CBD is Being Added to Everything
Have you walked into a store lately, or seen somewhere on your social feed, the new CBD products that abound in most states across our country? They are endless. From medical product lines to skin care remedies to animal treats to toothpicks, if it can be consumed, it might have a future with a CBD line. If you happen to be so fortunate, you might even have a formal restaurant in your town that serves CBD infused meals and beverages. That being said, there is a growing population of people who are interested in creating their own delicious gourmet meals and beneficial treats for themselves, loved ones and furry friends. When working in the kitchen, CBD isolate powder and CBD oil will be a welcome addition to the ingredient list once you know how to work with it properly.
What is CBD Isolate vs. CBD Cooking Oil?
Cannabidiol (CBD) isolate is a highly pure form of CBD. Through intense extraction processes, the CBD is pulled from the plant to form a powder that can sometimes be found at near 99% purity. This means that when you are cooking with specific dosages in mind, you can easily add the milligrams you want in powder form. Isolate is also free of THC, the psychoactive component that many seek to avoid in their cooking. The cooking oil form of CBD is usually created from CBD isolate or flower being infused and heated into the carrier oil. This means that the oil will have a much lower potency than the isolate form and will have more limitations in recipes. CBD oil made with isolate will be THC free. CBD oil made with hemp flower or cannabis flower will not. Hemp plants will have less than 0.3% THC, as required by law, high-potency CBD cannabis plants may have a much higher THC content.
The Benefits of CBD Isolate Powder
The isolate powder form of CBD has been making its way to the healthy living mindset as a versatile and affordable way to create gourmet meals and recipes infused with CBD. Isolate is able to be used and added to meals and treats without using an oil. Another benefit of CBD isolate in cooking is that it is already decarboxylated. In other words, you are using a fully activated form of CBD that can be ingested directly without needing to be first put in an oil or alcohol. You can even take CBD isolate powder directly under your tongue and receive full benefits. The purity of CBD isolate powder is usually over 95%. This means that when you are creating your dosages for your meals and treatments, it is very easy to ensure you are getting the maximum benefit from your CBD.
How to Use CBD Isolate in Cooking
When cooking any gourmet meal, or even a simple pancake breakfast, you can add CBD isolate powder into the mix and have one very special meal! It has it's limitations as it does have a bitter flavor, but it is also used in very small quantities, generally, so it does not effect the overall flavor of the recipe without easily being covered up by another ingredient. Keep that in mind when prepping for flavors. A couple of things to note about when to add the CBD isolate to your meal:
CBD isolate is temperature sensitive, no more than 320F degrees, higher will cause a decrease in potency
Make sure you add it to the later stages of meal prep
Sauces and other cold prep recipes will take CBD isolate and keep potency
How to Use CBD Oil in Cooking
CBD infused cooking oils are very easy to create, as well as employ in any savory recipe from drinks to desserts. Many options exist, but olive oil and coconut oil are most common. Once CBD is infused in an oil, it takes on the flavor of the flower, plus the native flavor of the oil. Oils infused with isolate will have a slightly more bitter flavor, depending on potency. Keep that in mind when preparing recipes.
Recipe: How to Make CBD Oil using CBD Isolate
There are many different types of oil that can be used to create CBD products. These include cooking oils. Cooking oils can include extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, etc. Materials Needed:
Stovetop with steady temp
Large saucepan
Spatula/ mixing spoon
Timer
Scale to weigh CBD isolate
Glass jar or bottle, the darker the better with oil dispensing top
Ingredients:
0.5 grams of CBD Isolate
¾ cup oil
¼ teaspoon flavor extract OPTIONAL
Instructions: Step 1: Prepare stovetop to lowest heat setting. Place saucepan on stovetop. Step 2: Pour oil into the saucepan. Weigh out and add CBD isolate. Step 4: Cover and let the CBD infuse into the oil for about 2 hours. Step 5: Remove from heat. Step 6: Put oil in glass jar. Stir in extracts extra flavor. You can store the oil at room temperature, away from direct sunlight and direct heat. Can be stored up to 2 months.
CBD Isolate and Oil Recipe Suggestions
As we stated before, there is an endless world of recipes to create that perfect dish. We've collected a few samples below to give you some ideas:
How much CBD do I put in my recipe?
You'll definitely want to understand some of the science of how CBD is processed when ingested through the stomach. There is something called the “first pass effect” in which the stomach and liver process most of the CBD before it enters the bloodstream. This means that it takes more CBD when ingested to feel an effect than other methods of absorption, such as topicals, transdermal patches and inhalants, such as vaporizers and smoking of concentrates. When figuring out dosages, it is best to speak with your doctor or seek medical advice about where to start. If you are unable to do this, Botanix Ltd.'s Dosage Chart can be a good resource. Also be sure to refer to Botanix Ltd's Pet Dosage Chart if you are interested in making treats for your furry friend. Check them out and read the full article here: Cooking with CBD Isolate and Oil
Once you have a dose in mind, you'll have to do some math to figure out how much to put into a recipe. The number of servings multiplied by your dosage amount in milligrams will give you a total number of milligrams to put into your recipe.
Author: A.J. Varela, Biologist
Date: 01/23/21