You might not know this, but, there is a wide range of ways that you can consume marijuana including vaping it, using it as an oil, as well as applying it to your skin in the form of a lotion or cream. However, there is also one more consumption method, considered to be an all-time favorite for a lot of individuals – edibles.
But, if you never prepared edibles at your home, you might be wondering – are there some mistakes that I should try avoiding? Well, luckily for all rookies looking to prepare cannabis edibles at home, this article can help. Let’s take a closer look at the 8 mistakes you should avoid making:
1. Preparing The Meal With Fresh Buds
One of the most frequent misconceptions rookies have is that they should use fresh marijuana. High temperatures are needed to activate the THC (the substance that provides the “high” feeling) or CBD (which does not contain THC and is used for relaxing the mind and body) by a method called decarboxylation.
Though the process seems complex, it is really easy to go through it. You should begin by heating your stove to 120C. While it’s heating, you should spread your ground cannabis on a cooking sheet and place it in the stove for about an hour. Keep in mind that you’ll have to stir it every 10 to 20 minutes since you’ll want to stimulate the THC, not burn it.
2. Milling The Marijuana Too Much
Although you may hear a lot of people advising rookies to grind the marijuana with a coffee grinder or blender, there are some pretty good reasons why you should not do that. If you do so, the meal you’re preparing will have an ‘earthy’ or ‘grassy’ taste, which is something a lot of consumers do not enjoy.
Additionally, if you grind it too much, it can easily turn your butter and/or oil green. Hence, instead of turning it into powder, you should try and grind it so that it has the same consistency as salt. This won’t only allow you to prepare tasty food with it, but, it will also cook better.
3. Not Adding Liquids to The Butter/Oil
According to the experts from Compassionate Healthcare of Florida, by adding a little bit of water to your butter or oil, you’ll ensure that your food does not burn, and more importantly, you’ll reap all the benefits of CBD or THC. Of course, the amount of water you add will depend on the food you are preparing, but, at least ensure that you add it to your butter and/or oil.
4. Trying to Get Too Much From The Mixture
After you prepare the cannabutter – which is made from cannabis and butter and is needed for making any edible – you’ll want to carefully and slowly strain the infusion. The most ideal tool for doing this is a cheesecloth since it is the best filter out there and it will allow the oil to go through it.
But, a lot of people make a mistake of trying to get the last drop from the substance. Doing this might leave you with excess plants in the mixture, which is something you do not want to happen. Hence, instead of squeezing too hard, you’ll want to do it gently and allow it to filter for some time over a pot or bowl.
5. Forgetting to Test The Potency
It is important to test the octane when you are working on your edibles, however, most people forget to do this. But, you should not forget, hence, ensure that you learn how potent your mixture is before you prepare anything. You’ll need to take a small teaspoon of the mixture and wait for an hour to see how strong it is and what effects it will have on you. By doing this, you’ll learn how strong it is, which means that you’ll be able to determine how much you should put in your food.
6. Forgetting to Mix it Often
The very first thing that you need to ensure when adding infused butter or oil to your food is that you’ll want to spread it evenly. Why should you do this? Well, if you do not, some individuals might not feel the effects, while others will feel a lot of things. Hence, ensure that you stir it often in order to distribute it evenly.
7. Not Storing Properly
This is quite important, which is why you need to do it right. Firstly, you should know that the edibles need to be stored properly and in your fridge. Secondly, you’ll need to place it into a sealed container so that it can last longer. And lastly, ensure that you keep the edibles away from children, pets, or even grown-ups who do not know what it is.
Additionally, ensure that you label it properly. Why? Well, you do not want to forget about it and then eat the edibles a few hours before you go to an important business meeting. Hence, hiding it from other people and labeling the container for yourself is a pretty good idea.
8. Know Knowing The Portion Size
One of the things a lot of people ignore is the portion size. And, since you’ll know how potent your mixture is, you’ll need to calculate the doses as well. So, if you are making a rookie’s sized edible, then you might want to use two grams of weed since it would take you around 20 edibles. This will, of course, depend on the strain you choose, hence, do some digging before you start preparing your meal.
Conclusion
As you were able to learn, there is a wide range of mistakes that you’ll want to avoid when preparing cannabis edibles at your home. And, if you successfully manage to avoid making these mistakes during the entire preparation process, your experience will be more comfortable and pleasant.
So, now that you are aware of what you need to avoid doing, you should not lose any more time. Instead, you should keep all of the aforementioned things in mind, gather all of your cooking materials and equipment, and then you should start preparing some delicious edibles that might help you relax and have fun.