September 26, 2024 • 18 mins
Ever wondered how to make your homemade edibles smoother and more potent? Tune in to this episode of Bite Me as we explore the magic of lecithin, a naturally occurring emulsifier that can revolutionize your cannabis-infused oils and butters. You'll discover how lecithin binds fats and water, creating consistent textures and ensuring accurate dosing in your creations. We'll dive into the ideal ratios and methods to optimize your infusions, sharing personal insights and the latest research to help you elevate your culinary game.
Join us as we answer common questions about lecithin and its versatile applications in edibles. I'll share my own experiences and invite you to contribute yours, creating a collaborative learning space. Plus, get the scoop on the updated Bite Me Edibles journal, now available in two sizes, perfect for documenting your edibles journey. With practical tips and tricks, this episode is a treasure trove for any edibles enthusiast. Don’t miss out on the Marge Recommends page for trusted products and services that have my personal stamp of approval.
Continue the conversation and start connecting—head to JoinBiteMe.com right now. You'll find a private community of cannabis growers, makers and lovers who are just as obsessed or curious as you are.
Visit the website for full show notes, free dosing calculator, recipes and more.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hello friends, in this week's episode we're going
to be talking about somethingthat I've been asked about quite
often, and that's usinglecithin in your edibles.
Welcome to Bite Me, the showabout edibles, where I help you
take control of your high life.
I'm your host and certifiedganger, margaret, and I love
helping cooks make safe andeffective edibles at home.
(00:27):
I'm so glad you're here.
Friends, welcome back.
I am glad you're here and thatwe are going to be talking about
lecithin, because this issomething that I've been asked
about many times over the yearsand I thought this would be a
perfect opportunity to do a bitof a deep dive.
So today we are going to betalking about why you should
(00:48):
think about using lecithin inyour edibles, and before we get
into that, I just want to say,if you discovered the show for
the first time, I would love tohear how you found out about
Bite Me, the Show About Edibles.
You can always shoot me a textright in your podcast app and if
not, if you've been listeningfor a while, my heartfelt
appreciation goes out to you.
There may be numerous listenersout there who have asked this
(01:11):
very question how and why shouldI use lecithin in my edibles
and we're going to answer thatquestion for you today, but
before we do, I just want tomention that I have volume two
of the Bite Me Edibles journalout.
(01:31):
That's right because, as youknow, you've been listening for
a little bit.
Last month I did an episode onhow I am dropping the nickname
Marge and I'm going withMargaret, and when I thought
about it I realized, well, thatmeans I need to change.
I need to change the journalthat I put out because it was
riddled with the name Margethroughout, in some of the
(01:53):
introductory pages, right on thecover, and we can't have that
because I'm a brand new person.
And of course I took theopportunity to also change the
cover, which I'm really happythat I did.
Actually, I like it a lotbetter, and I simplified the
inside.
The inner pages are essentiallythe same, except I made them a
little less fussy.
But now it's also available intwo sizes.
(02:14):
Yes, there is the regular eightand a half 11 size for those
who prefer a larger format, andthen I did a smaller.
I'm calling it a pocket size,even though I don't think it
would quite fit in a pair oflike pants back pocket, unless
you have a big butt, I guess,but it might fit in the back of
mine I don't know Eating toomany edibles perhaps.
(02:34):
However, it does come in asmaller size as well, so you can
find those on Amazon prettymuch anywhere in the world.
And if you do happen to pickone up, please consider leaving
a rating and review for it,because one of the things I
didn't consider when I startedthe process of making this
journal is that it would nottransfer over the reviews from
the first journal that I had tothe new one.
(02:55):
And of course it doesn't,because that other journal is
still currently live.
You can still buy that.
I'm probably.
I tried to archive and itdidn't seem to let me, so I'm
not really sure what I'm goingto do about that yet, but in any
case, there's great ratings andreviews on the older version,
the first version, of thejournal, but not on the next one
.
So if you feel so compelled, ifyou're looking for a way to
track your edibles experiencewhether you're making them
(03:16):
yourselves or making them foryourself which is you probably
are because you're listening tothis podcast or whether you're
buying them and trying to dialin dose or just fine tune what
works best for you, you can usethis journal in both contexts.
So that's my little PSA of theday.
If you're interested, go checkit out.
I'll put a link in the shownotes so you can find it easily.
(03:42):
Let's dig in to lecithin.
I'm going to be completelyhonest.
Lecithin is not something thatI actually use too often myself.
Even though I have lecithin, Ihave used it before in certain
contexts.
But after doing a little bit ofresearch for this episode, I
realized I probably should beusing it more often and
considering that it's not anexpensive ingredient to purchase
(04:04):
, it seems like it would be ano-brainer.
But let's get into the reasonswhy you should consider using
lecithin in your edibles.
And, of course, you're takingcontrol of your high life.
If there's any reason why youdon't feel like lecithin is
right for you, then you get todo whatever the hell you want.
Lecithin, it's a naturallyoccurring fatty substance found
(04:26):
in plant and animal tissues,commonly sourced from soy,
sunflower or egg yolks, and it'sused in the food industry as an
emulsifier, so it helps bindfats and water together,
ensuring smooth textures infoods like chocolate, sauces and
, of course, our beloved edibles.
Reason number one why you mightwant to consider using lecithin
(04:47):
in your edibles is that it isthe emulsifier.
So this is the major reasonthat people like to use lecithin
.
As you probably know becauseyou've been baking for a little
bit, cannabis oils and butterdon't naturally mix well with
water-based ingredients in manyrecipes, so the lecithin acts as
(05:08):
a bridge between these twoingredients.
We all know oil and water don'tmix, so lecithin allows for an
even more homogenous mixture andthis can make your edibles more
consistent in texture andpotency.
And that's important,especially if you're gifting
your edibles, because we've allhad that experience where you
have some edibles where one, ifyou're making, say, a batch of
cookies, where one cookie mighthave a stronger potency than
(05:31):
another.
We want to avoid that as muchas possible.
So the emulsifier can reallyhelp bind these ingredients
together so that you have moreconsistency.
And they are also fantastic formaking cannabis gummies, and
this is because it is emulsifier.
It can work to combine oil andwater together so that the
(05:52):
cannabis oils don't separatefrom the rest of the ingredients
in the batch of gummy bears,and I've actually had this
happen to me firsthand.
The instances where I have usedlecithin in my own personal
cooking edibles making life iswhen I've been making gummies,
because sometimes, when you wantto use an infusion like an oil
to make gummies, I have had theexperience where the cannabis
(06:16):
oil almost forms a layer.
It doesn't emulsify, if youwill, does it mix in properly
with the gummy mix, and I've hadones that have turned out where
they end up with as a layer onthe bottom of the mold or on the
top of the mold or somethingmold of that I was using, and so
obviously it doesn't also lookas nice if you haven't used an
emulsifier, and this is somereason another reason why some
(06:37):
people like to use concentratesin some of their gummies,
because they do seem to workbetter in incorporating.
But if you're going to use anoil, an emulsifier is a must
when you're making things likecandies and gummies, and because
it prevents the separation ofwater and fats.
Lecithin can also extend theshelf life of your edibles as
(06:58):
well.
Now, typically I don't findthis to be much of an issue.
If I have edibles that aregoing to be kicking around for a
little bit longer, what I tendto like to do is freeze them so
that I can extend the shelf lifewithout having to worry about
something going bad on me, andalso I tend to be eating them a
lot or gifting them, so thatalso means that they don't
typically last that long anyway.
(07:19):
But if you're going to havesome edibles that you think may
be kicking around for a littlebit, lecithin might be a good
way to help preserve or extendthe shelf life of your edibles.
Number three enhancing potencywith lecithin.
It has been suggested that theuse of lecithin can improve the
absorption of the cannabinoidsand that lecithin can make it
(07:43):
easier for the body to processand absorb the active compounds,
potentially increasing thepotency and efficiency of the
edibles.
But this doesn't necessarilymean that it increases the THC
content, but rather helps toensure that more of it is
absorbed, meaning that there'simproved bioavailability and
(08:04):
less is going to waste duringdigestion.
Beyond the emulsifyingproperties of lecithin, it may
help improve the metabolism ofedibles so that they potentially
kick in faster.
The emulsifying properties oflecithin may help the
cannabinoids break down intotiny globs of fat and bile acids
known as micelles if I've saidthat correctly I am no scientist
(08:27):
which allows the cannabinoidmolecules to be separated from
each other and encapsulated withwater molecules, and this makes
them more susceptible to beabsorbed directly into your
lymphatic system before thefirst past metabolism of the
liver and therefore lots ofpeople who like edibles may
attest that it can increase thepotency just by making it more
(08:52):
bioavailable.
Remember, it doesn't actuallyincrease the THC, it just means
that more of it is going to beabsorbed, so it can help with
the absorption of other it canhelp with the absorption.
So some of this stuff has beena bit anecdotal, but it's worth
an experiment.
It's worth testing to see howyou find it and again, that's
where your edibles journey orjournal might also help with
(09:12):
this to see if you notice adifference in the effects when
you're using lecithin versuswhen you're not.
Number four lecithin may improvethe texture of your edibles
because lecithin plays a keyrole in texture.
So when it's used in cannabisinfused oils, butters or
concentrates, it ensuressmoother, creamier textures in
(09:34):
the finished product, likebrownies and cookies or gummies.
And this can be especiallyimportant for products like
chocolate, where you want asilky consistency, because we
just have this expectation ofchocolate and it makes it better
visually and because itprevents separation.
It makes sure that the fat andwater components in the edibles
(09:58):
that you're making won't splitover time either, so it leads to
a more stable and longerlasting and attractive product.
There are, of course, differenttypes of lecithin, so number
five types of I don't know ifthat's really a number five.
So the different types oflecithin, um, there are.
The most common that you'reprobably you've probably come
across in your local grocerystore is your soy lecithin and
(10:19):
your sunflower lecithin.
Soy lecithin is common, it'saffordable and you can get it in
both powdered and liquid forms.
There's also, as I mentioned,the sunflower lecithin, and if
you're wanting to avoid soy fora variety of reasons, then some
might consider it more naturaland organic.
I tend to use sunflowerlecithin and whenever I've used
(10:40):
lecithin I used the liquidversion, which has a consistency
like molasses.
The liquid may be easier to mixinto batters and oils, while
the powdered lecithin you mightfind easier to measure out in
store.
So they both have pros and cons.
I've personally just alwaysleaned towards the liquid myself
, and I actually haven't triedthe powdered yet, but I might
(11:04):
actually go out and startexperimenting with it and adding
it into more things because, asI am doing this episode, I'm
convinced that I should be usinglecithin more often in my own
edibles.
When and how to use lecithin inyour edibles you can use
lecithin can be added whenyou're making your cannabis
infusion, your oil and yourbutter, though it can also be
(11:25):
added to the final recipe, soyou can do it both ways.
I have personally never addedit to the infusion process.
Well, have I?
I might have, because I thinkwhen I had my magical butter
machine, when I first got it, itsuggested using lecithin and
putting it in with your oils inbutters.
The only instance you might notwant to do is when you're doing
(11:46):
like a water bath.
Then we'll get into that in aminute.
But as far as the oil goes, youI guess I have done it before,
but it's been a long timebecause I was just like I didn't
really seem to notice adifference, probably because I
wasn't taking notes and writingthings down.
This would have been years ago.
I have definitely added it to afinal recipe, as I mentioned
the gummies, because I find thatit just vastly improves the end
(12:08):
result and you're not going tohave this weird layer of oil on
the top when I've used like anoil to make infused gummies and
it's a game changer For mostrecipes.
You don't need much.
We're talking.
A tablespoon to a tablespoon oflecithin is enough, depending
on the quantity of the butter oroil being infused.
(12:30):
So typically, a ratio of, let'ssay, one teaspoon to one
tablespoon of sunflower lecithinto one cup of coconut oil is
considered enough.
And if you're using a crock potor slow cooker or sauce pan,
you simply add it in with theoil and your decarbed cannabis
when you're, when you'reprepping your infusion, and
(12:52):
that's it.
It's, it's mixed in.
Just make sure you're going to.
Well, you don't have to makesure of anything, you just add
it when you, when you're doingyour infusion.
So if you're doing, you know, acouple of cups of of coconut oil
with your decarbed weed, youmight want to consider adding
two teaspoons to two tablespoonsof lecithin.
And, you know, the less you canget away with, the better, I
(13:14):
would imagine, because that justmeans you will, it'll last
longer for you, you won't haveto buy it as often and this
stuff is not expensive to buyeither.
So we're not talking some fancyingredient that's going to cost
you a lot of money.
It's, it's relatively cheap, atleast the last time I bought it
.
Maybe it's been a minute, Idon't, because I haven't been
using it a lot.
Perhaps prices have skyrocketedsince the last I purchased it,
(13:35):
but I suspect it's still notthat bad.
Adding lecithin to canna oilduring the infusion process can
help it blend more seamlesslyinto whichever recipe you'll use
it in.
So, as an example, if you'remaking a pan of weed brownies,
it can help the otheringredients, like cocoa and
sugar, bind with the cannabisoil and potentially distribute
more evenly throughout the mix.
(13:57):
And we kind of touched on thisalready.
This can help with dosing,because it's just going to
ensure that you have a morehomogenous mix of your cannabis
in with the rest of theingredients, so that you're
going to have more accuratedosing across a batch.
So just also the one of the bigthings with that too is just
make sure you're cutting yourweed brownies all about the
(14:19):
approximate same size and youshould be good to go.
And you can add lecithin to canof butter.
But if you're doing an infusionwhere you're doing the butter
like a water bath, this is whenyou don't want to add your
lecithin because you don't wantthe water in this instance to
bind with the fat of the butter,because you want to toss that
(14:39):
water.
So that's one of thoseinstances where you don't want
to include the lecithin, butotherwise you can add it to your
oils and butters when you'redoing the infusion process and
end up with an infusion thatwill bind with ingredients
better, no matter what it isthat you're making.
There are alternatives tolecithin, I think you know.
(15:01):
You might have tapioca starchor agar.
I think lecithin is going to bea much simpler and more proven
way to get that emulsificationand I have zero experience with
that other stuff.
I've played around a little bitwith agar as I worked for quite
a while in my daughter's veganrestaurant, but for most edible
(15:23):
makers, the increasedbioavailability and improved
texture is the way to go.
With your good old-fashionedlecithin Finally, you just have
to watch, I guess that you donyour good old fashioned lecithin
Finally, you just have to watch, I guess, that you don't add
too much lecithin.
Because if you do add too much,this is why I mentioned earlier
, like you know, when they'resuggesting one teaspoon to a
tablespoon per cup of your fat,why you want to use as little as
(15:46):
possible to get the resultsthat you want the emulsification
is because you don't want toaffect the taste or texture of
whatever your final product isgoing to be.
So just bear that in mind andif you can do a little bit less.
If it was suggesting a teaspoonto a tablespoon, I would
probably do two teaspoons percup and see how that works out.
(16:06):
Or maybe just try the oneteaspoon and make notes of it,
because you don't want to affectthe final outcome by having a
strange taste because you usedlecithin.
So, essentially, lecithin is anatural emulsifier that's going
to bind the fat and watertogether to make your edibles
smoother and more consistent intexture.
It will enhance thebioavailability of the
(16:27):
cannabinoids, potentially sothat your body absorbs more of
the THC or the CBD in yourcreations, and it's also going
to improve the texture of youredibles so that you have less
separation and resulting in morestable and appealing product.
So, for all those reasons, Ithink we should all be trying to
add a little bit more lecithinin our lives, in our edibles
(16:49):
making, and that's something I'mgoing to be playing with.
I have a bottle of liquidsemphore lecithin on my shelf
and I think I need to be usingit more often, based on this
research.
But there have been many of youthat have asked me about
lecithin over the last while andI thought it was time to
address this particular questionand let me know what you think,
(17:10):
or how you use lecithin in youredibles, if you're doing
something that you find worksparticularly well, and I can
share them with the listeners ofBite Me.
So I think that's it for thisweek, my friends, if you have an
edibles lover in your life thatalso likes to experiment making
edibles, then why not considersharing this episode with them?
They might learn rightalongside you, and I Consider
(17:33):
checking out the products andservices on the Marge Recommends
page.
Those are products and servicesthat I use all the time in my
own life and I don't recommendthings that I don't have any
experience with personally.
And with that, my friends, I'myour host, margarite, and until
next time, stay high.
Hello friends, in this week's episode we're going
to be talking about somethingthat I've been asked about quite
often, and that's usinglecithin in your edibles.
Welcome to Bite Me, the showabout edibles, where I help you
take control of your high life.
I'm your host and certifiedganger, margaret, and I love
helping cooks make safe andeffective edibles at home.
(00:27):
I'm so glad you're here.
Friends, welcome back.
I am glad you're here and thatwe are going to be talking about
lecithin, because this issomething that I've been asked
about many times over the yearsand I thought this would be a
perfect opportunity to do a bitof a deep dive.
So today we are going to betalking about why you should
(00:48):
think about using lecithin inyour edibles, and before we get
into that, I just want to say,if you discovered the show for
the first time, I would love tohear how you found out about
Bite Me, the Show About Edibles.
You can always shoot me a textright in your podcast app and if
not, if you've been listeningfor a while, my heartfelt
appreciation goes out to you.
There may be numerous listenersout there who have asked this
(01:11):
very question how and why shouldI use lecithin in my edibles
and we're going to answer thatquestion for you today, but
before we do, I just want tomention that I have volume two
of the Bite Me Edibles journalout.
(01:31):
That's right because, as youknow, you've been listening for
a little bit.
Last month I did an episode onhow I am dropping the nickname
Marge and I'm going withMargaret, and when I thought
about it I realized, well, thatmeans I need to change.
I need to change the journalthat I put out because it was
riddled with the name Margethroughout, in some of the
(01:53):
introductory pages, right on thecover, and we can't have that
because I'm a brand new person.
And of course I took theopportunity to also change the
cover, which I'm really happythat I did.
Actually, I like it a lotbetter, and I simplified the
inside.
The inner pages are essentiallythe same, except I made them a
little less fussy.
But now it's also available intwo sizes.
(02:14):
Yes, there is the regular eightand a half 11 size for those
who prefer a larger format, andthen I did a smaller.
I'm calling it a pocket size,even though I don't think it
would quite fit in a pair oflike pants back pocket, unless
you have a big butt, I guess,but it might fit in the back of
mine I don't know Eating toomany edibles perhaps.
(02:34):
However, it does come in asmaller size as well, so you can
find those on Amazon prettymuch anywhere in the world.
And if you do happen to pickone up, please consider leaving
a rating and review for it,because one of the things I
didn't consider when I startedthe process of making this
journal is that it would nottransfer over the reviews from
the first journal that I had tothe new one.
(02:55):
And of course it doesn't,because that other journal is
still currently live.
You can still buy that.
I'm probably.
I tried to archive and itdidn't seem to let me, so I'm
not really sure what I'm goingto do about that yet, but in any
case, there's great ratings andreviews on the older version,
the first version, of thejournal, but not on the next one
.
So if you feel so compelled, ifyou're looking for a way to
track your edibles experiencewhether you're making them
(03:16):
yourselves or making them foryourself which is you probably
are because you're listening tothis podcast or whether you're
buying them and trying to dialin dose or just fine tune what
works best for you, you can usethis journal in both contexts.
So that's my little PSA of theday.
If you're interested, go checkit out.
I'll put a link in the shownotes so you can find it easily.
(03:42):
Let's dig in to lecithin.
I'm going to be completelyhonest.
Lecithin is not something thatI actually use too often myself.
Even though I have lecithin, Ihave used it before in certain
contexts.
But after doing a little bit ofresearch for this episode, I
realized I probably should beusing it more often and
considering that it's not anexpensive ingredient to purchase
(04:04):
, it seems like it would be ano-brainer.
But let's get into the reasonswhy you should consider using
lecithin in your edibles.
And, of course, you're takingcontrol of your high life.
If there's any reason why youdon't feel like lecithin is
right for you, then you get todo whatever the hell you want.
Lecithin, it's a naturallyoccurring fatty substance found
(04:26):
in plant and animal tissues,commonly sourced from soy,
sunflower or egg yolks, and it'sused in the food industry as an
emulsifier, so it helps bindfats and water together,
ensuring smooth textures infoods like chocolate, sauces and
, of course, our beloved edibles.
Reason number one why you mightwant to consider using lecithin
(04:47):
in your edibles is that it isthe emulsifier.
So this is the major reasonthat people like to use lecithin
.
As you probably know becauseyou've been baking for a little
bit, cannabis oils and butterdon't naturally mix well with
water-based ingredients in manyrecipes, so the lecithin acts as
(05:08):
a bridge between these twoingredients.
We all know oil and water don'tmix, so lecithin allows for an
even more homogenous mixture andthis can make your edibles more
consistent in texture andpotency.
And that's important,especially if you're gifting
your edibles, because we've allhad that experience where you
have some edibles where one, ifyou're making, say, a batch of
cookies, where one cookie mighthave a stronger potency than
(05:31):
another.
We want to avoid that as muchas possible.
So the emulsifier can reallyhelp bind these ingredients
together so that you have moreconsistency.
And they are also fantastic formaking cannabis gummies, and
this is because it is emulsifier.
It can work to combine oil andwater together so that the
(05:52):
cannabis oils don't separatefrom the rest of the ingredients
in the batch of gummy bears,and I've actually had this
happen to me firsthand.
The instances where I have usedlecithin in my own personal
cooking edibles making life iswhen I've been making gummies,
because sometimes, when you wantto use an infusion like an oil
to make gummies, I have had theexperience where the cannabis
(06:16):
oil almost forms a layer.
It doesn't emulsify, if youwill, does it mix in properly
with the gummy mix, and I've hadones that have turned out where
they end up with as a layer onthe bottom of the mold or on the
top of the mold or somethingmold of that I was using, and so
obviously it doesn't also lookas nice if you haven't used an
emulsifier, and this is somereason another reason why some
(06:37):
people like to use concentratesin some of their gummies,
because they do seem to workbetter in incorporating.
But if you're going to use anoil, an emulsifier is a must
when you're making things likecandies and gummies, and because
it prevents the separation ofwater and fats.
Lecithin can also extend theshelf life of your edibles as
(06:58):
well.
Now, typically I don't findthis to be much of an issue.
If I have edibles that aregoing to be kicking around for a
little bit longer, what I tendto like to do is freeze them so
that I can extend the shelf lifewithout having to worry about
something going bad on me, andalso I tend to be eating them a
lot or gifting them, so thatalso means that they don't
typically last that long anyway.
(07:19):
But if you're going to havesome edibles that you think may
be kicking around for a littlebit, lecithin might be a good
way to help preserve or extendthe shelf life of your edibles.
Number three enhancing potencywith lecithin.
It has been suggested that theuse of lecithin can improve the
absorption of the cannabinoidsand that lecithin can make it
(07:43):
easier for the body to processand absorb the active compounds,
potentially increasing thepotency and efficiency of the
edibles.
But this doesn't necessarilymean that it increases the THC
content, but rather helps toensure that more of it is
absorbed, meaning that there'simproved bioavailability and
(08:04):
less is going to waste duringdigestion.
Beyond the emulsifyingproperties of lecithin, it may
help improve the metabolism ofedibles so that they potentially
kick in faster.
The emulsifying properties oflecithin may help the
cannabinoids break down intotiny globs of fat and bile acids
known as micelles if I've saidthat correctly I am no scientist
(08:27):
which allows the cannabinoidmolecules to be separated from
each other and encapsulated withwater molecules, and this makes
them more susceptible to beabsorbed directly into your
lymphatic system before thefirst past metabolism of the
liver and therefore lots ofpeople who like edibles may
attest that it can increase thepotency just by making it more
(08:52):
bioavailable.
Remember, it doesn't actuallyincrease the THC, it just means
that more of it is going to beabsorbed, so it can help with
the absorption of other it canhelp with the absorption.
So some of this stuff has beena bit anecdotal, but it's worth
an experiment.
It's worth testing to see howyou find it and again, that's
where your edibles journey orjournal might also help with
(09:12):
this to see if you notice adifference in the effects when
you're using lecithin versuswhen you're not.
Number four lecithin may improvethe texture of your edibles
because lecithin plays a keyrole in texture.
So when it's used in cannabisinfused oils, butters or
concentrates, it ensuressmoother, creamier textures in
(09:34):
the finished product, likebrownies and cookies or gummies.
And this can be especiallyimportant for products like
chocolate, where you want asilky consistency, because we
just have this expectation ofchocolate and it makes it better
visually and because itprevents separation.
It makes sure that the fat andwater components in the edibles
(09:58):
that you're making won't splitover time either, so it leads to
a more stable and longerlasting and attractive product.
There are, of course, differenttypes of lecithin, so number
five types of I don't know ifthat's really a number five.
So the different types oflecithin, um, there are.
The most common that you'reprobably you've probably come
across in your local grocerystore is your soy lecithin and
(10:19):
your sunflower lecithin.
Soy lecithin is common, it'saffordable and you can get it in
both powdered and liquid forms.
There's also, as I mentioned,the sunflower lecithin, and if
you're wanting to avoid soy fora variety of reasons, then some
might consider it more naturaland organic.
I tend to use sunflowerlecithin and whenever I've used
(10:40):
lecithin I used the liquidversion, which has a consistency
like molasses.
The liquid may be easier to mixinto batters and oils, while
the powdered lecithin you mightfind easier to measure out in
store.
So they both have pros and cons.
I've personally just alwaysleaned towards the liquid myself
, and I actually haven't triedthe powdered yet, but I might
(11:04):
actually go out and startexperimenting with it and adding
it into more things because, asI am doing this episode, I'm
convinced that I should be usinglecithin more often in my own
edibles.
When and how to use lecithin inyour edibles you can use
lecithin can be added whenyou're making your cannabis
infusion, your oil and yourbutter, though it can also be
(11:25):
added to the final recipe, soyou can do it both ways.
I have personally never addedit to the infusion process.
Well, have I?
I might have, because I thinkwhen I had my magical butter
machine, when I first got it, itsuggested using lecithin and
putting it in with your oils inbutters.
The only instance you might notwant to do is when you're doing
(11:46):
like a water bath.
Then we'll get into that in aminute.
But as far as the oil goes, youI guess I have done it before,
but it's been a long timebecause I was just like I didn't
really seem to notice adifference, probably because I
wasn't taking notes and writingthings down.
This would have been years ago.
I have definitely added it to afinal recipe, as I mentioned
the gummies, because I find thatit just vastly improves the end
(12:08):
result and you're not going tohave this weird layer of oil on
the top when I've used like anoil to make infused gummies and
it's a game changer For mostrecipes.
You don't need much.
We're talking.
A tablespoon to a tablespoon oflecithin is enough, depending
on the quantity of the butter oroil being infused.
(12:30):
So typically, a ratio of, let'ssay, one teaspoon to one
tablespoon of sunflower lecithinto one cup of coconut oil is
considered enough.
And if you're using a crock potor slow cooker or sauce pan,
you simply add it in with theoil and your decarbed cannabis
when you're, when you'reprepping your infusion, and
(12:52):
that's it.
It's, it's mixed in.
Just make sure you're going to.
Well, you don't have to makesure of anything, you just add
it when you, when you're doingyour infusion.
So if you're doing, you know, acouple of cups of of coconut oil
with your decarbed weed, youmight want to consider adding
two teaspoons to two tablespoonsof lecithin.
And, you know, the less you canget away with, the better, I
(13:14):
would imagine, because that justmeans you will, it'll last
longer for you, you won't haveto buy it as often and this
stuff is not expensive to buyeither.
So we're not talking some fancyingredient that's going to cost
you a lot of money.
It's, it's relatively cheap, atleast the last time I bought it
.
Maybe it's been a minute, Idon't, because I haven't been
using it a lot.
Perhaps prices have skyrocketedsince the last I purchased it,
(13:35):
but I suspect it's still notthat bad.
Adding lecithin to canna oilduring the infusion process can
help it blend more seamlesslyinto whichever recipe you'll use
it in.
So, as an example, if you'remaking a pan of weed brownies,
it can help the otheringredients, like cocoa and
sugar, bind with the cannabisoil and potentially distribute
more evenly throughout the mix.
(13:57):
And we kind of touched on thisalready.
This can help with dosing,because it's just going to
ensure that you have a morehomogenous mix of your cannabis
in with the rest of theingredients, so that you're
going to have more accuratedosing across a batch.
So just also the one of the bigthings with that too is just
make sure you're cutting yourweed brownies all about the
(14:19):
approximate same size and youshould be good to go.
And you can add lecithin to canof butter.
But if you're doing an infusionwhere you're doing the butter
like a water bath, this is whenyou don't want to add your
lecithin because you don't wantthe water in this instance to
bind with the fat of the butter,because you want to toss that
(14:39):
water.
So that's one of thoseinstances where you don't want
to include the lecithin, butotherwise you can add it to your
oils and butters when you'redoing the infusion process and
end up with an infusion thatwill bind with ingredients
better, no matter what it isthat you're making.
There are alternatives tolecithin, I think you know.
(15:01):
You might have tapioca starchor agar.
I think lecithin is going to bea much simpler and more proven
way to get that emulsificationand I have zero experience with
that other stuff.
I've played around a little bitwith agar as I worked for quite
a while in my daughter's veganrestaurant, but for most edible
(15:23):
makers, the increasedbioavailability and improved
texture is the way to go.
With your good old-fashionedlecithin Finally, you just have
to watch, I guess that you donyour good old fashioned lecithin
Finally, you just have to watch, I guess, that you don't add
too much lecithin.
Because if you do add too much,this is why I mentioned earlier
, like you know, when they'resuggesting one teaspoon to a
tablespoon per cup of your fat,why you want to use as little as
(15:46):
possible to get the resultsthat you want the emulsification
is because you don't want toaffect the taste or texture of
whatever your final product isgoing to be.
So just bear that in mind andif you can do a little bit less.
If it was suggesting a teaspoonto a tablespoon, I would
probably do two teaspoons percup and see how that works out.
(16:06):
Or maybe just try the oneteaspoon and make notes of it,
because you don't want to affectthe final outcome by having a
strange taste because you usedlecithin.
So, essentially, lecithin is anatural emulsifier that's going
to bind the fat and watertogether to make your edibles
smoother and more consistent intexture.
It will enhance thebioavailability of the
(16:27):
cannabinoids, potentially sothat your body absorbs more of
the THC or the CBD in yourcreations, and it's also going
to improve the texture of youredibles so that you have less
separation and resulting in morestable and appealing product.
So, for all those reasons, Ithink we should all be trying to
add a little bit more lecithinin our lives, in our edibles
(16:49):
making, and that's something I'mgoing to be playing with.
I have a bottle of liquidsemphore lecithin on my shelf
and I think I need to be usingit more often, based on this
research.
But there have been many of youthat have asked me about
lecithin over the last while andI thought it was time to
address this particular questionand let me know what you think,
(17:10):
or how you use lecithin in youredibles, if you're doing
something that you find worksparticularly well, and I can
share them with the listeners ofBite Me.
So I think that's it for thisweek, my friends, if you have an
edibles lover in your life thatalso likes to experiment making
edibles, then why not considersharing this episode with them?
They might learn rightalongside you, and I Consider
(17:33):
checking out the products andservices on the Marge Recommends
page.
Those are products and servicesthat I use all the time in my
own life and I don't recommendthings that I don't have any
experience with personally.
And with that, my friends, I'myour host, margarite, and until
next time, stay high.
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