Intro To Cannabis: Cooking With Cannabis
Hello, welcome back to the Genesis Grow Corp. blog! Today, we’re continuing our ever expanding conversation on cannabis, cannabis culture, and some great beginner tips you can use to get the most out of your experiences with this amazing plant.
We’ve spent a lot of time in this blog series covering most things you need to know when you’re primarily smoking cannabis. Now, we’re going to spend some time to give our readers who prefer the edible experience some helpful information about making edibles at home.
In this blog, we’re going to talk about cooking with cannabis, and the different mediums of cannabis you can use to effectively make your own edibles with your luxury cannabis flower from Genesis Grow Corp..
Before We Start Cooking
First and foremost, it’s important that we discuss what edibles are, and how they work in comparison to smoking. Interestingly enough, before we can get that iconic high we know and love from cannabis, the naturally occurring THC-A must be converted to THC Delta-9.
Although this sounds complicated and intimidating, it’s not! When we smoke, the heat from the fire changes the THC-A compound into THC Delta-9,and as we inhale it into our lungs, the THC enters our bloodstream, links with the endocannabinoid system in the brain triggering the high.
When it comes to edibles, most people think they can just throw some cannabis flowers into their food, be it a dinner or a baked good, and they’ll be good to go. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Not only will you be wasting your cannabis as it will not get you high, but it’s also likely that you simply won’t enjoy the food as there will be large, difficult to eat pieces of flower amongst the food.
In order to successfully make edibles, you need to first decarboxylate the cannabis. While this word seems like another intimidating, impossible scientific process, this is simply the act of turning the THC-A into THC Delta-9 via heat.
To decarboxylate the cannabis flower, you’ll need a couple of items: an oven, a baking sheet, aluminum foil, and cannabis, of course!
The first step is to preheat your oven to 225 - 250 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature varies based on the cannabis’ THC content, lower concentrations of THC decarboxylate around 225 degrees Fahrenheit, and higher concentrations of cannabis decarboxylate around 245-250 degrees Fahrenheit.
As the oven warms up, prepare your cannabis on the baking tray. First line the baking tray with aluminum foil, and crinkle the foil slightly. This allows the cannabis to heat evenly, and not burn from direct contact with the hot tray. Then, roughly break up your cannabis with your fingers and evenly distribute it on the tray. Be careful not to break the cannabis down completely, as it will likely burn in the oven.
Once the oven is preheated, place the tray on the center rack, and bake for 45 minutes. Decarboxylation takes time, so just be patient! Once the time is up, remove from the oven and let rest until cooled to room temperature.
How Cannabis Edibles Work
Once your cannabis is decarboxylated, it is ready to bind with fat. Whereas cannabis smoke administers the THC Delta-9 directly to your bloodstream via the lungs, the THC Delta-9 in decarboxylated needs to bind with fat in order to be processed and administered to the receptors in your endocannabinoid system.
In fact, due to the way edible cannabis metabolises in our bodies, it produces a longer, more intense high! This is because where smoked cannabis takes the THC Delta-9 and administers it directly to the endocannabinoid system via the bloodstream, cannabis that is eaten is first processed by the liver.
When the liver processes THC Delta-9, it actually turns it into another, more potent compound of THC — 11-OH-THC. After this change takes place, the 11-OH-THC interacts with the endocannabinoid system, creating the high. Because there are multiple steps required to process eaten THC, it takes a substantial amount of time for the high to ‘kick-in’. We’ll use this moment as a teachable moment.
DON’T EAT MORE EDIBLES OR SMOKE WHILE YOU’RE WAITING FOR THE EDIBLE TO KICK IN. Chances are, you’ll get way too high once the edible kicks in and you’ll either fall asleep, or have a bad time. (See our previous blog on what to do if you get too high).
Once the edible high kicks in, you can expect it to last anywhere from 4-8 hours, gradually intensifying as time passes.
Now that we know how edibles work, let's look into the different methods you can use to incorporate cannabis into your cooking.
Cannabutter
The first, and probably the most common form of THC infused fat is cannabutter, butter that has been infused with THC. It’s easy to make, and can be interchangeably used where ever one would use regular butter in a recipe. From baked goods like brownies or cookies, to even a cannabis infused roux, the possibilities are endless! Heck, you can even just slather some cannabutter onto a piece of toast if you’d like!
The process to make cannabutter is actually quite simple, it just takes a bit of time to ensure it’s done right. The first step in the process is to boil four cups of water in a saucepan. While this may seem odd, the butter will be cooking for quite a while, and the water will keep the butter from burning, ruining your cannabutter and wasting your weed.
After the water is boiling, add a pound of unsalted butter (you can also use vegan butter) into the water, and reduce the heat to a medium-low temperature. Let the butter melt completely, and add your decarboxylated cannabis (this recipe uses one ounce of cannabis, however you can scale the recipe down or up based on your preferences). Once the cannabis has been added, the mixture needs to cook for an hour and a half. During this time, make sure to stir frequently and keep the mixture from reaching a rolling boil.
Once the cooking time is up, take the mixture off the heat, and strain it! Coffee filters or cheesecloth are two great options for straining your butter from the flower, but there are also liquid sifters you can invest in if you consistently make cannabutter. Before you head to the next step, spend some time squeezing out any butter that has soaked into the flower during the cooking process, you’ll be surprised by how much gets absorbed!
Once the cannabutter is extracted, chill it in the refrigerator overnight until it sets. We usually use a Pyrex bowl, but you can also get silicone stick molds if you’d like to have sticks of cannabutter.
Extra Information
There are recipes on the interwebs that allow you to create cannabutter without decarboxylating the cannabis before cooking, however, we’ve supplied this recipe because it ensures that you’re cannabis will be completely and effectively decarbed, reducing the chances that you’ll end up wasting your flower.
Another interesting bit of information revolves around the butter itself and increasing the overall potency of your cannabutter. If you take an extra step to clarify your butter before adding your decarbed cannabis, you’ll increase the potency of the final product. To clarify butter, simply melt it in a saucepan. Once the butter has melted, remove the opaque milk solids that settle at the top of the melted butter. After all of the solids are gone, the butter should be clear. Then, follow the recipe as written above.
Infused Cooking Oils
Infused cooking oils are awesome because they allow for more versatility than cannabutter. Yes, there are so many different things you can make with butter, but infused cooking oils expand the possible repertoire. With cannabis infused cooking oils you can create salad dressings, infused frying oil, and much more! There is even the possibility of creating your own topical products if you’re so inclined.
In terms of process, infusing cooking oils with cannabis is extremely similar to making cannabutter. The first step is to add your cooking oil to a sauce pan and heat it over medium-low heat. We’re using a pound of cooking oil for our recipe, and a half of an ounce of decarboxylated cannabis. As with the cannabutter recipe, feel free to add more (or less) cannabis to suit your preferences!
Once the oil is thoroughly warmed (after about 20-30 minutes on medium-low heat), add the decarboxylated weed. Then, the mixture needs to cook for three hours. Again, like with cannabutter, make sure to stir the mixture frequently during this time.
When the cooking time is up, strain the mixture and squeeze out any oil that has soaked up into the flower. Then, after the cannabis infused oil has cooled, store in an air-tight vessel and use it to cook!
For Edible Lovers
If we’re talking about edibles, we have to spend some time discussing our favorite invention of recent memory — The Magical Butter. This is a machine designed to make all things cannabis cooking. From cannabutter to infused oils to even tinctures, this machine allows you to add your decarbed cannabis and the fat you’d like to infuse. Then it does all of the work! This machine perfectly infuses your oils without requiring you to keep it from burning. Once it’s completed it’s cycle, you simply strain the liquid from the flower and you have your cooking oil! This is a must for any cannabis lovers who are consistently making edibles.
Genesis Grow Corp.
As you can tell, at Genesis Grow Corp. we’re passionate about all things cannabis. Our operation in California is dedicated to creating the best luxury cannabis flower products on the market, and we’re always growing. From seed to flower, we’re completely invested in the process of our cannabis production, constantly looking for more efficient and sustainable ways to create amazing cannabis.
If you’d like to try our Pacific Crest Pre-Rolls, Mad Cow Genetics Luxury Cannabis Flower, or our Oh My Ganj! Line of cannabis flower, be sure to check out our website and find the closest retailer near you.
If you’re interested in learning more about our company, our mission, and our love of all things cannabis, contact us today! We’d love to hear from you.