabinoid that provides the euphoric “high.”
When you smoke marijuana and heat it with a lighter, this process happens naturally. If you’re planning to cook with cannabis, grinding up the cannabis and heating it over time in an oven will allow decarboxylation to happen. 25-30 minutes at 230-250 degrees Fahrenheit in the oven is usually enough time for most cannabis to properly decarb.
Find The Cannabis Recipe That Speaks To You
After the decarbing processes, the next step is to find a recipe that speaks to you. There are a wide variety of recipes available online for both beginner bakers or experienced cannabis cooks.
Cannabutter – cannabis-infused butter – is a staple in many cannabis recipes. Cannabutter is used in everything from sweet treats like brownies and cookies to savory pasta dishes. Cannabis can also be infused into olive oil and other sauces, making it a versatile tool in the kitchen.
If you’re a tea lover, cannabis-infused teas are popular and easy to make. You can typically use one of your favorite tea bags or loose leaf blends, and you can adjust the amount of cannabis that you’d like in your brew. Cannabis tinctures are another infusion alternative.
If you’re gearing up to cook with cannabis for the first time, don’t forget these other nuggets of wisdom:
- Consider the strain of cannabis you’re using. As with any marijuana product, indica, sativa, and hybrid strains will all have varying levels of THC and varying effects on the body when consumed in a home-cooked edible.
- A little bit of flower goes a long way. Always be meticulous about the math and how much THC you are actually adding to your butter, oil, or other substance. Keep in mind, experts recommend starting off with about 1-5 mg of THC per dose for beginners, and the total THC level will be reduced to some degree during the decarb process. It is typically recommended that you add 1 cup of decarbed flower per 1 cup of oil or butter.
- Don’t grind up your flower too thin after decarbing. You’ll want the pieces still big enough to strain out of your butter, oil, or other infused product when the time comes.
- Always mix well. When adding your infused butter, oil, or other substance, it’s highly important that you distribute it evenly throughout, so some pieces or sections of your edible don’t end up with a much higher THC dose than others.
- Avoid recipes over 340 degrees. THC and terpenes start to degrade and become less potent at temperatures above 340 degrees, so make sure you’re choosing cannabis recipes accordingly.
While it takes time and patience, cooking with cannabis can be a rewarding process from start to finish, especially when you get to enjoy the finished product.
If we’ve whet your appetite and you’ve got a craving for a tasty at-home edible, you can check out UpTop’s products online or find our products at our Massachusetts dispensaries in Framingham and West Roxbury. Happy cooking!
