Decarbing cannabis in the oven is honestly a headache. Ovens are notoriously inconsistent. You’re constantly dealing with hot spots and temperature swings, and there’s no real way to know what’s actually happening inside that oven at any given moment. Too much heat and you risk degrading cannabinoids, turning THC into CBN, which sounds harmless until you realize it means your “get things done” edible turns into a “take a nap” edible. Too little heat and your flower won’t fully decarb, leaving you with weak edibles or stuck babysitting the oven for what feels like an entire day. And don’t get us started on the smell.
Fortunately, there’s a kitchen gadget that’s surprisingly good at solving almost all of those problems.
Sous Vide Your Weed
Sous vide is a French cooking method that uses a temperature-controlled water bath to cook things low and slow. The method involves sealing food, or in this case flower, inside a bag and placing it in a precisely temperature-controlled water bath. An immersion circulator keeps the water at the exact temperature you choose, so there’s no worrying about hot spots or overheating like you might get with an oven.
What You Need
- An immersion circulator
- A large pot or heat-safe container
- A vacuum sealer or freezer-safe zip bag
- Your fave cannabis flower
- A grinder
- Magnets
How to Decarb
- Start by filling your container with warm water and heating it to 203°F with your immersion circulator.
- Grind your flower and place it in a vacuum-seal bag or freezer-safe zip bag. Remove as much air as possible. No vacuum sealer? Slowly lower the bag into the water before sealing it. The water pressure will naturally push most of the air out.
- Once sealed, let your flower bath in the water for 90 minutes.
- Use a couple of magnets to keep it underwater.
- Remove the bag, let it cool to room temperature and dry off the outside before opening.
- Your flower is officially decarbed and ready to be infused! Butter, olive oil, your options are limitless. And the good news is you can use that exact same sous vide setup to cook up your infusion.
The Benefits
Once it’s sealed and in the water, the hard part is over.
- Once you have your decarbed flower, you can use the sous vide to make multiple infusions at once. Infused butter in one bag, olive oil in another, maybe a batch of honey while you’re at it.
- Odor stays locked up. The bag stays sealed the whole time it’s cooking, so the smell doesn’t take over your house.
- No babysitting required. Set your temperature, drop in your bag, and walk away. No hovering by the oven, no checking every ten minutes, no wondering what’s actually happening in there. Go run errands, watch a movie, take a nap. It’ll be ready when you get back.
- Consistent edibles. Since the water holds one exact temperature the entire time, there are no hot spots and no risk of accidental overheating. You can expect more consistent decarbing, which means more consistent infusions batch after batch.
We’d love to see what you’re making. Tag us with your homemade creations on IG @pureblossomnj. And if you’re looking for quality flower, stop by Pure Blossom. We’d be happy to help you find the right strain for your next infusion project.
Don’t Feel Like DIY?
If you’re after a smoke-free option without the decarbing, tinctures and Highly powders take the prep out of the equation. They’re ready to use. Just put them under your tongue or mix them into your favorite drink or recipe.
Visit Pure Blossom for Cannabis and Other Essentials
Explore Pure Blossom’s curated selection of New Jersey cannabis brands and essential accessories. Whether you’re doing the old Google thing, searching for a dispensary near me or nearby dispensaries in New Jersey, Pure Blossom is a short, scenic, calming drive away, and our friendly guide-connoisseurs are excited to take you through our curated selection of New Jersey cannabis brands (and other essentials). We’ll see you there!