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Cooking with CBD

August 15, 2020

CBD preparations and gummy bears are probably already part of your holistic toolkit for dealing with cramps, stress and anxiety or sleep problems. Next, the use and enjoyment of the popular cannabinoid: incorporation into foods and drinks.

Fear of cooking with CBD is not only ironic but unnecessary. We’ll walk you through what you need to understand to get started. Soon, you will be able to make your CBD recopies as tasty as they are useful.

CBD Formulations for Cooking

CBD is available in different forms, but for cooking, the best options are:

CBD Powder
CBD Oil
CBD Infused oil

Any type of CBD formulation can be used in foods with little or no heat, such as healthy smoothies, salad dressings and sauces.

When choosing an oil, choose one that is specifically made for cooking. This is important because using heat with CBD Oil can result in a loss of terpenes, which are the fragrances in hemp and cannabis that serve to work together for the beneficial effects of CBD. In a nutshell, you could burn off the effects of the CBD oil. That’s why we recommend choosing the right oils, and paying close attention to heat levels when baking or cooking with heat and CBD.

How much CBD Oil to add when cooking

The amount of CBD you use will varies widely based on the type of oil you’re using. For instance, when making a smoothie, or adding it to your morning coffee, the amount could be anywhere from 5 to 10 milligrams. It’s recommended that you start with the recommended DOSE, If you make more than one serving, you must increase the amount of CBD accordingly.

Tips for Cooking with CBD

Don’t waste your expensive CBD oils for cooking.

You might already have a collection of CBD oils and CBD tinctures that you use directly, but these are typically more expensive, and there are cheaper ways to add CBD to your food instead of using your higher quality oils. The best options include using a CBD-infused olive oil that can be used to prepare everything.

CBD-infused cooking oils are becoming easier to find, although you may have to go to a natural pharmacy or specialty cooking store to find them. You can also find them online. Since they are unregulated, you’ll want to find one without other additives or chemicals, including pesticides, so you should consider finding an organically grown CBD-infused oil. With most of these they typically have a per-serving dosage on the bottle, but it’s good to start lower, typically around 15mg to 30mg per serving.

The nice thing about CBD-infused cooking oils is that you can add them to your salads, salad dressing, and even use them in your smoothies, without having to use up your more expensive CBD oils or CBD tinctures that you keep for direct use, not for baking.

Watch out for heat when cooking with CBD

Too much heat can make CBD less effective. Think of it like cooking with alcohol. The alcohol burns off when cooking or baking, but the flavor remains (that’s also why people cook with less expensive alcohol rather than the top shelf brands!). When heating CBD, the flavor is what burns off, but also what includes the terpenes, which is the chemical portion of CBD that is thought to deliver the effects.

We don’t know the exact rate that the CBD effects cook off, but it’s commonly recommended that when cooking, you keep the temperatures below 320^o F. This may require more attention to longer cooking times, especially when baking with CBD. But increased attentiveness to baking is never a bad thing.

To be safe, add the CBD oil after the food is out of the oven or off the hot surface, if possible. That way you don’t risk losing the effect of the oil. For instance, instead of adding the CBD oil to the cake batter and then cooking it, add it instead to the icing of the cake. That way you’re sure you’ll enjoy the effect of the oil, and the cake.

Do not position CBD oil over direct heat. While heating the oil can increase its effectiveness, heating the oil too much can cause it to lose terpenes, the volatile compounds that, together with CBD, increase medicinal effectiveness.

Combine CBD with healthy fats.

CBD is fat soluble. That means your body absorbs it best when combined with fatty foods – which is why infused oils are recommended. No matter what oil you like – olive oil, coconut, MCT, avocado – having it as a foundation for the oil makes the CBD most effective.

Be patient when cooking with CBD Oil

If you’re used to the effects of CBD oils from your usual method of consumption, be it through a dropper or a tablet, remember, the body absorbed differently when combined with food. The contents of the food has to travel through your digestive system before reaching your blood system, so you won’t feel the results as quickly, or as strongly, at the same doses you do when taking it directly.

How much CBD Baked Goods to Eat

Understanding that CBD consumed directly has a different acting time than when eaten. The CBD in cooked or baked goods takes longer to digest and therefore the effects are seen later. So the frequency of eating additional doses needs to be considered.

If you’re used to the effect and duration of the effect in your regular delivery method (drops, powder, gummy, etc.) you will need to adjust and prepare for the differences with cooking with the product. Every brand and person is different, so it’s best to know how YOU react, but starting out with cooking with CBD the same way you started out with taking it directly. Start slow and then increase as needed.

The common thought, however, is that increasing or increasing the dosing frequency of direct use does not have negative impacts beyond the typical side effects, and personal reactions. That’s why it’s important to take it slow, see how it works for you, and then when the effect wears off, you can take it again.

Since CBD is NOT regulated by the FDA, it’s important to talk to your doctor and experts before trying CBD for direct or cooking use. And remember, check with your doctor to determine any potential risk with other medications you are taking.

Alcohol and CBD

First and foremost remember this, CBD studies are limited and it is not approved for use in the US, for the most part. While there is no study to say CBD and alcohol is harmful, there’s also no study to say it’s safe. So be careful. You can experiment with cocktails for fun, but be aware of the combined effects and don’t drive, and remain alert to the potential dangers of combinations.

Also, if you are planning to serve CBD infused foods or CBD Infused drinks, ALWAYS alert any guests or others who will be sharing the foods and/or drinks so they can make their own choices. Let them know the dosages you added, too.

Starting Cooking with CBD

Start with what you know, and what’s easiest. For example, a salad is easy to add CBD to, either as an existing CBD oil you have or as a CBD-infused oil. Try sprinkling it on the salad, or mixing it with any dressing you’re using. You can also add CBD flowers to your salad or add as a garnish.

You can add a few drops of CBD oil to a regular drink: coffee, tea, soda, or a smoothie or shake. You can even make CBD infused cocktails, but remember, be alert to the combination effects and the dosages, especially if you’re adding it to other foods at the same time.

You can build up to other food additives as well, such as making CBD infused sauces, or pesto over pasta.

CBD Flavor Combinations

Strong flavors can handle the addition of less refined CBD oils much better than subtly flavored foods. This is important to consider when you’re cooking with herbs or vegetables, which include nuanced flavors. This is when a filtered oil can be an excellent choice, since unfiltered ones contain more amino acids and vitamins than the filtered version.

Mixing the oil with another active ingredient is a better option for taste’s sake, but simply sprinkling over a soup, stew or curry works with a pinch.

The more refined oil, i.e. the decarbonized and filtered oil, was best suited for all cooking applications, because while the other two oils could quickly blend into some recipes – especially herb-heavy ones – they often leave an unpleasant an aftertaste.

As with any dietary supplement, talk to your doctor to make sure it has no adverse effects on your current medication. And, since the tests are still conducted on a recommended daily dose, it’s suggested that you change the amount of CBD oil you take, starting at about 5 to 10 mg per serving, 2 to 3 servings daily, until you discover a dose that works for you.

Baking with CBD

Of course there is an increased interest in baking with CBD oils, but along with the interest, there are also specific considerations, specifically heat, amount, and flavor.

Start with what you know: Combine CBD with Favorite Recipes

If you’re interested in getting started with baking with CBD, it’s a good bet you already have a few favorites or standbys that you bake. Start with those. You are most familiar with them and they will serve best for your testing for taste, consistency, and amount.

Start Small: Make Small Batches to test CBD Flavor and Doses

Don’t cook huge batches to start. Start small and size up. Then you can start with a small amount of CBD oil, too, and slowly taste and adjust for flavor and consistency.

If your cake mix requires 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil for a cake with 8 servings, then you would add 6 to 8 teaspoons about 3 to 3 2 / 3 tablespoons of CBD oil and the remaining amount 1 to 1 1 / 3 tablespoons of normal vegetable oil.

Keep It Low: Lower the Temperature when backing with CBD Oils

We suggest keeping the cooking temperature at or below 340 degrees Fahrenheit. CBD has a boiling point of 320 to 356 degrees Fahrenheit, so you want to keep your baking temperatures below 340 degrees to avoid “burning off” the effects and benefits. Overheating CBD oil can: