Looking to change up your CBD routine?

There are lots of ways to get creative when it comes to how you consume your CBD. In this article, we're going to share with you one of our favorite ways to incorporate CBD into your daily lifestyle: cooking! You don't need to be a chef to follow along and try it out for yourself.

Cooking With CBD 101

 “Anyone can cook … but only the fearless can be great.” 
- Chef Gusteau, Ratatouille

When it comes to cooking with CBD, don’t be afraid to break out of the box and be bold (it’s actually pretty hard to mess things up). Save for especially high-temp baking, CBD can be added to all sorts of recipes with ease. 

Since different CBD oils have different terpene and flavor profiles, they tend to shine best when added to different things. Feel free to play around with the combinations until you find what works best for you. 

Also, cooking with CBD is more than just fun. It’s also functional! A growing body of research shows that CBD’s absorption improves by a factor of 3 or 4 when it’s eaten alongside a fatty meal...or incorporated into a delicious recipe.  That’s because CBD, like other cannabinoids, is fat-soluble. 

CBD: Temperature is Everything

Cannabinoids are interesting molecules. Whether we’re talking about THC, CBD, or the rest of them, cannabinoids need to be decarboxylated, or ‘decarbed,’ before they’re ready to consume. Decarboxylation makes CBD molecules slightly smaller — small enough to make it past the blood-brain-barrier into the brain and do their best work. 

Before you head to the kitchen, make sure to keep in mind that Toast Wellness’s CBD oils are already decarbed and fall within that optimal structural window. We recommend incorporating CBD in recipes that are no-heat or low-heat (under 300 degrees). 

CBD Pairings at Their Best

Whether you’re new in the kitchen or wearing the chef’s hat, having a variety of flavors to work with inspires endless opportunities for creative pairings.

Toast Original | This classic CBD oil has an earthy, herbaceous taste. That goes great with guacamole, pasta, chicken, steak, and other savory dishes. 

Toast Cinnamon | Enjoy baked goods? Oatmeal? Decadent raw chocolate? Toast Cinnamon is the perfect addition to your sweet recipes (if their temperature is right), or infuse it into icings for cinnamon rolls or pastries. 

Toast Cold Pressed Lemon | Meshing well with both the savory and the sweet, this eclectic CBD oil provides plenty of parings. Add it to lemon-herb salmon for a delectable endocannabinoid-boosting meal; add it to sugar cookies or lemon bars if your sweet tooth is still intact (no judgment). 

Toast Cold Pressed Orange | Our organic Cold-Pressed Orange hemp extract is another versatile option. It pairs well with citrus-infused recipes of practically all sorts. Not to recommend the obvious, but it’s perfect with a glass of orange juice! 

Toast Spiked Pumpkin | Featuring organic nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, and even organic pumpkin seed oil, our Spiked Pumpkin extract was an instant favorite — so much so, that we’ve kept it year-round! 

Now it's time to get creative and make your own masterpieces. Perhaps a tasting menu?

Cooking With CBD Chocolate

In addition to cooking with CBD oils, you can also use other CBD products such as Toast's Full Spectrum Chocolate Supplements to create delicious snacks.

There are benefits to combining the two too! Both, premium CBD and premium chocolate may boost your endocannabinoid system. Turns out some of the ingredients present in chocolate may amplify CBD’s effect.  It’s a match made in biochemical heaven, and yet another reason to eliminate any lingering guilt from your chocolate-loving self and plunge headfirst into the world of chocolatey recipes. 

And while you could incorporate CBD oil and chocolate into favorite recipes separately, a product we’ve made in collaboration with Fine & Raw provides more practical options. Our chocolate supplement allows you to add both ingredients at once — so if you’re hoping to make CBD-infused chocolate chip cookies, brownies, or other treats, this is probably the easiest way! 

You could even melt down a chocolate supplement or two to make a delicious, nutritious chocolate sauce or icing. Just remember to keep your temps under control, which can be done using the double-boiler method. 

Moving Forward