Cooking With CBD: Tips for Beginners
If you are interested in cooking and the health benefits of Cannabidiol (CBD), you may not realize that you can combine them. Cooking with cannabis is becoming more common, as people learn about how it can help alter the flavor of your favorite foods and how it can improve your health.
There are many types of CBD products, but they are not to everyone’s taste. When you cook with CBD, you can add it into virtually every recipe imaginable. That way, you receive the health benefits of CBD in something you already enjoy.
However, there are some basics you should know before you get started, otherwise you may find yourself frustrated with the results. Here is some information and tips to help beginners who want to learn how to cook with CBD.
How CBD Is Infused into Food
CBD is a natural chemical compound that is extracted from cannabis plants. On its own, it does not make you high. To infuse CBD into food, you just need to combine it with something that has a high level of bioavailability. This means that it helps your body absorb the CBD more efficiently, so you do not lose any of its potency when you eat it.
The best way to do this with food is by mixing it with some kind of oil or fat. It can be with a cooking oil, with dairy like butter or milk, but also with things like honey and maple syrup. Once it is mixed in, you can just use the carrier in your recipe like you normally would.
Easy Ways to Cook with CBD
If you are new to cooking with CBD and want to know if you’ll like it without worrying about infusing it properly, you can also get oils and fats that are already infused with CBD.
The best example of this is cannabutter. If you don’t know what cannabutter is, it is cannabis that has already been infused with cannabis like CBD, and packaged like normal butter. You can also get cooking oil, such as olive oil or canola oil, pre-infused with CBD for you, or you can get honey, maple syrup, cooking flour, and various sauces or marinades pre-infused with it as well.
Tips for Dealing With Temperature
CBD starts to break down and lose its potency when it reaches 320°F. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t use it in a recipe that requires your food cooked or baked above that. You just have to make sure the CBD is not directly exposed to that temperature.
Brushing a pastry with CBD infused butter or honey on the outside, for example, would not work if it has to be baked above 320°F, but having it mixed into a brownie so most if not all of the CBD is not directly exposed to the full heat may still work.
If you want to start cooking or baking with CBD, keep these three tips in mind. You can start experimenting with different recipes and types of CBD-infusion to find what works and tastes the best for you.
