Cannabis, more popularly known as marijuana or weed, has been here for what seems like the beginning of time. Mostly, people have smoked it, but other materials are made from the plant as well, such as hemp for fabrics, bags, etc.
Some people even use it for cooking. However, there’s quite a method in preparing it for cooking. You don’t just chop the plant up and throw it in a pan with some eggs and cheese.
Raw cannabis is non-psychoactive. This is not to say that it is useless, because raw cannabis is still viable to use for anti-inflammatory and pain management methods.
But to be able to activate the psychoactive effects of cannabis, it needs to be decarbed (or also termed as activated), then combined with some cooking oil or fat. These mixtures of cannabis with oil or fat are called cannabis infusions.
A cannabis infusions is basically a mixture of weed with some oil or fat, such as butter, olive oil, and coconut oil. Infusing the weed allows it to be used in methods other than smoking, such as cooking, as a topic balm, or even as a flavorful juice for vapes and e-cigarettes!
To create an infusion, a process must be done with the weed that is called decarboxylation. This process releases the full psychoactive potential of weed. Once that is done, you will be left with weed that is ‘decarbed’ or ready for use. This is then mixed with preferred oil or fat to produce canna-oil (which has many variants), and cannabutter.
With this enhanced oil or butter, you are then able to use your weed for cooking. Cannabutter can be used in anything from desserts and sweet treats like fudgy brownies, to what looks like a sumptuous rack of ribs, a literal interpretation of chicken pot pie, and a whole lot more.
Cannabutter basically opens up another world of gastronomical adventures. But before you try and do any of these, you’d better read up on local laws and policies first to check if marijuana is legal in your area.
Keep in mind that for most parts of the world, marijuana is considered an illegal substance. Possession and usage of the plant are prohibited, and if caught you could pay a hefty fine, or be sentenced to jail. Be cautious.
