CBD can be used when cooking, and it won’t affect the taste, but it will make your meals much more satisfying. There are plenty of CBD recipes and they involve all kinds of foods from savory snacks to healthy, home-made meals; with the same calming, therapeutic effects you get from other forms of CBD.
To get you started, we’re going to cover the basics of how to cook with CBD so that you not only know how to use it, but also how to make sure your meals are delicious. Here are some top tips for cooking with CBD:
Pick Series of Recipes
The first thing you want to do is find a recipe you like – preferably one with coconut oil, butter, or olive oil. Most CBD recipes tend to involve sweet snacks and pastries, and this is mainly because hemp oil has a characteristic smell that is much easier to mask with sugary foods. But don’t let this stop you from making all kinds of meals with it.
Before you get on with the cooking, bear in mind that CBD has to be infused in an oil-base like ghee, butter, or olive oil before you can use it in the kitchen. Some options include salads, sauces, cakes, waffles, smoothies, cornbread, and baked potato.
Choose the Strain
It is essential that you first pick a recipe because it will then guide you when choosing the right type of CBD for the food. Consider the most dominant flavors in the dish and see how they match with different terpenes like citrus, mixed herbs, jasmine, lavender, etc. Get one that has a smell youlike, and that can pair with the dish.
When you visit a dispensary, go over the different strains with a budtender and check for a product that goes well with your recipe. Remember, the indica strain is good for when you want to unwind, and sativa is better for entertaining guests.
Create Infusion
This is where you get the CBD infused with an oil base like butter or coconut oil. You will need good-quality products like premium olive oil that you can get from your local store. Good quality products create better infusions.
One good option for butter is pure Kerrygold Irish Butter. It has a creamy texture and tastes fantastic, so it will give your infusion the same taste. Greek olive oil is also a good choice, but it should be cold-pressed. Put the hemp flowers in the oil or butter, and make enough to use across different recipes.
Don’t Use Too Much CBD
It’s tempting to add a little more of that CBD but the problem with that is that it messes with the flavors and might end up being too strong in the end. When starting out, use lightly until you get a good sense of the different volumes of CBD and the effects each amount generates. In addition to keeping the dosage low, consider making smaller meals at first so that you have all the time you need to learn to make tasty dishes for more than one person.
Stir as Much as Possible
We can not stress enough how important it is to blend the CBD with the food because without stirring, the flavors won’t be evenly distributed. When each bite offers the same rich flavors and equal levels of potency, then you’ll love the food.
Choose Meal Time
Keep in mind that it takes a while for the effects to kick in, so if you’re serving a casual dinner, then you should allow enough time for the food to be digested and for the CBD to take effect. IF you’re making multiple courses, watch the amount of CBD used on each course, and the serving size.
It makes sense to start off with an infused snack before the main meal is served, or a beverage that gives you some of the effects before sitting down for the meal. Micro-dosing is essential here because you still haven’t established the right dosage; so while infusion is great, always start with smaller amounts and work your way up.
Common questions about cooking with CBD
Q: Is it better to cook CBD than to drizzle?
A: There’s no right way to consume CBD because ultimately it ends up absorbed into your body as a cannabinoid, however when making food, it is important that you combine all the flavors as you cook, to create a consistent taste. Cooking with CBD allows it to mix with the rest of the flavors in a way that gives you delicious food.
Q: How do I make less-refined CBD pair with my food?
A: The best thing to do here is use stronger flavors to mask any unpleasantness. Get any number of strong spices and mix them up nicely to make a tasty dish, and consider using chocolates, mints, and other flavors to make quick dishes during the day.
Refined CBD oils are much better for cooking all kinds of meals, as they work with different flavors and don’t have any unpleasantness or strange aftertaste.
When not using infused CBD, store it in a cool, dark space, because cannabinoids react to light and heat; and exposure causes degradation so the oil won’t be as potent and the taste will be unpleasant.
