Want to enjoy an elevated treat but skip the hassle or mess of infusing an oil or cooking something special? Then Instant Edibles might just be for you!
What is an Instant Edible?
An Instant Edible is the simplest, cleanest way to turn literally any dish into a medicated treat without the infusion step by adding activated (aka decarboxylated) plant material.
That’s right – no need to simmer your herb in butter or oil over a hot stove or bake any extra calories you’d rather skip just to have a dosed delight!
Instant Edibles are created by adding decarboxylated plant material in your normal cooking or baking, or by sprinkling it on top just like any other herb.
Benefits of Instant Edibles
Instant Edibles are a convenient, mess-free way to enhance any dish.
- (Pro tip: Use the Ardent FX or Ardent Nova to ensure you’re getting the right amount of heat for the right amount of time every decarb experience!)
Getting started with Instant Edibles
If you’re ready to take the hassle out of edibles and make your first Instant Edible, that’s great! Here are a few things you should keep in mind…
Start low and go slow!
Everyone experiences edibles differently based on their tolerance, metabolism, and other factors. Because the effects of edibles are both delayed and long-lasting, it’s crucial to get the dosing right – or you might have a bad time.
If you’ve never tried an edible before, 5 mg or below is probably a good place to start and work your way up from there.
Know your dose
Not sure how to convert the potency levels listed on your product’s label into the potency of your final product? We’re here to help!
It’s a complicated formula that factors in type and amount of your product, type and amount of fat you're infusing and using, and – most importantly – the method of heating. Decarboxylation gets the most out of your plant material with significantly more potent results than traditional cooking methods.
Decarb enthusiasts: Stay tuned for the launch of an Ardent dosage calculator!
Do more with less
With an efficient decarboxylator like the Ardent FX or Ardent Nova, you can use as little as one gram to yield 150 mg of active ingredients.
Boost absorption with a little oil
The chemical properties of oil or butter make it perfect for improving the absorption of your activated herb, so add a bit to get the most out of your Instant Edible.
You can skip food altogether!
When you activate your flower with decarboxylation, you don’t even need to add food, drink, or fat to enjoy the medicated effects. Capsules are the perfect way to enjoy an elevated or medicated state without altering your diet at all!
Be sure to calculate your dose and weigh the plant material out evenly to get a consistent experience with every capsule you create.
Beginner’s Guide to Making an Instant Edible
Creating an Instant Edible, Step 1: Decarboxylate your flower
What is Decarboxylation?
Whether you’re applying a flame and inhaling, simmering in butter, or decarboxylating, heat is a crucial element to unlocking active ingredients that are locked in acid form to make them bioavailable to your body’s receptors.
Why you should decarboxylate
There are numerous benefits to decarboxylating your flower:
- Save flower and save money by doing more with less and get 4-5 times more doses than you would with traditional cooking methods
- Your more potent activated flower can be used with traditional edible preparation methods or you can turn any dish into an Instant Edible
- Can be easily used for sublinguals and medicines as well as edibles
How to decarboxylate your plant material
There are a number of different home kitchen solutions that you can experiment with. Methods include:
- Crockpot
- Oven Decarb
- Mason Jar Decarb
- Sous Vide Decarb
- Toaster Oven Decarb
- Ardent Nova and Ardent FX
Without an easy, precise tool like an Ardent device, it can be overwhelming to try figuring out how to get that right amount of heat for that right amount of time. You want to avoid burn off, degradation of active chemicals, and/or failure to fully convert the available active chemicals.
Be prepared for some trial and error as you try to reconcile conflicting recommendations and imperfect science, but any of these methods will get more out of your plant than simply infusing your butter on the stove!
Check out our Decarboxylation 101: Easy Beginners Guide to learn more.
Creating an Instant Edible, Step 2: Smile and think about the time you’re saving by skipping the infusion process!
Because you have already decarboxylated, your plant product is ready to be absorbed by the body as is – you can eat your activated material with no further processing! This means there's no need to run an infusion cycle if you want to simply consume the activated material as is.
Precision activation gives you an average of 100 – 250 mg per gram (depending on the potency of your starting flower), which means you only need a small amount of decarbed herb if you’re adding it to your food. Once your plant material is activated, the options are endless!
Once you've decarbed your flower, you can consume it any way you want and feel the special effects – including eating it plain or tossing some into your favorite home-cooked meal or takeout!
There are three common methods, doesn’t mean you need to or you should!
Infusing your decarbed flower in butter or oil will cause fatty cooking mediums to cling to the active ingredients once thoroughly mixed. This will help ensure an even distribution of the ingredients with each dose.
If you do want to infuse your decarbed flower, there three common methods you can use, including:
- Ardent Nova and Ardent FX Decarboxylator
- Slow Cooker Method
- Double Boiler Method
The Ardent Nova and Ardent FX provide the simplest, cleanest option for infusing your oil with your decarboxylated plant material. You simply put it in a glass jar of butter or oil (or use our Concentrate and Infusion Sleeve for a perfect fit), place the jar in for a second cycle, which will pull the ingredients from the plant into the fat, infusing the oil. Then, simply strain and use!
Creating an Instant Edible, Step 3: Add decarboxylated flower to your recipe (or eat it as is!)
Dining with your decarbed flower
As you’ve probably figured out by now, adding your decarbed plant material to any recipe is super easy since it’s already activated – but there are a few things you should always keep in mind:
- Start by making sure you know the potency of your plant material and use a dosage calculator to ensure you don’t get surprised by how potent your flower is.
- You can make your decarbed herb more bioavailable and increase absorption by incorporating a fat into your Instant Edible. (Plus, it will help mask some of the grass flavor of your flower!) Here are some of the many fats you could either toss into the recipe with your activated flower, or infuse your activated flower into:
- Butter
- Ghee
- Most oils (you probably have at least one of these on your shelves: olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, MCT oil, canola oil, grapeseed oil, etc.)
- Milk
- Cream
- You can grind your plant material as coarse or finely as you want – you may enjoy leafy flakes in your salad but prefer a finer grind when mixing into a batter, sauce, beverage, or capsule.
- Start simple with one of these easy edible inspirations:
(*Recipes can be made directly inside the Ardent FX device!)
Get Elevated or Medicated with Instant Edible Capsules
Instead of deciding between adding your decarbed flower to a dish or eating it raw, there’s a simpler solution for consistent doses and all the effects, without changing your diet!
First, use a dosage calculator to figure out how many milligrams of active ingredients your decarbed flower will yield. You can use a scale to break off equal quantities, grind the material, and add it to capsules for a discreet and easy way to dose anytime. This is a perfect solution for when you’re on-the-go and want to take a meal, movie, or other experience to the next level!
While most people can generally feel the effects of activated flower on its own, everyone’s metabolism and bodies are different. It may be helpful to eat something containing a bit of fat for a little extra boost of bioavailability to improve uptake of your active ingredients and get the maximum effect. There are limitless options, but here are a few ones you can probably find in your house right now:
- Peanut butter
- Cheese
- Avocados
- Hemp seeds
- Yogurt
- Butter or oil
Ready to get started?
If you’re ready to start making mess-free, hassle-free edibles out of any meal (or with capsules), we’ve got you covered!
You can use this post to make sure you know:
- Why you should decarb to take your treats to the next level
- Everything you need to get started
- How to decarboxylate your plant
- How to incorporate your decarbed flower into your recipes and consume
The Ardent Nova and Ardent FX have been dubbed the Easy Bake Oven for Adults, and can help anyone easily, efficiently, and accurately create any infused products in the comfort of their own home.
Find the right Ardent solution for you and take your creations to the next level!
For more recipes, how-to guides, tips, and tricks for creating amazing infused edibles, be sure to visit ardentherbal.com.
