Dear Cheri,
I recently made my first batch of cannabis butter. It came out great and I am loving the edibles I made with it. My only problem was, while I was making the butter, it really created a lot of odor. I live in an apartment and am nervous about the neighbors smelling the cannabis cooking. Do you have any suggestions for reducing the odor when making marijuana butter or oil?
Yes I do!
There are several ways of reducing cannabis cooking odors to the point where there will be zero telltale fragrances of simmering butter oil...at least until you open the lid. As to how to make marijuana butter and oil, follow the links.
Ok there are a number of gadgets, some made specifically for cannabis, others just ordinary kitchen gadgets, that will eliminate cannabis cooking odors. You might already own one or more of these gadgets, let’s talk them:
Instant Pot
An Instant Pot is a wonderful appliance to own even if you never cook with cannabis. A "multi-cooker," this appliances does work of a myriad of other kitchen appliances: It's a pressure cooker that helps you put dinner on the table in no time, it's a slow cooker, rice cooker, vegetable steamer, egg cooker, and more. You can even saute in it or make yogurt in it. Newer deluxe models even have air frying capability. So this is an appliance that you will use often.
An Instant Pot is also terrific odor free way to make cannabis infusions like butter or oil.
Some people like to use the pressure cooking setting for infusions, I don't. I prefer to use the gentler slow cooker setting. Just follow the slow cooker instructions for making butter or oil, with water or without water in the mix, turn your Instant Pot to slow cooker and you are good to go. The only time you smell the cooking cannabis is when the lid is open, but it will not permeate your kitchen.
Check out Instant Pots at Amazon.
Hamilton Beach Stay and Go Slow Cooker
If you have an Instant Pot you already have a slow cooker and can skip this entry. But if you simply want a quality slow cooker, Hamilton Beach makes a good product, and in particular their "Stay and Go" slow cookers are the ones you should consider. Why? Because the lid has a rubber gasket around the edge and it clamps closed. This was designed so people could transport food to parties and pot lucks without it spilling, and to be sure it works great for this purpose. However, cannabis cooks will find an extra bonus as once that lid is clamped closed, it virtually eliminates all cannabis cooking odors (until you open the lid).
Shop for Hamilton Beach Stay and Go Slow Cookers at Amazon.
Not only does the small Ardent Nova or the larger Ardent FX perfectly decarboxylate your cannabis, you can also make infusions like butter and oil in them too, with virtually no odor at all. These are the only special cannabis cooking gadgets I use (you only need one of them and it will depend on amounts you like to cook). There is no easier or neater way to get great results when making marijuana infusions.
Check out the Ardent FX or Nova at the Ardent website.
For $30 off enter coupon code CANNACHERI at checkout.
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Hi Cheri, Are you aware of any process or additive used when making the butter that eliminates or masks the lingering cannabis odor in the final product?
No, but I have never found that to be overpowering.
You can find flavor improving tips here, if any of those help.
https://cannabischeri.com/food/cooking-basics/ask-cheri-how-to-improve-the-flavor-of-marijuana-edibles/
Hi Cheri – if I am using 10:1 distillate oil from my dispensary (the kind in a syringe that looks like honey), can I just stir it into something that I won’t cook, or does it need to be heated and decarboxylated like other forms do?
I am thinking of melting several chocolate bars into a liquid and then stirring in the distillate and cooling the mixture into individual chocolate bites. Does that work, or does the distillate need to be heated for activation?
Thank you!
Chances are it needs to be decarbed. If your lab test shows more THC-A than THC, you will want to decarb.
As to chocolate, I would not do that. Chocolate is very tricky to work with and must be tempered. If you do not temper it, it is going to come out looking funky, dull and almost look moldy (it is not mold it is “bloom” and safe to eat but not pretty and your chocolate will have a funky texture). Unless you know how to work with chocolate you are better off making something simpler to work with.