What To Know About Cooking with CBD Oil?

Temperature, storage, serving, and the base used to create the CBD oil are important considerations when using it in recipes. Always use it sparingly if you are not sure of the right amount. This article explains what an individual needs to know about cooking with CBD oil.

The 2018 Farm bill legalized hemp for commercial production of cannabidiol, effectively scheduling CBD as a food supplement. CBD is highly favored due to its numerous benefits on human health, unlike THC, a cannabinoid that is highly psychoactive and addictive. CBD is extracted from hemp using carbon dioxide concentration and solvent extraction to obtain oils from hemp's leaves, stems, and roots. These oils are then used to make various CBD products such as tinctures, oils, topicals, and epidermal patches. The CBD molecule is highly sensitive to heat and light, two factors that can easily denature CBD, making it lose its effectiveness and potency. CBD can be used to cook and bake numerous foodstuffs. Here are some key issues to watch out for when cooking with CBD.

Storing Your CBD

CBD has a relatively short shelf life of about six to twelve months before losing most of its potency. Therefore, when purchasing CBD for cooking, one should consider how long they will be using CBD. There's a two-year shelf life for CBD tinctures. However, this may be less than stated because of the frequency of use and other storage variables. Shah et al. (2019) explained that the CBD molecule is very volatile and can be quickly denatured. It is critical to keep your CBD oil cooing away from light sources, especially light that contains high quantities of UV radiation, as it is highly vulnerable to denaturing. Alternatively, one can use brown bottles that are ultraviolet protected or store their CBD in a dark environment for long shelf life. In addition, always store CBD in cool areas as heat may cause some of the CBD to evaporate. It is because CBD has a relatively low boiling point.

Be Mindful of Your Cooking Temperature

CBD has a boiling point of about one hundred and sixty degrees Celsius. It is a relatively low boiling point considering that some forms of cooking entail well over two hundred degrees Celsius. Going directly to a heat source is not advisable as this instantly evaporates most of the CBD. Lo (2022) explained that the remaining CBD would be denatured, making it useless as it would have lost its potency. To use CBD for cooking, one can always add it to your recipe when it is almost being served to prevent it from evaporating. In addition, an individual can use CBD oil to garnish their vegetables rather than use it for cooking. Using CBD oil under high temperatures may produce bitter food with a burnt taste. It may also result in unwanted smoke in the kitchen. CBD can best be utilized for baking as, more often than not, most baked goods do not go well over the boiling point of CBD.

CBD Is Best Paired with Fatty Foods

Brunetti et al. (2020) explained that CBD is highly lipophilic; it easily binds with other fat molecules. Therefore using other oils such as butter and hempseed oil may help improve its bioavailability. Bioavailability refers to the amount of unaltered substance present for the body to absorb. Oral consumption of CBD has the lowest levels of CBD bioavailability for the body. It is because most of the CBD is lost during digestion in the gut. CBD that has been absorbed is first transported to the liver, where it is further broken down to its constituent metabolites. These two factors greatly reduce the amount of CBD available to the body. Therefore, one can mix CBD with other oils such as coconut or hempseed. It may be achieved by directly making one's hemp oil by soaking the plant in melted butter or warm oil, allowing CBD essential oils to dissolve in the base oil. One can also try dissolving CBD isolates into desired oils to obtain an oil suitable for cooking.

The Base Is Used to Make CBD Oil

CBD can be suspended in carrier oils such as MCT and fractionated coconut. These base oils greatly affect the final taste of CBD and its usage for cooking. For instance, medium-chain-triglyceride CBD oil is suitable for cooking as it has no flavor and aroma that will affect the final product. Also, MCT oils remain liquid at room temperature, making them a good preservative for CBD oil. However, due to personal preferences, some individuals detest the taste of coconut oil, making it not favorable to everyone even though it's a perfect fit for mixing CBD oil.

Be Mindful of CBD Dosages

Although CBD is not psychoactive, it still has other side effects, such as drowsiness and dry mouth, when consumed in high doses. CBD consumed in high doses has a sedative effect when consumed in extremely high amounts. It is easy to lose track of how much CBD oil one has added to a food serving. To take care of this issue, always measure the CBD oil as you add it to your favorite food. For a serving of two, adding ten milligrams of CBD will result in five milligrams per serving. One can add more CBD to your desired level to increase the effective dosage. However, the rule of thumb is always to start small and watch how that dosage reacts with your body. Individuals can always add more to your desired level, as your body will build a tolerance level with each usage.

Try Sweet and Savory Recipes

De Bruijn et al. (2017) explained that because CBD has so many uses, you can use it in savory and sweet recipes. Find some CBD snack recipes online or try a gourmet supper option. Once people have determined the flavor, they may seize the chance to express their creativity. Some alternatives include CBD guacamole, CBD mint tea, and CBD peanut butter cookies.

Conclusion

CBD offers many benefits to human health, making it a great option for cooking. However, CBD oil is sensitive to heat, light, and exposure to air. One can always keep these factors in mind to extend its shelf life when storing CBD. CBD is best used to garnish salad and vegetables as this will most probably preserve its potency and increase its effectiveness. Individuals can always pair CBD with other oils as it increases its bioavailability in the body.

References

Brunetti, P., Faro, A. F. L., Pirani, F., Berretta, P., Pacifici, R., Pichini, S., & Busardò, F. P. (2020). Pharmacology and legal status of cannabidiol. Annali dell'Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 56(3), 285-291.

De Bruijn, S. E., De Graaf, C., Witkamp, R. F., & Jager, G. (2017). An explorative placebo-controlled double-blind intervention study with low doses of inhaled Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol reveals no effect on sweet taste intensity perception, like in humans. Cannabis and cannabinoid research, 2(1), 114-122.

Lo, M. (2022). The Weed Gummies Cookbook: Recipes for Cannabis Candies, THC and CBD Edibles, and More. Simon and Schuster.

Shah, I., Al-Dabbagh, B., Salem, A. E., Hamid, S. A., Muhammad, N., & Naughton, D. P. (2019). A review of bioanalytical techniques for evaluating cannabis (Marijuana, weed, Hashish) in human hair. BMC chemistry, 13(1), 1-20.