Recipe: Cannabis Cooking Oil

Cooking with infused oils can be a wonderful way to get the numerous benefits of cannabis into your system. While you need to be mindful of the potency of your oil and the dosage of your portion sizes (might involve a little experimentation if your flower hasn’t been tested), food is, of course, both love and life, and canna-food even more so!

With the holidays now in reasonable shouting distance, infused oils and foods can also (when well labeled) make great gifts!

Remember, too, that cannabis compounds are extremely fat soluble, which means – as our CannaKitchen Witch Stephanie Boucher so aptly put it – Fat Is Your Friend.

So, moving forward with our basic infusion…

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of ground cannabis flower (or less for milder potency)
• 1 cup of cooking oil of your choice

Note: Coconut and olive oil are the most common choices; coconut oil has a milder taste and can therefore be used for more dishes, whereas olive oil is the staple cooking oil for most kitchens. 

Hardware:

• Strainer or cheesecloth
• Grinder (a simple hand grinder works best; appliances like blenders and coffee grinder pulverize the cannabis, resulting in edibles with bad tasting plant material)
• Double-boiler, slow cooker, saucepan, etc.

Directions:

1. Grind the cannabis. You can include the entire plant, just the flower, a little bit of both — this is all a matter of preference. Just keep in mind that anything small enough to fit through the strainer will end up in your finished product, so again, do not grind your cannabis to a fine powder.
2. Combine oil and cannabis in your double-boiler or slow cooker, and heat the two together on low or warm for a few hours. This allows for decarboxylation (activation of THC) without scorching (which destroys the active ingredients). Cooking can be done a variety of ways: in a slow cooker on low for 4-6 hours, stirring occasionally; in a double-boiler on low for at least 6 hours (8 is better), stirring occasionally; or in a simple saucepan on low for at least three hours, stirring frequently (a saucepan is most susceptible to scorching). In all cases, a small amount of water can be added to the mixture to help avoid burning. Note: whatever method you choose, temperature of the oil should not exceed 245°F.
3. Strain and store the oil. Do not squeeze the cheesecloth; this will simply add more chlorophyll to your oil. All remaining plant material can be discarded or used in other dishes if you have the wherewithal. The oil’s shelf life is at least two months, and can be extended with refrigeration.

Note: Be cautious when using the oil to prepare dishes that require heating. Do not microwave and choose low heat whenever possible.