Cooking with CBD Oil 101

More and more consumers are implementing CBD oil into their health and wellness routine, whether it is to improve sleep, relaxation, reduce anxiety, or pain management for a variety of ailments to helping quit smoking, improving skin conditions or even athletic recovery. This powerful cannabinoid continues to help people live better and healthier lives. Now, the team at Elements of Green has provided extensive guides, articles, and blogs on a variety of CBD consumption methods including; CBD tinctures, CBD capsules, CBD topicals, CBD vapes, CBD bath bombs and even CBD pet products.  Today we are excited to share with you how to implement CBD oil into your cooking routine!

Cooking with CBD oil and CBD recipes have become increasingly popular as the cannabinoid continues to gain popularity amongst both new consumers and existing consumers looking to try it in new and innovative ways. What is easier than adding some oil to your favourite recipes? For those looking to improve their health and wellness by eating a more balanced diet

What CBD Oil Should I Use?

As we have said countless times, CBD oil is no different than any other ingredient you are looking to consume, quality is paramount and this requires some research and investigation in to the ingredients and source of the CBD oil you are looking to cook with. We recommend first identifying what kind of CBD oil you are looking to consume and implement into your cooking.

The three main types of CBD oil are; full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, and lastly CBD isolate. We recommend using full-spectrum CBD oil as it contains CBD as well as other cannabinoids and terpenes to provide an overall entourage effect that is not present in broad-spectrum and CBD isolate products. Broad-spectrum CBD is similar to full-spectrum as it does contain CBD with other terpenes and cannabinoids however the trace amounts of THC which add to the overall entourage effect are not present. CBD isolate does not contain any other cannabinoids, terpenes, or THC and can be a great alternative for athletes who play in regulated sports or who are subject to testing of any kind. At Elements of Green, we offer only the highest quality, lab tested CBD oils that have been thoroughly vetted by our experienced team. Our full line up of CBD oil products can be found here.

Beyond that, you want to make sure you are using a quality CBD oil from a reputable brand. With hundreds of CBD brands and manufacturers to choose from with more on the way it is crucial to shop brands you can trust. Particularly, CBD brands that have clearly defined ingredients, are readily available to answer questions and most importantly proudly display COA’s (Certificate of Analysis) or lab results. It is very important to make sure your CBD oil is free from harmful pesticides, heavy metals or other harmful substances. For those with dietary restrictions, you can also shop for CBD oils that are non-GMO, vegan, organic, and more.

Our Favourite CBD Oil For Cooking

We have had the opportunity to explore and review hundreds of CBD brands across Europe, North America and beyond to carefully curate only premier, quality and safe CBD oil brands and products. Some of our favourite CBD oil brands to cook with include:

10 ml contain about 300 drops Free of synthetic ingredients. Contains hemp seed oil Size: 10ml CBD: 5% THC: <0.02%  

500 mg of activated CBD per 10 ml 10 ml contain about 300 drops Free of synthetic ingredients. Contains hemp seed oil Size: 10ml CBD: 5%THC: <0.02%

10 ml bottle contains 300mg of CBD+CBDa. A single drop contains 1mg of CBD+CBDa which is great for beginners. Unheated and unprocessed, our medium strength CBD+CBDa raw formula offers the benefits of the hemp plant as nature intended. Packed with vital minor cannabinoids, omegas, vitamins, and minerals that are typically lost when heated.Our whole plant raw formula helps to naturally support your endocannabinoid system by creating balance in the body. This organic, non-GMO, CBD oil can be added to food and drinks, or simply taken on its own as a supplement in your wellness routine. CBD: 3.38% THC: <0.02%

10 ml bottle contains 1500mg of CBD+CBDa. A single drop contains 5mg of CBD+CBDa, this is stronger for those looking for higher concentrations of CBD.  This organic, non-GMO, CBD oil can be added to food and drinks, or simply taken on its own as a supplement to support a balanced healthy lifestyle. CBD: 15.28% THC: <0.02%

What Others Say

The Cannabis Experts put together an excellent short video on quick and simple tips when cooking with CBD oil, what is great about this video is they consulted a few chefs to provide expert opinions in an easy to follow clip, we highly recommend taking a look, the video can be accessed below:

Jess from choosingchia.com compiled an awesome list of “Tips for Cooking With CBD OIL”:

• Use high-quality CBD oil: quality matters, and there is no substitute for high-quality CBD oil. Look for a reputable brand.
• Start small: Don’t overdo it. Start with just a small amount of CBD oil when you’re first starting out using it in your cooking.
• CBD works best in recipes with some sort of fat in them. (oil, butter…etc.)
• Store your CBD in a cool dry placeto keep it fresh
• You can add a few drops of CBD oilto your salad dressings, smoothies, coconut oil or butter or baking and in many other ways!
• You can add CBD oil to any of your favourite recipes. I like to add a few drops to my lattes, smoothies and chia puddings!
• Do not heat your CBD oil on direct heat. Heating the oil too high will have a decrease in the oils overall effectiveness.

So, what does this tell us? Well, it seems like the quickest way to ruin your CBD recipe is by directly heating your CBD oil so we suggest using it as part of a garnish, salad dressing or drizzle. One simple way to get the feel for dosing would be to implement your CBD oil into a variety of smoothie recipes which are quick, delicious and easy to make.

Similarly, Betty Gold from realsimple.com echoed some of these suggestions in her article titled “Curious About Cooking With CBD Oil? Read These 4 Tips First” by interviewing Erica Hara, executive chef and co-founder of CBD brand La Vida Verde, Erica stated:

Use fat 

• Keep in mind that cannabinoids bind well with fat, so CBD needs to be infused into a fat or oil-based ingredient like butter, ghee, or coconut oil in order to increase bio-availability and receive the full benefits of the compound.

Avoid heat

• When cooking with CBD, be careful when it comes to applying heat as excessive temperatures can cause it to evaporate and lose potency. This is one reason why many people love using CBD oil as a finishing touch on meals—try drizzling the oil over avocado toast, pizza, eggs, or mixing it into pesto.

Try savory

• You'll often find CBD-infused sweets and baked goods because it’s generally easier to cover up the inherent bitterness of lower-quality CBD with sugar or chocolate. However, a high-quality CBD oil is perfect for use in savory dishes. CBD oil works great in salad dressing; you can also add it to soups and pasta sauces.

Control your dose

• CBD is the non-psychoactive component of the cannabis plant and will not product any of the "high" associated with THC. However, you should still be careful to dose CBD appropriately so you're getting your desired effect. Start with a low dose to see how you respond. Remember: less is more, especially when you’re starting out.

What Are Our Favourite Recipes with CBD Oil?

As mentioned above, we believe smoothies are the best way to introduce CBD oil into your diet as they are simple to make, taste great and there are countless variations and flavours. The strong flavour profile of most smoothies can hide some of the more natural flavours in CBD oil.

Bon appetit put together an excellent CBD Mango Smoothie that we absolutely love, the full recipe can be found here.

A quick summary of the ingredients:

• 1 mango, peeled, chopped
• 1 banana, chopped
• 1 1" piece ginger, peeled, finely grated
• ½ cup unsweetened coconut water
• ½ tsp. CBD oil
• ½ tsp. ground turmeric
• Pinch of kosher salt

Besides smoothies and keeping in line with the tip to avoid directly heating your CBD oil, we recommend mixing your CBD oil into your favourite salad recipe, whether it is Greek, caesar, chop, or any other kind of salad. Keep in mind, there can be an earthy taste associated with CBD oil so it is best to consult the brand you are looking to purchase about the flavour profile in advance.

Thank you for reading our Cooking With CBD OIL 101 We hope you have enjoyed this cooking with CBD oil overview! Our team at Elements of Green is always available to answer any questions and, help you find the right product. Feel Free to call or email us at hello@elementsofgreen.com.

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