The cannabis market is growing. There are so many available methods of consuming cannabis that everyone would find one for themselves. Most people opt for oil, as it is one of the easiest ways of ingesting marijuana. One of its downsides, however, is the fact that it has a very unpleasant and bitter taste, which some people don’t like.
And that’s where the cannabis edibles come into play. If you ever looked up “marijuana dispensary las vegas” just out of curiosity, and checked their menu, you would notice that they have a wide range of products. However, there would be some people that, despite so many things to choose from, won’t be able to find anything that they like. So, what can they do in this situation?
Make their own! Cooking with cannabis is way easier than most people would think. And if you know what mistakes you should avoid, then you probably would have no problem with creating homemade, tasty cannabis edibles. Mistakes you should be careful not to make include…
Lack of decarboxylation
The first mistake that people make, when it comes to making cannabis edibles, is assuming that you can do it with raw cannabis. You can’t, or actually, you can, but you will not get high. Why? The reason behind it is that on raw buds, there is no THC. There is, however, THCa, which your organism will probably be able to absorb, but it won’t have any euphoric effects on you. THCa needs to go under a process called decarboxylation (or “decarbing” if you wish) in order to become THC. What’s more, if you use raw cannabis, most of the cannabinoids that are in it will not be activated and won’t bind into fat. In simpler words, – if you use raw cannabis, you are just wasting it.
If you want to make your raw cannabis go under the decarboxylation process, all you have to do is grind it, and place it on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put it into a preheated oven (around 110-120°C) and roast it for 45 minutes-1 hour, depending on the amount of cannabis you are using.
If you are planning on making a cannabutter, you can use a similar temperature range. However, remember that this type of edible will require longer simmering so that everything can be fully absorbed (between 4 and 8 hours).
Over-spending on cannabis flowers
This is the most common mistake among people who are trying to make cannabutter. You don’t need to throw a whole ounce into a slow cooker if you just want one cup of infused butter. What you need to remember, though, is the ratio:
1:1 – always use one cup of ground cannabis (around 8 grams) and 1 cup of oil or melted butter
Even if you use more of it, the lipids in the oil will not be able to bind to all of them, which means that you will not only be wasting your money, but also cannabis that you could use to make other edibles. As it turns out, the saying ‘less is more’ also applies to marijuana.
Grinding cannabis too much
One mistake that people make when cooking cannabis edibles is grinding cannabis too much. If you ever tasted an edible that had a very grassy and bitter taste, probably the people who prepared it made this mistake. Instead of using a manual grinder, people often place the cannabis into a coffee grinder or a food processor. If you do that, you will end up with a powder, which is not a good choice if you want your edibles to be tasty.
To avoid that, after decarboxylating your cannabis, grind it in the same way you would if you were rolling a joint. If you grind it too finely, you will end up with an unpleasant flavor, and you will spend ages trying to strain unwanted plant matter from your infused butter or oils. You wouldn’t want that, would you?
Adding too little or too much cannabis
Finding a good dose of cannabis takes time and practice. If you add too little of it, you might find yourself not affected by it, which means that you will need to eat more in order to feel anything at all, compromising the taste of your edible.
However, if you add too much of it, instead of feeling euphoria, you might find yourself feeling the opposite – tired, confused, paranoid, or lazy. Also, when adding too much cannabis, it’s very easy to overdose, as when you don’t feel anything, you start to eat more of it, and by the time it actually starts working, it is too late. While overdose is not dangerous for people who are in good health shape, those who have severe health disorders might find themselves in need of medical help.
The best way to establish how much cannabis you need to put into your edible is to smoke or vape a little bit of it before adding it. That way, you will be able to get the idea of how potent it actually is. However, remember that cooking can increase its potency. If you think that you added too much, then eat less of it.
Forgetting about savory cannabis edibles
When you say ‘cannabis edibles,’ what most people have in mind are probably cookies or other sweets, like gummies. The truth is that most food can be infused with cannabis. Furthermore, it’s actually easier to hide the bitter taste that most people don’t like into spicy or savory foods.
If you are one for experimenting in the kitchen, there are many cannabis cookbooks available on the market, which can help you in expanding your culinary repertoire. Also, you can find many recipes online, both savory and sweet.
Final Thoughts
Making your own, homemade and tasty cannabis edibles is not that hard, especially if you know what you should and shouldn’t do. So if you don’t want to buy the ones from a dispensary, or if you just can’t find something that would suit your preferences, don’t hesitate to cook them yourself. Good Luck!
Disclaimer: This article is intended for information and entertainment purposes only and is not intended to reflect the specific views of the publication.
