Hi Mother,

I really need to find a way to remove the taste of the bud in the cannabutter. My girlfriend doesn't eat the edibles that I cook because of the taste. So you have any magic formula to resolve this issue?

— Jose

Hi Jose,

I love that you're into cooking and making edibles. Cooking with cannabis has come such a long way, especially recently as chefs have been able to experiment with the herb legally. Hopefuly we can glean some tips from the pros and help you — and your girlfriend — out.

First, make sure you're preparing your cannabutter correctly right from the start, since poorly made butter can taste pretty terrible. Low and slow is the best method, and while that requires a lot of standing around the kitchen to make sure you're not browning the butter, it will be worth it in the end. There are some gadgets that you can buy to make cannabutter that many people enjoy, but I'm a purist and think that making it yourself with a double boiler is the way to go.

There is definitely a flavor to cannabis butter, just like there would be with any herb butter. Since your girlfriend isn't a big fan of the flavor, there are a few things you can try. You can either try to compliment the flavor — i.e. make sure you're not having too many competing flavors — or, you can attempt to mask the flavor, but according to some experts, that rarely works.

I spoke with LuLu Agolia Sheldon, a Cannabis Consultant and Executive Pastry Chef from Colorado to learn more. "In general, spices and/or food-grade essential oils help to compliment most marijuana infusions used for edibles. And that should be the goal: to compliment the marijuana essence," LuLu explains. "When you start to try to mask the marijuana flavor, that's when you create other problems which typically lead to something that is not tasty and depending on what is used, the texture of the product is typically compromised too."

Warming spices (like ginger or cinnamon) can help balance the cannabis taste in the butter, so create dishes with those flavors as starring roles. Alternatively, LuLu suggests cutting down on the cannabutter and sub in some regular butter (start at 50/50 and fine tune from there). While that may cut down on the impact of the cannabis, it may be worth it for a better flavor. Then, you can just eat a bit more of whatever you whip up!

One last tip takes a bit more effort but it just might be what takes the cake, so to speak. Corinne Tobias, author of a variety of cannabis cookbooks including Wake & Bake: A Cookbook and High for the Holidays, has written up a lengthy explanation of how to do a "Weed Wash." Her instructions are for cannabis oil — and it's unclear if the same method works for butter — but it's a great start to figure out a way to lessen the earthy, herby flavor while ensuring all of the THC-infused goodness remains!

I would also suggest going and talking to local cannabakers in your area. If you live in a state where cannabis is legal (either for medical or recreational purposes), you are bound to have many chefs and bakers that have started turning toward cannabis as a new and interesting ingredient. If you're in Michigan, check out these Baking with Marijuana courses offered by Grassroots University.

Happy Baking!
— Mother