A quiet kitchen primer:
cooking with cannabis.

Decarboxylation — wake the molecules up.

Raw cannabis flower carries THC in its acidic form, THCA, which does not produce the effects we associate with edibles. Heat converts THCA → THC. This is decarboxylation, and it is the one step new cooks routinely skip and then wonder why their butter tastes grassy and does nothing.

1. Preheat the oven to 240°F (115°C).
2. Break flower into small pieces — roughly the size of dried oregano. Smaller is better; powder is too fine.
3. Spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer.
4. Bake for 40 minutes, gently turning the tray once at 20 minutes for even toast.
5. The flower should be a deeper, browner shade of green and fragrant. Cool fully before infusing.

A note from Clem: low and slow protects the terpenes — the same molecules that make a strain pair with rosemary or citrus. Burn them off and you're left with strength but no story on the palate.

Cannabutter — the workhorse of the kitchen.

Butter is the most forgiving fat for infusion: high enough fat content to hold cannabinoids, gentle enough flavor to disappear into baked goods, sauces, and pasta. This is the one to learn first.

1. In a small heavy saucepan, combine butter and water over very low heat. The water acts as a temperature buffer so the butter never scorches.
2. Once melted, add the decarbed flower. Stir to submerge.
3. Maintain a bare simmer — small lazy bubbles, never a rolling boil — for 2 to 3 hours, stirring every 20 minutes.
4. Line a fine mesh strainer with a double layer of cheesecloth over a heatproof bowl. Pour the mixture through. Press gently — don't wring.
5. Refrigerate until the butter solidifies into a disc on top of the water (2–3 hours). Lift the disc, blot dry, and store.

A note from Clem: the temperature is the whole game. Above 190°F you start losing terpenes; above 230°F you start losing THC. A digital probe in the fat is worth the small expense.

Canna-oil — the savory cousin.

Oil is butter's leaner, longer-lived sibling. Use it for any savory recipe, vinaigrettes, drizzles, and anything dairy-free. Three fats are worth knowing:

Method is identical to the cannabutter recipe — swap 1 cup oil for 1 cup butter and skip the water.

1. Combine 1 cup oil + 7–10 g decarbed flower in a saucepan.
2. Heat on the lowest setting for 2–3 hours, stirring occasionally.
3. Strain through cheesecloth into a sealable jar.
4. Store cool and dark. MCT-based oils last 6 months refrigerated; olive 2–3 months.

Tincture — the patient option.

A tincture is an alcohol or glycerin extract — a small dropper bottle that lets you dose by the drop into a finished cocktail, tea, or sauce, or sublingually for fast onset. It rewards patience: the best tinctures steep for four full weeks.

1. Place decarbed flower in the mason jar. Cover with the spirit (or glycerin) until fully submerged with an inch of liquid on top.
2. Seal tightly. Store in a cool, dark cupboard.
3. Shake the jar once a day. Steep for 4 weeks. (A 2-week steep works in a pinch; the 4-week version is noticeably smoother.)
4. Strain through a coffee filter into a measuring cup. Funnel into amber dropper bottles. Label clearly with mg per dropper.

A note from Clem: tincture is the bartender's tool. Two drops in a Negroni bring out the rosemary in the gin. Three drops in a finished consommé turn it into something quietly extraordinary.