Cannabis cooking, cannabis edibles, decarboxylation, and THC dosing are at the heart of this episode of the Bioactive Podcast. Dr. Riley Kirk sits down with cannabis edibles expert, chocolatier, television host, and cookbook author Vanessa Lavorato to explore the science of making cannabis-infused foods, from calculating edible potency to understanding infusion methods, cannabutter, and edible safety.
Vanessa founded Marigold Sweets in 2010, creating premium cannabis edibles with a focus on flavor, sourcing, and artisanal quality. She also co-hosted and served as culinary producer for three seasons of VICE's James Beard Award-nominated cannabis cooking show, Bong Appétit. A graduate of UC Berkeley with a degree in art history and Italian, Vanessa brings together her experience in food, entrepreneurship, and cannabis.
Drawing on her experience developing cannabis-infused products and conducting more than 200 lab tests for her cookbook, How to Eat Weed and Have a Good Time, Vanessa shares what she has learned about decarboxylation, homemade edibles, dosing calculations, cannabutter, tinctures, and infusion times. They discuss how different methods, temperatures, and solvents affect extraction, whether microwave decarboxylation works, why longer infusion does not necessarily mean greater potency, and what home edible makers should understand about estimating THC content.
The conversation also explores cannabis tolerance, edible nonresponders, sublingual absorption, CBN and sleep claims, lecithin and bioavailability, testing limitations, glycerin-infused beverages, and using homegrown cannabis in cooking. They examine common mistakes in homemade edibles, food safety, cross-contamination, and why clearly labeling and securely storing infused products is essential.
Whether you're interested in cannabis cooking, edible formulation, cannabis science, or understanding the chemistry behind infused foods, this episode offers an evidence-focused look at what happens when cannabis meets the kitchen.
Chapters
00:00 Edible Horror Story
00:41 Dosing and Safety Basics
01:23 Meet Vanessa Lavorato
04:01 From Marigold Sweets
06:12 Decarb Explained
07:00 Early Mistakes and Lessons
09:17 Math for Homemade Dosing
11:30 Switching to Edibles Only
14:32 Weed Culture and Pressure
16:20 Lab Tested Cookbook Science
20:16 Infusion Myths Debunked
22:49 Decarb Methods and Microwave
25:46 Simple Cannabutter Walkthrough
28:53 Fast Infusion and Storage Tips
30:31 Do Dosage Calculators Work
31:21 Estimating Potency Loss
32:07 CBN Creation and Claims
36:50 Lecithin and Edible Nonresponders
39:31 Testing Tools and Lab Limits
43:15 Glycerin Drinks and Whole Plant
45:26 High Dose Edibles and Vapes
49:38 Batch Cooking and Food Safety
51:06 Homegrow to Edibles Pipeline
53:57 Common Edible Making Mistakes
59:31 Labeling and Safe Storage
1:00:49 Where to Find Vanessa
1:01:31 Final Thanks and Wrap
Connect with Vanessa Lavorato
www.instagram.com/vanessa.marigold/
www.youtube.com/channel/UCkauGFLwcj4sLA9pJ2qQFKA
Patreon: The Edibles Club
Get the Cookbook: How to Eat Weed and Have a Good Time
https://amzn.eu/d/0iw8LfKV
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