Xlr8's Magic Brownies - Step by Step - With Pictures!

[HonkNation]

Hey Honk

I've made mine using butter and mostly following X's guidelines. I only like to use butter or coconut oil as they are both solids at room temperature. I use the water/oil extraction method though, so having the oil as a solid is a requirement with this method. They both have their pros and cons, but I have to say I think I prefer the results with butter. Most of the things I've made with the oils taste better with some butter anyway. My preference is entirely based on taste. For performance and usability, I prefer the coconut oil. Both seem to be about the same potency. Keep in mind I've only made a couple batches of each and did vary my techniques a little with each batch.

Hi Hiker, thank you very much for the input and feedback. I too usually use coconut oil for this inclusive method here, but last batch I simply didn't have any on hand.

Very good to know you've had success with the butter swap-out here.

Question: from your butter-use batches, do you personally think if I bypassed the water separation method, you'd still get the same results? - personally, with numerous failed attempts with butter recipes in past, either with or without water separation method, I found that the water separation method just became too gummy for the micro particles that did not separate fully, and thus made the butter slightly watery, which effected the baking science too much as a result.

Question: from your findings, if you do NOT use the water separation method, are there any mal consequences to NOT incorporating this step/process? - personally, I just hate anything oil/fat + water solution, as the cross contamination (water in butter or oil) is just not worth it.. from the science/logic, there's nothing that suggests to me that simply straining out the buds from the cooked butter won't be the same as the water separation method - it's so straight forward (logic/science-wise) that it almost seems like going backwards a bit to me by doing the water separation method.. ?

And yes, I totally agree, thus my reach-out / inquiry about butter, as personally, butter is much more versatile and palatable for all things sweet/baking, and thus would like to successfully get into that medium - the grocery store has much more possibilities for butter baking than oil, or at least in the small town I live in..

Thanks!

The Honk.

 

[Hiker]

Butter seemed to perform the same for me as the coconut oil. It's a little softer, but I didn't feel it separated less.

I DO think using water makes a big difference. Yes, you filter out the large plant mater when you strain the oil, but the water will remove things that you don't want to taste, such as the chlorophyll. Basically, anything that's water soluble will be washed out this way. Without the water, you will still pull out a lot when you strain the butter, but you're not removing any chlorophyll that has gotten "loose" from the cells. I'll always use water. There is an added benefit. Only the small edge of the oil touches the container, so you can get more of the oil out of the container.

One thing that will help with the "gumminess" is to work in a colder environment. If your kitchen is too hot, the oils will be softer. I tend to let mine harden in the fridge, so I don't have to worry about forgetting and the water freezing. When you pull it out, a cooler kitchen will help keep the butter from melting. You can also put it into the freezer with a timer. It will harder the butter more and as long as you pull it out before the water freezes, it will clean fine. If you look at my gallery, I have some pictures of one of my batches showing how it looks after I rinse off the water.

The other thing with water separation is to try and get the oil and water mix into the separation container while it's as hot as possible. This is difficult due to the heat, but I think it's necessary for a good extraction. I use a cloth bag to strain mine, and have wooden spoons I use to push on the ball to squeeze out any extra oil. The more you squeeze, the greener your oil will be. This will make it taste more "weedy", but some folks think that last bit of oil is stronger. I don't agree with that, so I squeeze, but only until the oil gets too green for my tastes.

I think it was in this thread where X and I discussed the decarbing a bit. I think the conclusion we reached was you can probably skip this step if your trim or bud is completely dry. Otherwise, the decarbing is a way to accelerate making it ready.

I forgot to mention my tip for keeping the oven bags closed. Put the turkey bag on the cookie sheet sideways, so the open end is towards one of the long sides. Now roll it up such that you trap a lot of air inside. Once it's rolled up, tuck the roll under the edge of the cookie sheet and place it into another cookie sheet. You're trying to sandwich the roll between the cookie sheets. This will keep it closed until you remove them from the oven.

I do think the soy lecithin is important. I made my first batch without it, and while they were good, subsequent batches were much stronger. My step-son ate a brownie from the last batch on Thursday. Granted, he has never used cannabis before in his life, but he was completely wasted that day and most of the next. He was still groggy on Saturday.

Anyway, follow X's advice and you won't go wrong. Everyone will develop slightly unique methods. That doesn't mean any of them are the right or wrong way to do it. I just know what I currently feel is the best extraction method for me.

Happy baking

 

[Xlr8]

Dear Xlr8, you totally ROCK my friend - I didn't even hesitate once you sent me the link to the magical butter site - ordered one within 2 minutes of browsing the site - anything that takes the hassle or reduces steps or workload for the needed medicine is welcome - even if a $200 gamble..

The unit is supposed to be here by early next week, so I'll make sure to munch up all my current brownies, to try a fresh batch with the magical butter device.

Question: I was reading on the magical butter site that some folks still suggest to decarb independently of the device, thus would be: standard oven-bag decard, and then put ingredients into device.. THOUGHTS? -- I somehow suspect that having the bud in liquid oil or butter medium, expecting this device decarb the green while wet won't quite work as good.. to me that almost seems as parallel to trying to bake (such as Xlr8's recipe here) without having done the dry oven-bag decarb step - as there seems to be some tesitomy even within this thread that for folks whom skipped the dry decarb step did get the 'magic' infused into the brownies.. What do you think?

Lastly, thanks for answering the butter inquiry Xlr8 -- you're so diligent on this forum!

Anyway, looks like I won't be able to bake with the magical butter device for a couple of weeks still, but as soon as I do, I'll report my findings.

Thanks again!

Cheers,

The Honk.

I'd decarb on my own - but it'd be worth comparing for sure. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the mb machine!

 

[HonkNation]

Butter seemed to perform the same for me as the coconut oil. It's a little softer, but I didn't feel it separated less.

I DO think using water makes a big difference. Yes, you filter out the large plant mater when you strain the oil, but the water will remove things that you don't want to taste, such as the chlorophyll. Basically, anything that's water soluble will be washed out this way. Without the water, you will still pull out a lot when you strain the butter, but you're not removing any chlorophyll that has gotten "loose" from the cells. I'll always use water. There is an added benefit. Only the small edge of the oil touches the container, so you can get more of the oil out of the container.

One thing that will help with the "gumminess" is to work in a colder environment. If your kitchen is too hot, the oils will be softer. I tend to let mine harden in the fridge, so I don't have to worry about forgetting and the water freezing. When you pull it out, a cooler kitchen will help keep the butter from melting. You can also put it into the freezer with a timer. It will harder the butter more and as long as you pull it out before the water freezes, it will clean fine. If you look at my gallery, I have some pictures of one of my batches showing how it looks after I rinse off the water.

The other thing with water separation is to try and get the oil and water mix into the separation container while it's as hot as possible. This is difficult due to the heat, but I think it's necessary for a good extraction. I use a cloth bag to strain mine, and have wooden spoons I use to push on the ball to squeeze out any extra oil. The more you squeeze, the greener your oil will be. This will make it taste more "weedy", but some folks think that last bit of oil is stronger. I don't agree with that, so I squeeze, but only until the oil gets too green for my tastes.

I think it was in this thread where X and I discussed the decarbing a bit. I think the conclusion we reached was you can probably skip this step if your trim or bud is completely dry. Otherwise, the decarbing is a way to accelerate making it ready.

I forgot to mention my tip for keeping the oven bags closed. Put the turkey bag on the cookie sheet sideways, so the open end is towards one of the long sides. Now roll it up such that you trap a lot of air inside. Once it's rolled up, tuck the roll under the edge of the cookie sheet and place it into another cookie sheet. You're trying to sandwich the roll between the cookie sheets. This will keep it closed until you remove them from the oven.

I do think the soy lecithin is important. I made my first batch without it, and while they were good, subsequent batches were much stronger. My step-son ate a brownie from the last batch on Thursday. Granted, he has never used cannabis before in his life, but he was completely wasted that day and most of the next. He was still groggy on Saturday.



Happy baking

Dear Hiker,

WOW - great reply, thank you so much. You certainly covered the baking playing field with all of the above info you provided.

OK, I had never even expressly thought of the taste components of the water/oil extraction; you are absolutely correct in filtering out all water-soluable particulates with that, so I must agree that is a HUGE benefit, and one I had never even thought about (lends into why I asked myself the question: 'WHY?' even use the water/oil extraction) - but that alone is certainly worth it.

Question: do I follow you correctly, in that when baking with coconut oil, you also use the water/oil extraction method? - and thus remove the same particulates as you do with butter? - if so, then I'm sold.. as much as can tolerate the taste of ganga, if I could mask it as much as possible, and/or extract the 'taste' out more, then that totally rocks..

RE: oven bag fold-over trick: great little tip there.. will serve handy if/when no duct tape is available for me.

RE: decarbing: yes, knowing what the step actually 'does' now - I think it's foolish to even skip this step regardless of any degree of product dryness - as you and Xlr8 mention, it's makes all crystals 'ready' to get into the mix. This is a step I had NEVER done prior to stumbling upon this thread - and thus would explain why I never had any success in past.

RE: soy lecithin - YES! - TOTALLY AGREE - I was out of this one batch, and proceeded without; that batch (without), was about 70% of the strength, as compared to when I DO use it.. so I totally agree; this explains why you see soy lecithin in a lot of quick-fix (stimulus) products, such as sweets, or high carb products, but specially sweets, so it helps spike the user with the intended effects = more addition / satisifaction of the sugar or carb ingrendients, etc. I used to hate products with soy lecithin, as 90%+ of all soy is GMO.. BUT: for allowing me's baking treats to hit quicker and stronger, etc. - what's a little animal DNA mixed in with plant DNA really going to do? LOL.. :: (don't mess with me's baking medicine, LOL)

RE: step-son: WOW.. welcome to the world little apprentice.. shoot: first time I ever toked I was out of for a couple of days (15 years old). I CANNOT imagine had I done that with edibles.. GOODNESS.. what an intro for the kid.. but nothing like diving in head-first..

Anyway, still awaiting Magical Butter machine, and as per Xlr8's advice I believe I will always decarb first.. that's just going to become 'law' around here from now on, LOL..

Thanks!

The Honk.

 

[Hiker]

I'm not sure what you meant about using this method when baking, but I'll try to clarify.

I use the extraction process to make the coconut oil or butter. Then I use those for the baking/cooking. I just replace what ever oil or fat the recipe calls for.

Keep in mind that, while it helps, using the water does not eliminate the plant taste in the oil/butter. Also, I look for lower temp recipes to use the oil with. Basically I try to keep it under 250F.

If you come up with some good recipes, be sure to share.

I'm gonna make something tonight I think. I've got a bunch of trim I was saving to make hash, but I have enough I can make a batch of butter too.

 

[AyeeItsLogan]

Hey I'm new to to this website but I saw your recipe and it looked great so Im thinking of trying it with my friend this weekend. This is my first time making cannaoil so I was wondering if you could give me some tips. Also I'm gonna be using bud not trim so how many grams should I use?

 

[AyeeItsLogan]

Help? Anyone?

 

[Xlr8]

Hey I'm new to to this website but I saw your recipe and it looked great so Im thinking of trying it with my friend this weekend. This is my first time making cannaoil so I was wondering if you could give me some tips. Also I'm gonna be using bud not trim so how many grams should I use?

Hey Logan -

Not sure I have too many tips that I didn't already cover in the recipe or elsewhere in this thread, but I'll give it a shot!

I'd say, follow it as closely as you can and don't cut corners if possible. Temps are important, so stay within the right ranges as listed in the recipe. Include the soy lecithin if you can - it really makes a difference.

As far as quantity, that really depends on your tolerance and how strong you want them. I use a 1/2z of trim leaf "shake", and it turns out really strong but I doubt you'd need that much bud. If it were me, I'd probably try a 1/4 of bud, but I'm guessing here as I've not tried it myself... You might get away with as little as 1/8 but you may have to eat more for the effect. Potency and effect depend so much on so many factors (your tolerance, strength of bud, baking temps, personal preference) so it's hard to say "use this much" with any confidence.

Finally, edibles can get you uncomfortably high if you dose too much, so my last advice is to make note of how much bud you use, and how much it took you (one brownie? 2 brownies? etc.) to get the desired effect. This could be handy if you make future batches. Since I always use 1/2z trim leaf shake, I know what to expect (somewhat) as far as potency when I make them now. Helps eliminate some unknown...

Hope that helps some - let me know how it works out!

 

[AyeeItsLogan]

Thanks for the help I can't wait to try it. I think I'm gonna use a quarter and I'm gonna try to get some lecithin and I'll let you know how it turns out. Again thank you soooo much peace

 

[HonkNation]

I'm not sure what you meant about using this method when baking, but I'll try to clarify.

I use the extraction process to make the coconut oil or butter. Then I use those for the baking/cooking. I just replace what ever oil or fat the recipe calls for.

Keep in mind that, while it helps, using the water does not eliminate the plant taste in the oil/butter. Also, I look for lower temp recipes to use the oil with. Basically I try to keep it under 250F.

If you come up with some good recipes, be sure to share.

I'm gonna make something tonight I think. I've got a bunch of trim I was saving to make hash, but I have enough I can make a batch of butter too.

Hey Hiker, apologies about the delay here - was travelling for a couple of weeks. Thanks for the updates / feedback, per above.

RE: recipes @ 250F: wow.. ditto here too: please share if you have any! LOL.. It's tough enough to find recipes that call for 325 vs. 350.. can't say I recall any store bought products that even come close to that temp; thus would seemingly have to be a home made recipe.. but again, with extensive restaurant experience, I'm not recalling anything baking recipe-wise that low temp.. Mind you, all the store bought packages that can accommodate 325 have worked out very well with the oil, per this thread.. I've even burnt a couple batches, and while not 100% as strong, were in the 70/80% strength.. but when not burnt, they're glorious magic..

Update: since I have this weekend free, I will be trying my inaugural voyage with the Magical Butter machine..

I will report my findings next week.. mind you, the only challenge I foresee is having to make a batch big enough for the reservoir in the device, as it requires a 'MIN' level of volume / materials in order to even turn on / activate the motor and heater.. looks like about 3-4 cups volume as the 'min'.. but oh well, maybe will serve for less work in the long run.

Question: has anyone frozen the cana oil after it's made? - for storage? - is it safe / can do?

Thanks in advance.

Regards,

The Honk.

 

[Xlr8]

Hey Honk - I've refrigerated it, but even that might not be necessary. I think once it's an infused oil, it has a pretty long shelf-life as is. As far as temps, 325f is the safe limit... BUT, I've experimented with 350f in some recipes with great success and no discernible loss in potency to date. I can only speculate that once it's infused in the oil it's less susceptible to the slightly higher temperature.

 

[HonkNation]

Hey folks,

OK, back after some travels here.. I finally tried the Magical Butter Machine...

First impression: awesome machine.. does everything is says it does. The convenience factor is HUGE.. no babysitting double broiler, filling water, running out of boiling water, nor having to mess with tin foil lid and thermometer, etc. Now while all these benefits are somewhat trivial at the same time, really, my bottom line is simply piece of mind having used it, since you don't have to do anything, once the lid is on, and the cycle is activated.

Secondly, the machine is HUGE, LOL.. quite deceiving actually, how it appears on the website.. it's larger than a 2 litre bottle. It's light in weight though, and manufacture quality appears to be above mid-grade, not industrial grade, but certainly very good materials and construction.

I did decarb buds first, via Xlr8's method within this thread; then placed the decarbed bud into the Magical Butter machine with oil, and soy lecithin. I only had peanut oil on hand, so only used that oil. However, from the science and my intuition, I do believe the coconut oil is the best, mainly due to the high fat saturation for absorption of the good stuff.

Thirdly, one thing I previewed about the machine prior to purchase, and was wary about, is that there's a MIN volume requirement, or else the machine won't activate. The documentation says the MIN volume is 2 cups, but it's actually 2.5 cups from manually measuring. SO: you have to make big batches. Was not terribly happy about this initially, but the fact that I made 2.5 cups in one shot, after-the-fact am glad as I am currently baking my 2nd brownie batch as I type, from that initial oil batch, so pending you have the required amount of buds to render that volume.

For the first batch, I used 2.5 cups of peanut oil. I used 4 tablespoons of soy lecithin, and one full oz of premium buds. I did use a manual grinder on the buds before decarbing.

The machine heats up quickly; you can feel the heat through the exterior walls, so you know it's working. I selected the butter cycle (1hr), and set the temp setting to the 190F option, and away the led lights went (yes, as cool as you may think, plus when they cease, you know the cycle is over). I had read the forums that folks suggested you run the butter cycle twice for ganga butter, so when the first cycle was complete, I simply restarted the 1hr butter cycle @ 190F again. So for this render I ran the cycle twice.

I did not 'peek' inside upon the first cycle's completion, but like a patient kid on Christmas morning, waited until the 2nd cycle was done. Upon opening the lid, my discovery was a huge odour hit.. very strong.. had me worried.. but in retrospect, I realize the unit was sealed air-tight, plus the addition of heat, was almost pressured and concentrated a result. The over-powered odour quickly dissipated to normal levels.

The 2nd thing observed was that oil was all frothy and bubbly - apparently from the machine's built-in blender blade. I had left the lid off for about 20 minutes to cool, and by then most of the bubbles had dissipated, and a nice standard brown oil remained. I could see a puck shaped lump on the bottom, through the oil. I then poured the oil out of the machine, through cheese cloth, and the cheesecloth did not catch anything.. just a few brown sediment pieces.. like a pinch of pepper.. I looked into the machine chamber, and there was this brown puck shaped blob, stuck to the bottom of the chamber. I held the unit to pour upside down for a couple of minutes, but it would not budge. I then had to revert to a spatula to remove it and it was almost like setting concrete.. thick, barely malleable and mainly all solid, with seeming no or little oil within. When it was broken apart, it actually had a micro-sediment texture.. like silt or wet clay.. like very fine micro-particulates. I scooped it out and let it sit in the cheesecloth for about an hour, but that seemingly did not extract any extra oil from the original pour-out.

So: the machine has a built-in blender, and the device documentation indicates to NOT pre-grind your herbs, as I had done in the decarb process.. so am wondering if that laid way to over-pulverizing of the plant fibres.

Now when the machine was on the butter cycle cooking, I did not encounter the blender motor activate (apparently it pulses a few times, but does not stay on for long, and thus why I was not able to to witness while spinning -- I had actually wondered if the machine was faulty initially). So obviously the blender function did work/engage, perhaps too much, as the sediment was rendered to the micro particulate scale. I was nervous about whether these micro particulates would spoil the taste of oil.. but in brownie render, the taste appeared normal.

Once done with the machine, it was off to bake the brownies. While baking, I commenced the cleaning cycle of the machine. It indicates to fill the reservoir with warm water, to the MAX line, and teaspoon of dish soap. You seal the solution in the chamber, and initiate the cleaning cycle. Immediately the machine's blender function commences, and there's no missing when this engages, as you can clearly hear the motor, plus the machine vibrates significantly. The cleaning cycle engages the blender function on, more than off, and takes about 10 minutes. When complete, you simply pour out solution, and rinse under tap. I must admit it was clean as a whistle.. no oil residue. I could not smell any ganga, but didn't want to take chances so I ran another cleaning cycle from scratch. The unit was mint clean after 2nd application. I must admit this cleaning function is skookum - really the icing on the cake for this machine.. LOVED how convenient that process was.

So the rendered brownies (Duncan Heinz) called for 1/4 cup oil.. I used just under 1/2 cup. The brownies cooked
as expected. The taste was actually acceptable, and very close to as if done with manual double broiler.. so my above sediment worries contributing to over-ganga taste were unrealized. Clearly it worked out, taste wise.

Thank goodness.

Per the potency.. well they clearly were not as strong. I would guess-timate about the 50/60% level of previous potency renders..

Now I don't know if that was my ganga to oil ratio, as my previous manual renders used 1/2 oz of premium buds to about 1.5 cups oil. So my upgraded ratio with the machine batch was about 1:1 -- so in theory it should have been about the same strength.

So I'm not sure where potency deviated here.. the only thought I have at this time, is it may be due to loosing some THC with the over blending, producing these micro particulates that perhaps took some THC with it..

And to be honest, having witnessed the strength of the blender motor during cleaning cycle, I believe the machine's blender would have pulverized the buds to the same degree as if I had not pre-grinded them ahead of time.. the blender motor is very strong.

Thoughts on that logic anyone?

Anyway, currently I'm batching new brownies with the initial oil render. I have used a heaping 1/2 cup per the above same Duncan Heinz recipe (previously just under 1/2 cup, to currently just over 1/2 cup).

I will be munching tomorrow night to see how this batch worked out, and perhaps its just a matter of oil volume used in the brownie mix.. will report shortly.

More to come..

Cheers,

The Honk.

 

[Greenhouse250]

Wow! + reps for this review. I usually make 1000ml-1200ml of X's oil, so if this is really this good I think my mind is made up.

For myself I find the best relief is found from using both X's oil+ cannabutter. In the past (before X's oil) all I've ever used was the cannabutter, and never used water and it always can out killer. Only recently I made three batches of butter with water.

 

[Greenhouse250]

Hey Honk - I've refrigerated it, but even that might not be necessary. I think once it's an infused oil, it has a pretty long shelf-life as is. As far as temps, 325f is the safe limit... BUT, I've experimented with 350f in some recipes with great success and no discernible loss in potency to date. I can only speculate that once it's infused in the oil it's less susceptible to the slightly higher temperature.

I've kept your oil for 2 1/2 month easy and I find it changes the effect. Like a nice aged wine.. I'd be comfortable with keeping it in a cool dark place for 6months+.

 

[HonkNation]

I've kept your oil for 2 1/2 month easy and I find it changes the effect. Like a nice aged wine.. I'd be comfortable with keeping it in a cool dark place for 6months+.

Hey Greenhouse - great to know, per above. Ironically, I intuitively felt the same thing when opening up the mason jar of the initial oil tonight.. it seemed to have a smoother smell and texture, and intuitvely I wondered if it had somehow saturated further, or something similar.. just some gut thoughts that came to my mind tonight, and ironically, you indicate the same findings.

Scratching out the increased oil volume (which is really minimal, perhaps 1/16th cup difference between the 2 batches) as a factor, if this brownie batch is stronger than previous one (with Magical Butter machine), then perhaps there may be something to letting it age a bit.

The reason I had asked about freezing the oil initially, was one of my first oil batches (mainly coconut oil) had grown some mould on the top only after a couple of weeks in the fridge.

Looking at the calendar here, the oil I used tonight, from the first Magical Butter machine batch, was in the fridge for a couple of weeks, in a mason jar, and there was no sign of any spoilage.. so don't know if that was a one-off batch that somehow spoiled, or if perhaps a consequence of using coconut oil?

RE:

Wow! + reps for this review. I usually make 1000ml-1200ml of X's oil, so if this is really this good I think my mind is made up.

Are you indicating that you're going to acquire the Magical Butter machine? - or no? -- if so, I would love to hear fellow users' feedback on the device as well.. as collectively here, I suspect we'll perfect this machine's usage, LOL..

Cheers,

The Honk.

 

[Hiker]

Nice review Honk
I still need to write up my review as well, but I wanted to use the machine a couple times first.

You don't need to grind or decarb the buds with the Magical Butter machine per their instructions. Like you however, I used some that was already sort of ground. It was all the shake from my harvest that I was using to roll joints. The machine turns it into very very fine particles that were hard to filter out.

One thing I learned is to NOT use any water. They say you can use a little to reach the minimum volume, but they also warn about adding too much. In the past, I've always made my oil by simmering it with water, then letting them separate. I like coconut oil or butter since they will solidify in the fridge. It seperates great when I do it on the stove, but this machine mixes it too well. If you are going to use water, do NOT add the soy lecethin. You can add that when you cook and AFAIK you will get the same benefit. If you put the lecethin in the butter machine with the water, it dissolves too well. Soy lecethin is an emulsifier. This means it is good at making water and oil mix. In other words, with the lecethin, they do not settle out well at all.

I'm going to be making another batch of oil soon, but this time I will not be using water, and I'll use coconut oil. My first attemp I used butter.

I did like the convenience for sure. One problem I had was my butter was too hard. It had been in the freezer. While it had been thawing for awhile, the center was still too hard for the blender and it kept knocking the lid off. I just let it sit until it melted some more and then it was fine.

The butter worked for sure. I made some Reese's Peanut Butter bars, and they were tasty and effective!

The oil and water did separate somewhat, but the watery liquid, under the semi-solid butter, really looked like a greenish milk. I didn't try it myself, but my buddy mixed in a packet of cocoa and said it tasted pretty good and that it fucked him up. Of course he drank like a cup, so may less wouldn't be so bad.

 

[sfttailpaul]

Hey folks,

OK, back after some travels here.. I finally tried the Magical Butter Machine...

First impression: awesome machine.. does everything is says it does. The convenience factor is HUGE.. no babysitting double broiler, filling water, running out of boiling water, nor having to mess with tin foil lid and thermometer, etc. Now while all these benefits are somewhat trivial at the same time, really, my bottom line is simply piece of mind having used it, since you don't have to do anything, once the lid is on, and the cycle is activated.

Secondly, the machine is HUGE, LOL.. quite deceiving actually, how it appears on the website.. it's larger than a 2 litre bottle. It's light in weight though, and manufacture quality appears to be above mid-grade, not industrial grade, but certainly very good materials and construction.

I did decarb buds first, via Xlr8's method within this thread; then placed the decarbed bud into the Magical Butter machine with oil, and soy lecithin. I only had peanut oil on hand, so only used that oil. However, from the science and my intuition, I do believe the coconut oil is the best, mainly due to the high fat saturation for absorption of the good stuff.

Thirdly, one thing I previewed about the machine prior to purchase, and was wary about, is that there's a MIN volume requirement, or else the machine won't activate. The documentation says the MIN volume is 2 cups, but it's actually 2.5 cups from manually measuring. SO: you have to make big batches. Was not terribly happy about this initially, but the fact that I made 2.5 cups in one shot, after-the-fact am glad as I am currently baking my 2nd brownie batch as I type, from that initial oil batch, so pending you have the required amount of buds to render that volume.

For the first batch, I used 2.5 cups of peanut oil. I used 4 tablespoons of soy lecithin, and one full oz of premium buds. I did use a manual grinder on the buds before decarbing.

The machine heats up quickly; you can feel the heat through the exterior walls, so you know it's working. I selected the butter cycle (1hr), and set the temp setting to the 190F option, and away the led lights went (yes, as cool as you may think, plus when they cease, you know the cycle is over). I had read the forums that folks suggested you run the butter cycle twice for ganga butter, so when the first cycle was complete, I simply restarted the 1hr butter cycle @ 190F again. So for this render I ran the cycle twice.

I did not 'peek' inside upon the first cycle's completion, but like a patient kid on Christmas morning, waited until the 2nd cycle was done. Upon opening the lid, my discovery was a huge odour hit.. very strong.. had me worried.. but in retrospect, I realize the unit was sealed air-tight, plus the addition of heat, was almost pressured and concentrated a result. The over-powered odour quickly dissipated to normal levels.

The 2nd thing observed was that oil was all frothy and bubbly - apparently from the machine's built-in blender blade. I had left the lid off for about 20 minutes to cool, and by then most of the bubbles had dissipated, and a nice standard brown oil remained. I could see a puck shaped lump on the bottom, through the oil. I then poured the oil out of the machine, through cheese cloth, and the cheesecloth did not catch anything.. just a few brown sediment pieces.. like a pinch of pepper.. I looked into the machine chamber, and there was this brown puck shaped blob, stuck to the bottom of the chamber. I held the unit to pour upside down for a couple of minutes, but it would not budge. I then had to revert to a spatula to remove it and it was almost like setting concrete.. thick, barely malleable and mainly all solid, with seeming no or little oil within. When it was broken apart, it actually had a micro-sediment texture.. like silt or wet clay.. like very fine micro-particulates. I scooped it out and let it sit in the cheesecloth for about an hour, but that seemingly did not extract any extra oil from the original pour-out.

So: the machine has a built-in blender, and the device documentation indicates to NOT pre-grind your herbs, as I had done in the decarb process.. so am wondering if that laid way to over-pulverizing of the plant fibres.

Now when the machine was on the butter cycle cooking, I did not encounter the blender motor activate (apparently it pulses a few times, but does not stay on for long, and thus why I was not able to to witness while spinning -- I had actually wondered if the machine was faulty initially). So obviously the blender function did work/engage, perhaps too much, as the sediment was rendered to the micro particulate scale. I was nervous about whether these micro particulates would spoil the taste of oil.. but in brownie render, the taste appeared normal.

Once done with the machine, it was off to bake the brownies. While baking, I commenced the cleaning cycle of the machine. It indicates to fill the reservoir with warm water, to the MAX line, and teaspoon of dish soap. You seal the solution in the chamber, and initiate the cleaning cycle. Immediately the machine's blender function commences, and there's no missing when this engages, as you can clearly hear the motor, plus the machine vibrates significantly. The cleaning cycle engages the blender function on, more than off, and takes about 10 minutes. When complete, you simply pour out solution, and rinse under tap. I must admit it was clean as a whistle.. no oil residue. I could not smell any ganga, but didn't want to take chances so I ran another cleaning cycle from scratch. The unit was mint clean after 2nd application. I must admit this cleaning function is skookum - really the icing on the cake for this machine.. LOVED how convenient that process was.

So the rendered brownies (Duncan Heinz) called for 1/4 cup oil.. I used just under 1/2 cup. The brownies cooked
as expected. The taste was actually acceptable, and very close to as if done with manual double broiler.. so my above sediment worries contributing to over-ganga taste were unrealized. Clearly it worked out, taste wise.

Thank goodness.

Per the potency.. well they clearly were not as strong. I would guess-timate about the 50/60% level of previous potency renders..

Now I don't know if that was my ganga to oil ratio, as my previous manual renders used 1/2 oz of premium buds to about 1.5 cups oil. So my upgraded ratio with the machine batch was about 1:1 -- so in theory it should have been about the same strength.

So I'm not sure where potency deviated here.. the only thought I have at this time, is it may be due to loosing some THC with the over blending, producing these micro particulates that perhaps took some THC with it..

And to be honest, having witnessed the strength of the blender motor during cleaning cycle, I believe the machine's blender would have pulverized the buds to the same degree as if I had not pre-grinded them ahead of time.. the blender motor is very strong.

Thoughts on that logic anyone?

Anyway, currently I'm batching new brownies with the initial oil render. I have used a heaping 1/2 cup per the above same Duncan Heinz recipe (previously just under 1/2 cup, to currently just over 1/2 cup).

I will be munching tomorrow night to see how this batch worked out, and perhaps its just a matter of oil volume used in the brownie mix.. will report shortly.

More to come..

Cheers,

The Honk.

That was indeed a great review, got me into it from the get-go... I almost have to go and buy one. Love all the stuff that's appearing now due to the "legitimacy" of Cannabis these days. Thanks be to God...
Something I had to learn the hard way was to NOT grind your buds when using them for other than smoking immediately thing. I infuse it into Alcohol and thought the same way but finally tripped into the best ways to "prepare" vegetation for extraction.

 

[IceHawk]

After reading your Magic Brownie article I have a newbie question.
First, this recepie sounds amazing but I was wondering how much weed I would need to make a batch for two persons. It says that you need about 1/2 ounce of herbs, would it be okay to use about a gram or two (1 gram is 0,035 ounces).

 

[Xlr8]

After reading your Magic Brownie article I have a newbie question.
First, this recepie sounds amazing but I was wondering how much weed I would need to make a batch for two persons. It says that you need about 1/2 ounce of herbs, would it be okay to use about a gram or two (1 gram is 0,035 ounces).

Hi IceHawk - to 420 Magazine!

You can use however much you want, but just know that the potency will be likewise affected. I would suggest you need more to be satisfied with your effort, truthfully, or you might end up eating a lot of brownies and wind up frustrated. I've not tried to make them with a small amount of herb like you are suggesting, so you may want to seek other opinions or give it a try perhaps. You might also want to try something like this instead:

Fire Crackers Tutorial w/Pics!

 

[BinxRaWr]

so how many grams of kush would yu say is a 'decent' amount for a first timer at brownies? apart from that time at that party at that guys farm xP (nuff said)