Edibles have become a buzz word in the cannabis industry so it’s not surprising that many people are asking “does making edibles smell”? We all know that cannabis has a pungent aroma as it is, so yes, making edibles does smell and there’s no getting around that. If you want to prepare cookies, brownies, or any other type of cannabis-infused baked goods then you’ll want to know how to minimize the smell so that it doesn’t get brought to your strata’s attention.
If you’re still set on putting your baking skills to use and making your own edibles, you’ll be happy to learn that the smell subsides once your baked goods have cooled down. Plus, there are steps you can take to mitigate the smell while you’re cooking them. The majority of which are pretty straightforward and obvious, but we’ll mention them anyways.
And while it’s always best to respect your neighbours, the fact is that cannabis is legal in Canada and you’re perfectly fine to make edibles in most homes (unless your strata building prohibits it). Most people are okay with the smell of cannabis wafting into the hallways, but some aren’t. So, let’s move on to discussing ways you can keep the smell down to a minimum when you’re making edibles.
No Smells, No Worries
1. Circulating Fan / Ventilation
Using a fan and opening windows is the least ingenious suggestion we could offer. But what’s important to understand here is that there is a difference between an oscillating fan and a circulating fan. An oscillating fan is your standard standing fan that pans left to right repeatedly. With our answer to the question of does making edibles smell being a resounding yes, you can know that using an oscillating fan pointed across the front of your oven and towards an open window isn’t going to do much.
A circulating fan uses a different blade orientation. This creates an air vortex that pushes air all around a room – up, down, left, right, and across in both directions – as compared to the unidirectional air flow of an oscillating fan. If your aim is to ventilate your kitchen with maximum effectiveness, then a circulating fan and a pair of open windows on either side of the room is your best bet.
2. Late Night Baking / Cooling
Here’s another good idea. How about baking your cannabis-infused baked goods at a time of the day when those who might take issue with the smell are asleep? We realize that would mean you have to stay up later than usual and might be a little bleary eyed the next day, but it’s not like this is something you do regularly. Make a little sacrifice in the interest of maintaining good relations with your neighbours. You can catch up on your sleep the next night.
Maybe even enjoy one of your creations to help you with that!
But seriously, does making edibles smell? Yes, it certainly does and no more so than when they’re fresh out of the oven and cooling. With that understood, if you bake them late at night you can cool them more inconspicuously. This will especially work well if you use the circulating fan and open your windows.
3. Masking
This suggestion comes in last in our list of three because it’s not as effective and masking one scent with another is totally conspicuous. For those who don’t have the two windows in the kitchen for our ventilation method shared above, however, it may be a good choice. Same for those who aren’t willing to burn the midnight lamp to bake their pot cookies. Does making edibles smell? Yes, it does. What’s the best scent for masking it? There is one especially good one we’ll recommend.
Man-made scents like sprays of any sort will do a poor job of masking the smell. Instead, boil a small quantity of white vinegar on the stove top while your marijuana edibles are cooking in the oven and / or while they’re cooling. It’s not a good smell, but it masks especially well and – most importantly – it dissipates very quickly.
There’s no getting around the affirmative answer to the question does making edibles smell. But with a little initiative you can make anyone nearby less aware of exactly what you’re baking.