This article was originally published on The Vegan CBD. To view the original article, click here.
Incorporating CBD and cooking is an all-natural way to make being healthy a whole lot tastier as well. Gone are the days where you need to hold your nostrils shut and swallow a syrup, whose taste is best described as being rancid. With the popularity of CBD reaching peak levels, this is just another way for users to reap the health benefits of using CBD.
So, for those who are asking the question ‘Can you cook using CBD’? The answer is ‘Damn right you can!’
Cooking with CBD is a great way to dose and give you lip-smacking results that are going to make everyone go for seconds.
What Is CBD?
CBD is the abbreviation of cannabidiol, which is one of the several 100s of compounds that you will come across in the cannabis family of plants. CBD is obtained from the hemp plant, (or cannabis sativa as it’s called) and its therapeutic effects are starting to be recognized the world over- Not to be confused with the cannabis plants that are famous for the intoxicating ‘high’. CBD doesn’t intoxicate.
There is a common culprit that is responsible for intoxicating users and is present in all variants of the cannabis family of plants. The only difference is that the concentration differs. This compound is called THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol. The percentage difference of THC that is present in hemp and marijuana is that of the ground and sky- The percentage dry weight of THC in hemp plant is only 0.3%, compared to the percentage dry weight of THC in marijuana which is 40%!
You will get intoxicated with cannabis but not while using CBD, or mostly hemp. For CBD, hemp is harvested from the leaves, flowers and stalks. These are the parts of the plant that have the highest concentration of CBD present in them. After the extraction, there are several processing and filtration processes which ensure that the CBD product is as per the safety standards for consumption.
Related: What are the benefits of using organic CBD oil? Click here to learn more.
Choosing The Right CBD Oil For Cooking With
There is no shortage of CBD products in the market. There is a high percentage that you may go wrong. Here are some considerations for you to keep in mind the next time you put CBD and the cooking pan together:
- Flavor- The flavoring of CBD tinctures are often mild, so as to make it easier to ingest and enjoy them. There are several flavor profiles, and unlike some years back, you need not sacrifice your taste buds in the pursuit of wellness. You can have fruity and minty flavors to shine through.
If you are the natural sort who doesn’t mind the natural earthy flavor, then that is also an option.
- Base Of The Oil: You never use CBD oil that is concentrated. It is diluted using a carrier oil or a base. Bases can be hemp oil, olive oil, coconut oil, MCT oil among others. Make sure that the base oil is desirable for cooking and has the flavor that will complement flavors in the dish.
- The Concentration Of The Oil: adding CBD to your dishes must be done with careful dosing. Don’t be adding in CBD oil to the pan, like you would add olive oil to sauté steak. Measure the amount of CBD oil that you need to add based on the serving. This is to make sure that the CBD food stuff is potent enough to part benefits to the user.
You can go for higher potencies to make sense on your wallet. The higher the concentration, the slightly higher will be the cost, but lower will be the amount that you will need to deliver the dose. Decide for yourself if that works for you.
Avoid The High Heat
CBD oil cannot be used for frying and high-heat cooking. The reason is that the various cannabinoid in the CBD oil like flavonoids and terpenes decompose due to the application of heat. The therapeutic effect reduces and the oil is weakened as a result. The smoking point of CBD oil is a far shot compared to other cooking oil, at 3320F or 1650C. The CBD oil can be cooked at temperatures of up to 4750F for not more than half an hour. We recommend staying away from searing your steak using CBD oil.
Cooking With CBD: Keep An Eye On The Dosage
If you are baking with CBD or cooking with it in general, make sure that the recipe contains enough CBD in the whole batch to give the required potency per serving. To do this, take the desired CBD dosage and then simply multiply it with the servings. Subtract the normal cooking oil that you will be using when adding in CBD oil. What you end up with is the total CBD that you will need to add in your recipe.
Related: Is CBD safe and vegan friendly? Click here to find out more.
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