Written by Amie Reiman

From oils to flowers to edibles and even lotions imported from the USA, I personally cannot wait for the wide variety of products coming soon to cannabis retailers across Canada in the Fall. 

This next wave of legalization in Canada has many thinking, what yummy gummies and sticky ickies are bound to flank shelves across the Country?  

Getting ahead of the curve – many Canadian Canna Chefs are popping up with infusion dinners and classes for the Canna Cook in you.  However, if you prefer trying your culinary arts at home, there is a few staple ingredients you can prep and store to keep to add to any home cooked dish! 

Common Q & A

Is it best to use THC or CBD in my meals?

While medicinally they have some overlap in the health benefits they are known to treat – I prefer cooking with CBD so that I can enjoy my meals with an added anti-inflammatory boost! However, there is a drawback: the taste of the oils and flowers leave a lot to be desired and so I have had to get creative, and I want to share some tips for you when it comes to cooking with cannabis.  

How do you get the cannabis into the meal?

I’m no Cannabis Chef by any means, but there are some fun ways to dose CBD and actually enjoy it! Like any good Italian Nonna will tell you, good health begins with a healthy cooking oil. So let’s begin with that.

Making Cannabis Oil at Home

Step 1: Choose your Ingredients

In case I ever share my meals with guests or loved ones, I use a 20:1 strain to avoid any “Omg Grannie’s stoned” moments at the family dinner table.  This is a high CBD strain with less than 1% THC.  This means that the CBD will influence the body to use its own endocannabinoids effectively.   However, if you are looking to have a more “intoxicating” meal, you could use a strain with higher THC content which has been shown to increase the efficacy of the CBD in what is known as “the entourage effect.”  Aka – your guests will feel high.

Step 2: Decarboxylation

Why is this process necessary? In short, although there are several cannabinoids located in raw marijuana, THC and CBD need to be “coaxed” out of their original compounds. Heat is required to convert THCA and CBDA into the medicinal elements that we enjoy.  

To do this you lay your ground flower on a baking sheet and heat to 250 degree Fahrenheit for at least an hour.  Let the flower cool before extracting.

You can use an old boiling pot on a stove, but I’ve opted for a Magical Butter maker for all my at home soups, lotions, tinctures, soap and recipe creations. The Magical Butter maker comes with everything you need but isn’t necessary. You’ll be fine as long as you have a cheesecloth, thermometer, stainless steel or glass bowl (do not use plastic!). Also, it’s essential to keep a close eye on the process.

Step 3: Mixing your Ingredients 

Use a whisk to mix your decarboxylated dried ground flower (by the way…I am loving the CannaBliss by CannaFarms) with two cups of coconut oil and place on the stove at 200-250 degrees for two hours.

Once the consistency liquifies, pour the mix into a strainer lined with cheesecloth into a glass bowl to remove the residue and squeeze to get all the oil out in a big bowl which later you can syphon into an olive oil dispenser.

IT’S THAT EASY! 

You can now use this oil to add to any of your favourite recipes.

I have been loving CBD infused Pasta and I have witnessed a friend or two going in for a second helping!  I’m also a big fan of using the oil as a base during any stove top cooking I do as opposed to just cooking oil. Whatever you choose, remember that you have options when it comes to consumption.

Together, over the coming weeks and months, we’re going to learn how to make meals rich in nutrients using cannabis so keep a look out for next feature where we tackle Canna Butter and really get “bake” ing!

But for now, start with Bon Appetite!