Cannabis recipes, like making cannabutter, have come a long, long way since the days of questionable brownies crafted from marijuana shake. Even better is it’s never been more affordable and convenient to make cannabis staples right inside your kitchen to ensure the cannabis-infused ingredients you need are always ready to go.
Perhaps the best staple to have in your refrigerator and pantry to craft almost any dish imaginable are cannabis-infused butter and oils. The best part? You can make each item right inside your kitchen to enjoy all the benefits of the plant today.
Cannabis-Infused Butter or Oil
We did a deep dive into making cannabutter and oil like a pro earlier this year, but the CliffsNotes are worth mentioning again here.
Ingredients:
· 1 cup (or 1 stick) unsalted butter OR 1 cup cooking oil (olive, vegetable, canola, corn, peanut or grapeseed oil all work)
· 1/2-ounce average- to high-quality trim or low-quality dried bud or 2-grams average-quality dried bud
· 2 cups water
Cooking Directions:
The easiest way is to place all the ingredients into your slow cooker and set it to low for four to six hours. Easy peasy.
No slow cooker? No problem. Put all ingredients in a double broiler (or Dutch oven) on your stovetop, bring to boil, and reduce to a simmer for roughly two hours. Make sure to check on the liquid level frequently to keep at least two cups in the pot.
Drain, Rinse, Strain:
Place a cheesecloth-lined strainer over any large bowl to strain the liquid. Pour a large amount of boiling water over the strainer to wash through extra butter or oil sticking to the plant. After the plant material cools down, squeeze out as much liquid as you can.
Chill the liquid butter and or water and oil to enable fats to make their way to the top.
Because butter hardens into a solid, it’ll be easy to scoop it out of the water. Make sure to rinse your butter chunk with cold water to eliminate any pesky leftover plant materials.
Collecting your cannabis oil is a bit different. Your oil won’t solidify, but it will rise to the top, and you can use a spoon to skim it off the water.
Lastly, strain both the butter or oil one additional time to remove as much sediment as you can.
Pour your oil through a double layer of cheesecloth again. To strain your butter again, melt it, strain it through the cheesecloth, then chill until solidified once more.
Now you’re ready to make any number of recipes ranging from slow-cooker beef and bean chili ideal for fall and winter evenings to after-dinner desserts like coconut oil brownies.
Bonus tip: Place your oil or butter in the fridge until you’re ready to use it, or store it for up to three months.
Bon appétit.