WeedCentralCannabis Cooking: The Basics
From decarboxylation to cannabutter — learn the fundamentals of cooking with cannabis at home.
Why You Can't Just Eat Raw Cannabis
Raw cannabis contains THC-A, which isn't psychoactive. To convert THC-A into active THC, you need heat — a process called decarboxylation ("decarbing"). This happens automatically when you smoke, but for cooking, you need to do it as a separate step first.
How to Decarb
Break your flower into small pieces (don't grind too fine). Spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 240°F (115°C) for 30-40 minutes. The flower should turn golden brown and smell toasty. This activates the THC while preserving terpenes.
Making Cannabutter
The foundation of cannabis cooking. Melt 1 cup of butter with 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Add 7-10 grams of decarbed flower. Simmer on low (160-180°F) for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. Strain through cheesecloth. Refrigerate — the butter solidifies on top of the water. Discard the water.
Dosing Your Recipes
This is the hardest part. A rough formula: if your flower is 20% THC and you use 7g, that's ~1,400mg THC total. Divide by the number of servings to get per-serving dose. Account for ~70-80% extraction efficiency. When in doubt, make it weaker — you can always eat more.
Tips for Success
THC binds to fat, so always infuse into butter, oil, or another fat. Don't overheat — high temperatures destroy THC and terpenes. Test a small portion first before committing to a large batch. Label all cannabis-infused products clearly and store away from children.
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