As more and more states legalize the use of cannabis, it becomes easier for people to get their hands on marijuana. One of the popular ways of consuming cannabis is through edibles. Cooking edibles has its own merits because the cannabis effect lasts longer when it is digested in an organic form instead of just being smoked.
The idea is that by cooking something with cannabis in it, you would be able to enjoy the taste of whatever you are cooking along with a high. However, cooking can be tricky if you do not know what you are doing. To avoid any difficulties, it’s important to plan ahead and be prepared before cooking anything with cannabis.
Here are some useful tips that should help you plan your next edibles experience properly:
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Know Your Strain And Dosage
Different strains of cannabis will produce different results when cooked, so it is important to know what you are working with. There are many ways to find out more about your strain of choice.
The first and easiest option is to head down to a dispensary in your area and try some for yourself. If you can’t do that, you should be able to find all the information you need online. Websites like Leafly allow users to look up different cannabis strains and read reviews about them. It will give you an idea of what each strain is like and how it might affect you when cooked into edibles. You can also take a look at https://highthere.com/cannabis/weed-measurements/ to find out about exact weed measurements. All this information is useful when planning the dosage for your recipe. If you are not sure, it’s always better to be safe than sorry! Remember that cooking with weed will make it more potent, so take it easy and go slow.
What Other Ingredients Do You Need?
Another important factor to think about before you start cooking is the other ingredients in your recipe, which will of course depend on the type of edibles you’re making. If you’re making brownies, you will need butter, flour, and chocolate (or cocoa powder). In addition to these ingredients, you will need a non-stick cooking spray, an oven tray, parchment paper, a bowl, and a hand mixer.
It’s important to mention that sugar will impact the overall strength of your end product. So if you don’t want a strong edible, don’t add much sugar to the recipe. The same goes for fat – adding more fat will make your high stronger as well.
In case you are making something different from brownies or cookies, your ingredients list might be a little longer. It is always better to check the recipe beforehand, so you know exactly what ingredients are needed.
Process Of Decarboxylation
There’s a reason why cannabis is smoked rather than being cooked into edibles while still fresh. When you smoke weed, the THC is converted from CBN due to exposure to heat. In other words, smoking weed already decarboxylates it for you. However, when cooking cannabis in edibles, you will need to do this process yourself or your recipe won’t have any psychoactive effect.
The process of decarboxylation is fairly simple. All you have to do is place the dry herb in an oven tray and heat it for about 15-20 minutes at 220C or 428F. Make sure that your oven is set to fan mode because it will circulate air properly, which will result in more evenly cooked weed. Keep in mind that this process will also affect the taste of your edibles, so you might want to use a different strain next time if the weed you have currently is not one you particularly enjoy.
Don’t Grind It Too Fine
The last piece of advice is related to grinding weed for cooking. If you grind the cannabis too finely, it might result in a stronger flavor and more of a ‘green’ taste – similar to what you would find if smoking the herb fresh.
Instead, keep your ground up weed on the coarser side. Weed powder has a tendency to make brownies chewy, so if you want a crunchy cookie texture, don’t grind it too finely.
So, if you’re thinking of cooking up some edibles, make sure to keep the following tips in mind: know your strain and dosage, what other ingredients you’ll need, and how to decarboxylate your weed. Also, be mindful of the grind size – too much powder can make your brownies chewy. We hope this article was helpful to you. Enjoy cooking with cannabis and happy experimenting!
