Ask a Chef: Methods to Cut Down on the Smell When Baking with THC
Infusing THC into food can be a lot of fun and be extremely helpful for patients who don’t care for smoking. In my previous articles, I addressed the importance of decarboxylation before infusing and different methods and mediums for infusing your THC. One issue many people have is the overpowering aromas that accompany these processes and permeate your household, the hallway of your apartment building or the other households in your multifamily home. So here are a few tips that will help with that beautiful earthy scent, without overpowering the area with incense.
One method for decarbing with less smell is using oven-safe bags, like for a turkey, and closing it with a little air still in there.
Make sure the buds are very small pieces and spread in a single layer for even baking. You can put the entire baking sheet inside the bag too to make it easier to spread out the weed evenly. You can also seal your buds in a vacuum seal bag. Remove the air first and drop it into a pot of boiling water for about 90 minutes.
There is also the canning jar method, in the oven. One thing to remember is to add 15-20 minutes to your cook time, to allow for the heat to penetrate the glass. Be careful with using this method because it is possible for your jar to explode in the oven since the lid will be on and oven temperatures vary by almost 30 degrees regularly during the cooking cycle and uses dry heat. Sudden temperature changes can cause weakened glass to break. You want to make sure to put your jar into the oven while preheating, so there is a more gradual temperature change, and using a shallow water bath helps as well. Another way to try and fix this issue is by putting your jar inside an iron pot with a little water, then in the oven. Iron retains heat extremely well so it will stay at a consistent 250 degrees Fahrenheit while your oven fluctuates between 230 and 260 during its heat cycles. Also using a higher quality brand of canning jar, such as Mason or Ball is helpful since the cheaper brands are more likely to break easier from temperature fluctuations.
Since it is difficult to do this perfectly, I prefer to use a canning jar in a pot of boiling water on the stovetop. Make sure the jar is not submerged completely in the water, but that the level is between ½ and ¾ to the top of the jar. Let it boil for 90 minutes for decarbing. Make sure you let the jar cool after removing from the heat for at least 30 minutes before opening. You can also infuse in the same jar afterward, still in a water bath, but let simmer for 4 hours. If you use a kitchen thermometer you can make sure the water temperature does not exceed 185 degrees Fahrenheit. You can also do your infusing in a vacuum-sealed bag, but make sure you don’t remove too much air when vacuuming, or you will have a big mess on your hands!! There is usually a wet and dry setting on a vacuum sealer. Then drop it back into boiling water for 3-4 hours. Also, since the purpose of using any of these methods is to cut down considerably on the scent of cooking weed, remember to open the jar, the oven bag, or the vacuum seal bag either outside or right by a window. The smell inside will be quite strong.
Using these methods will all simply be cutting down on the scent and not eliminating completely. I recommend pairing one of them with either creating a cross breeze between two windows or using a carbon filter with an inline fan. If you are tight on funds, open two windows across from each other if possible, and correctly position a fan in between them to create a cross breeze. If you have the means then mounting an inline fan in your kitchen, near a window, and attach a carbon filter on one side, or both sides if you want the extra filtration. The larger the filter the less often you will need to replace them. If you don’t replace the filters regularly, then the fan won’t help very much.
While these are all good methods, my favorite way of infusing ingredients with as little smell as possible is by using concentrates instead of the actual flower. Not only is the smell considerably less than buds, but that also means I need to spend less on extras like fans and filters I would have to constantly replace. Not to mention how much money I’m saving on the product alone for the infusion. Most concentrates contain 2-3 times the THC content of flower, so I use less for my infusions. I also save time, which is quite precious to everyone. I skip the hours of infusion since the concentrates meld instantly into whatever warm fat medium I happen to be using.
Most concentrates you buy at dispensaries will list the contents of a few different cannabinoids on the product you purchase. So you should be able to tell if you need to decarb that particular concentrate, or if you can simply meld it into the medium for cooking. If it lists a high THC-a content, like 15-20%, you need to decarb it still. It is always a good idea to use a product that goes through a third party for its lab test results. This way you can be sure of what you are putting into your edibles and how to calculate the correct dosages. If you can specifically find a THC distillate, you can skip the decarb step as well, saving even more time! The distillate process requires heating for distraction, so it contains THC, instead of THC-a. Then you can measure it and meld it straight into the fat medium and get to work on your tasty creation!!
If you can find one, I like to use a distillate with no terpenes added. (Terpenes are what gives cannabis flower and concentrates their scent and flavor.) When they are not added back into a distillate, this makes no smell at all, which means no decarbing and no infusing time. It is so versatile it can go into any recipe with no time or effort and have little to no effect on taste for the final product. Of course, if you are looking to pair a terpene scent in a complementary manner with a citrus vinaigrette or a coconut key lime cookie, for example, you may want to choose a concentrate with d-limonene terpenes, for that citrus aromatic quality. Though if this is not the case, using a distillate with no terpenes added is important for sweet edibles, it is even better quality for crossing into the savory side of cannabis dishes. While the majority of people who seek out THC products enjoy the effects, many don’t enjoy the flavors and aromas which can accompany the culinary side of the subject, especially when the pairing isn’t exactly complimentary. This is my favorite time saving, money-saving, and the least flavor-altering way to infuse cannabis into food. This is especially helpful when making edibles or dishes with higher potency for certain clients. It should be noted that when going through the distillation process you do lose many of the cannabinoids that are present in other concentrates that require a decarboxylation process, which can be of great benefit to many types of patients. Using a distillate is better suited for a more recreational client.
Finally, for a little treat, here is one of my favorite savory recipes for using cannabutter, whether it is vegan or regular butter.
Let your infused butter come to room temperature (after the initial chilling) so it’s pliable. Fold in a generous handful of fresh minced herbs. I like using herbs that I feel are a bit versatile with the type of food I typically cook, which is French or Italian. I use fresh thyme, rosemary, sage, and parsley. I mince those all very finely in equal parts and fold into the cannabutter. Once mixed evenly I put it back into the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes, depending on the temperature of your fridge. You want it to be moldable but not super firm, so check on it to make sure it doesn’t get too cold. Place the herb cannabutter onto a large piece of parchment paper and roll it into a long tube. Now twist each end, removing any air in the paper, so it looks like a giant Tootsie Roll. Place back into the fridge so it hardens. It is good in the fridge for 7-10 days. You can slice up the entire roll and place each slice onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for an hour. Then put all frozen slices into a freeze safer bag and into the freezer. Those are good up to 6 months, and they thaw quickly. Now when you bake chicken, sear pork chops, grill steaks or saute vegetables you can pull out the herb cannabutter and place a ¼ slice inch over the dish before serving. Your dinners just got a little fancier!
Happy eating!
Sara Elizabeth Barber, a.k.a. The Pantry Mistress of Kansas City, Missouri, has been involved in cooking with allergy-friendly ingredients since 2010 when she discovered her own allergies to dairy, gluten, and eggs. Her ultimate goal is to recreate both gourmet meals and favorite comfort foods for those with specific food allergies or autoimmune disorders who have to extremely limit their diet. Working as a fine dining server at restaurants such as The Capital Grille and Eddie V’s Seafood and Steaks for over 15 years, she has developed very high expectations in the flavor profile arena. Living in Denver in 2013-2018, she started researching ingredients for the cannabis edibles department, since allergy-friendly edibles at dispensaries were not yet popular or easy to find. She has been involved in Meal prep services and short cooking segments on Facebook for clients with food allergies and aversions since 2018 and recently started offering in-home small private multicourse infusion dinners for clients. She hopes to reach more people she can help in this new exciting food forum.