Here's a comparison of the two methods-the simpler & faster sautee/simmer weed in butter or oil for 1/2 an hour, and the more elaborate version outlined, in which water's brought to a boil, butter & weed is tossed directly in to the water, boiled for 1-3 hours, strained. It then separates from the water upon cooling.
There are some advantages to the second method; none of the advantages are compelling IMO, given the extra effort & time. Anyone?
*
The nasty shit is separated and removed from the fun shit.
* You can make stronger cannabutter than by saute-ing, because you can cook more grass in the same amount of butter, due to the extra volume of the water.
* There is no danger of burning the precious, price-inflated, hard and dangerous to obtain herb, as there is when you saute, because the water keeps the whole mixture at boiling temperature]!"
I'll try a modified version of the simpler method first-oil used for sauteeing instead of butter because of a higher tolerance to cooking temperatures, and a coffee filter used instead of cheesecloth:
http://applesoft.com/brownies/
Considering the potency when eaten, it seems it might be better to try using
less weed than recommended to begin with in the recipes, then add more the next time if required.