Picture this: It’s the middle of winter, the hot summer days are long gone and have been replaced with brisk, breezy, and probably rainy weather, and you’re craving something to make it better. A hot bowl of soup perhaps, with a base of sauteed onions perfectly browned with a mellow twist.
That twist is cannabis cooking oil.
You can replace your favorite cooking oil with cannabis-infused oil, resulting in delicious meals from soups, stir-fries, salads, and everything in between. Seriously, if you can cook it in oil, you can cook it in canna-oil.
The best part? Cannabis cooking oil is easy to make. It’s not the quickest process, though, so it’s best to make on a day when you’ll be home and won’t get too distracted, as you’ll need to be present to stir the oil in a saucepan for a couple of hours.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
- 2 cups of your favorite cooking oil
- 1 ½ cups of ground cannabis
- Cheesecloth or similar strainer
- Saucepan
- Grinder
Seriously, that’s it. You can use olive oil, canola oil, sesame oil, peanut oil, or whatever else comes to mind. You can even make a blend of cooking oils if that’s more your style.
If you want a less potent oil, feel free to cut down the amount of ground cannabis used. You may find yourself adjusting the quantities of cannabis included after the first batch based on your own personal reaction to the oil.
STEPS:
- Start by lightly grinding the cannabis with care to not make it too fine. This will make straining it easier later down the road.
- Pour the oil into a saucepan and bring it to low low low, I mean low heat. Add in the cannabis and stir every 10 minutes or so for a minimum of three hours. It may be a good idea to set an alarm, so you don’t forget to stir it often. While it should remain on low heat, the oil is susceptible to burning in a saucepan, and if you suspect it’s getting too hot, lower the temp more or as one reader suggested, use a crockpot on low!
- Once ready, let cool to room tempurature then line a strainer with cheesecloth.
- Pour the oil through the cheesecloth into a heat resistant bowl, straining out the plant material, and filling the bowl with your cannabis-infused oil.
- When the oil is cooled off, you can seal it in an airtight container and store.
While cannabis cooking oil lasts longer than cannabis-infused butter, it’s a good idea to use it up within the first couple of months of making it since it’s been opened, heated, infused, and sealed. It will last longer if stored in the fridge, and even longer in an airtight container in the freezer if you don’t expect to use it quickly.
You can always cut the recipe in half if you don’t expect to be cooking with it often. If that’s the case, you’re missing out on endless possibilities for an ultra-relaxing meal.
Try sauteing your favorite vegetables in the cannabis cooking oil or making an aromatic dipping sauce for your favorite bread.
Not sure which strains to use? Check out our Mouthwatering Strains post, and for more great recipe ideas, look into these 5 cannabis cookbooks!