How to cook with CBD
CBD is now officially in the mainstream, products with less than 0.2% or 0.3% THC (depending on your country) are now available across North America, most of Europe, South America, Thailand, New Zealand, South Africa and Ghana – with more countries relaxing their regulation every week.
What types of CBD product are there?
The first products in the market have been CBD Oils, CBD capsules and a range of CBD topical products. These have been designed to help people struggling with stress, anxiety, sleep problems as well as joint and muscle pain. As new research has emerged around the properties of CBD and other cannabinoids, new products are emerging such as Skincare ranges to help with aczema, acne or psoriasis.
Cooking with CBD Oil
Now, if we return to the original ‘first-mover’ CBD Oil; this is cannabidiol oil usually mixed with a carrier such as hemp seed oil. For many the taste can be a bit off-putting (for which flavored CBD oils is an option), but for others cooking with CBD is a great alternative. Here, we’ll explore some golden rules for cooking with CBD and links to our favorite CBD chefs!
CBD cooking temperature
We can’t really get away from this, CBD Oil is not cheap so you need to be careful. Until someone tells us otherwise most chefs believe that cooking temperature should not exceed 340F / 165C, so whichever recipe you’re using try keep you’re baking below this temperature. Going higher risks that the CBD gets burned off and you’re left with a very expensive cake with none of the benefits of CBD.
Baking with CBD
CBD cooks best when mixed with other fats or oils, be they coconut, olive, or hemp seeds oil which is the carrier of choice for many more premium brands. So, if you’re using a high concentration CBD then it could be worth diluting it in one of your regular cooking oils before starting the baking process.
CBD Salads
To keep it simple, CBD Oil can be an additional flavor to add to your favorite salad. Some people love the natural taste of CBD Oil, but if you find it a little overpowering then why not try a fresh mint or citrus CBD Oil to make a super healthy and relaxing meal! Need some ideas?
CBD Smoothies
This is maybe one of the best ways to add CBD to the healthy part of your diet. CBD can be mixed into fresh fruit or veggie smoothie, giving all of those great CBD benefits, no cooking temperatures to worry about and still have the fruit or vegetable flavors originally intended.
Will cooking with CBD change the effect?
Depending on how your CBD has been combined with your food, it may interact with the body a little slower. If drizzled on a salad then it won’t be much different to using it directly, but if baked in a cake then it may be delayed. Everyone is different, so also take care if preparing CBD meals for friends or relatives who may have a different tolerance to yourself.
As always MBC recomend that you start your CBD cooking adventure with a low dose of CBD Oil and build up slowly. Have fun & check out this great guide to get you started on your CBD cooking journey!
