Everything You Should Know About Cooking with CBD Oil
CBD oil comes in many shapes and forms, including tinctures, capsules, and edibles, but the newly emerging way of using CBD oil is in your cooking. The versatility of CBD oil can allow you to add it into your morning cup of coffee or to your avocado toast. With more and more CBD recipes popping up once you try cooking with CBD oil you just might fall in love with this creative and effective experience.
Can You Really Cook With CBD?
Cooking with CBD oil is a fairly new innovation that is sparking the curiosity of people. Why? Because it’s new, and it seems practical. It’s a similar idea to CBD water, except with food.
Think about it. You make food pretty much every day. So you can just add in CBD oil and gain all CBD has to offer through a delicious meal instead of having to take a CBD product separately.
CBD oil can come in a few different ways, including raw CBD oil, pure CBD oil, and CBD tinctures. You can use any of thee forms to cook with. Let’s look at some of their properties and what differentiates them.
Raw CBD Oil
Raw CBD oil is the extract of the entire plant and has an earthy taste. It is not heated so all the ingredients and vitamins of the plant remain intact. Raw CBD oil may still contain fibers or particles from the plant.
Pure CBD Oil
This is oil extracted only from the top shoots of the plant, where CBD is highly concentrated. In addition, the extract is heated until all other plant components, including other cannabinoids, are removed and the only compound remaining is pure cannabidiol.
CBD Tincture
This is a full-spectrum CBD extract that is diluted with a carrier oil. Carrier oils include coconut or hemp seed oil. This dilution process helps to mask part of the earthy taste of CBD oil, making it more desirable to use. Also, something to consider is the fact that these carrier oils can be a great addition to your diet because they are full of healthy fats that are good for your body.
With most foods, you can use CBD oil in the place of the regular oil you use. For example, CBD oil would be great for sautéing vegetables. On the other hand, something like CBD isolate powder might be useful for mixing into a cake batter for baking.
In any case, it’s important to consider many factors when cooking with CBD oil, including the temperature, amount, and food itself.
Related: Cooking with CBD Flower [Make Much More Than Brownies!]
Tips for Cooking with CBD Oil
Cooking with CBD oil is similar to cooking with other cannabis concentrates such as THC or RSO. There are some specific rules that you must keep in mind when cooking with cannabis like:
Temperature Ranges
When using CBD as an alternative for typical cooking oils, it is important to note the difference in boiling points. CBD oil has a boiling point at approximately 320-350°F, whereas your average vegetable oil has a boiling point of about 400°F. This means that you must make sure to keep the cooking temperature under 320-350°F so that the CBD does not evaporate.
Getting the temperature right may take some adjusting, but it is absolutely essential to get it right so that none of the CBD degrades. This applies to both cooking on a skillet and in the oven. To check and monitor the temperature of your food simply use a cooking thermometer or an infrared thermometer. Additionally, even though your oven has a digital temperature gauge it is wise to double-check with a thermometer to make sure your oven is baking at correct temperatures.
Avoid High Heat
With some recipes, such as sauteing vegetables, it may be best to avoid the high heat altogether. To do this simply add the CBD oil just after you remove the meal from the heat source. If you use this method remember to stir thoroughly when adding the CBD for even distribution. However, with certain recipes, such as baking a cake, the CBD must be added to the batter prior to baking.
Stir Often
We recommend stirring or rotating food often if possible. This will help to ensure even CBD distribution throughout the meal. It will also help avoid any potential hotspots from arising thus minimizing any possible CBD wastage due to heat burn off.
Use High-Quality CBD
Always pick the best quality of CBD oil. You don’t want to end up getting a low-quality CBD oil because it will not give you your desired effects and you will have wasted your time. Having a high-quality CBD oil will make dosing more accurate and will give you desirable results.
How Much CBD Oil Should I Cook With?
Using CBD oil in cooking is a lot different than using your everyday vegetable oil, and with that comes different measures. Unlike regular oil, you cannot just pour in a liberal amount of CBD oil into the pan and start cooking.
Just like all CBD products, CBD oil has recommended dosing guidelines that you should follow to get a feel of how much you actually need to be using. Remember that it is important to measure out the correct dosage of size CBD oil. If the recipe calls out for more oil than your dose size, just top off your measurement with your normal cooking oil to complete the recipe.
For starters, you should use an amount that you can handle, both in terms of its taste and effects on your body. While overdosing on CBD is virtually impossible, too much CBD can result in drowsiness, nausea, and light-headedness if you are not used to it. Always start off with a small amount, and then increase it as you desire. Always take into account the potency of the CBD oil you are using, the stronger the CBD is the less you should need to add.
What Types of Food Can I Cook With CBD Oil?
CBD oil, a versatile CBD food ingredient, is fat-soluble and therefore dissolves well in fat and oil-based ingredients. For this reason, you should incorporate some type of fat or oil in your cooking to ensure that the CBD binds and enters your body efficiently.
Foods like avocado, coconut oil, and butter are perfect for cooking with CBD oil because they are fat-based and bind well with CBD. While you don’t have to avoid water-based ingredients like veggies, you should still incorporate fats when cooking them to get the most out of the CBD oil.
Baked cookies are an excellent way of incorporating CBD oil in your diet. Cookie batter has fat-rich ingredients that can bind with CBD. Cookies are also a popular favorite when it comes to baked goods, and they will certainly mask the flavor of CBD oil.
Another great idea is to make guacamole with CBD oil. Guacamole is not only an excellent carrier for CBD oil, but it also makes a healthy snack for you avocado lovers out there! It is rich in omega-3 fatty acids which are important for your overall health.
Have you ever had bulletproof coffee? You know, the one that you make by adding coconut oil and butter to your morning coffee? Well, the good news is that you can make bulletproof coffee with CBD oil as well! Simply add butter, then add CBD oil (start with one teaspoon) to your coffee and enjoy.
Shelf Life of CBD Oil
Like any packaged product, CBD oil has a limited shelf life and can eventually expire. This is not to say that it expires quickly, however. In fact, CBD oil can last quite long if stored in the right conditions. The right conditions involve no direct sunlight, a cool temperature, and low humidity.
CBD oil, on average, lasts anywhere from one to two years, depending on the storage conditions. That being said, you can prevent premature expiration of your CBD oil by storing it in a cool, dark place such as a pantry. This can ensure maximum freshness of your CBD oil, making it acceptable to keep for a long period of time.
If you have CBD oil that is over two years old, you may want to replace it because the taste might go bad. Aside from taste, there are a few other signs to look for to determine if your CBD oil has gone bad. Odd appearance and viscosity are both signs that your CBD oil is expired.
Conclusion
Cooking with CBD oil can be a fun and effective way of getting in your daily dose of CBD. CBD can help promote a healthy lifestyle. You can use the oils and tinctures you already have for your cooking needs, but be sure to take note of the important factors like cooking temperature and the amount of CBD oil you use. Practicing this use of CBD oil can make a great addition to your meals and snacks while also providing you with a multitude of benefits. Did you know there are ways to cook with CBD flower, too? Find more here.
Read Next: How to Make Delicious CBD Flower Tea
https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/i-tried-cooking-with-cbd-oil-for-a-week-article
https://ministryofhemp.com/blog/cbd-cooking/
https://www.projectcbd.org/science/vaporization-cbd-thc-boiling-points
https://www.marijuanabreak.com/cbd-oil-shelf-life
