For years I’ve infused my own cooking oil with cannabis for personal use. I enjoy a little light buzz as opposed to melting into my couch so creating the oil myself has always been my preferred method, that way I can control the potency and I can bake healthier options with less sugar than what I usually find from my local dispensary.

I’ve always used my slow cooker to infuse oils (typically coconut but sometimes olive) and to be honest, it’s always been a bit of a pain in the ass. The ceramic dish is big, heavy and awkward to hold for draining, it’s really a two man job and I don’t always have an extra set of hands available. Needless to say I feel like I waste quite a bit of oil through spillage or because I’m not adequately squeezing out the plant matter at the end.

Then one day, I had an opportunity to try out the MagicalButter machine. I had heard about it before, had seen it online and in some dispensaries. It looked cool but for some reason I thought it would be a huge, clunky, awkward machine; Like the deep fryer I never use that takes up half a shelf in the pantry. The opportunity to try something new was hard to resist and I jumped on the chance to take this baby for a test drive.

The MagicalButter Details

First things first, let’s get some very important details straight.

The machine costs $174.00 and has a 2-5 cup capacity. It runs on a 110V power cord and has a self cleaning setting (Whoop!)

You can read all about the machines, the company and more herbs than you ever dreamed of infusing with here.

When I opened the box I was very pleased to discover that this thing is not a massive, counter hogging beast at all. In fact, it most closely resembles a potluck size coffee carafe and my first thought was that it wouldn’t look out of place in my mom’s kitchen. For those of you who want specifics, the actual dimensions are 13.8 x 9.5 x 9.5 inches and it weighs in at 8.81 lbs.

Included in the box was the User’s Manual, the Official MagicalButter CookBook, a silicone heat resistant glove called the LoveGlove (a name that I could not help snickering at because I’m an idiot) and the PurifyFilter 190 which is actually one of my favourite parts of this whole experience. The durable and reusable PurifyFilters are made from finely woven nylon mesh. The micron sizes (90 and 190) indicate filter weave openings with the smaller number indicating smaller openings in the mesh. The filter is dishwasher safe too which is another bonus in my book.

Infusing Coconut Oil

Usually when I’m infusing oils it can feel like a process, an all day process to be exact. In this case, I noticed immediately how much simpler it all seemed. I started by decarboxylating my weed in the oven for 30 minutes at 225°. I used a strain called Snow White which you can read more about here.

The directions in the MagicalButter recipe specifically said not to grind the herbal matter before hand. The head of the machine is equipped with an immersion blender that does all the work, there’s also a programmable thermostat and heating unit designed to “bring laboratory-grade temperature controls to your kitchen”. Once my little buds had been decarboxylated I put them into the machine, I added two cups of organic coconut oil and 2 Tbsp of lecithin, one tbsp per cup of oil. The lecithin acts as an emulsifier and is great for improving memory, lowering cholesterol, is known to improve heart health and make your skin glow.

Full Infused Coconut Oil Recipe

• 2 cups organic coconut oil

• 1/2 half ounce cannabis, decarboxylated

• 2 tbsp Lecithin

Place all ingredients in the Magical Butter machine.

Press the Temperature button, and select 160°F/71°C. Then press the 1 Hour/Oil button.

After the cycle is complete, unplug the unit at the outlet, and remove the head of the appliance. Put on your LoveGlove™, and pour the pitcher contents slowly through your PurifyFilter™ into a dark glass container.

Using the LoveGlove

This thing made all the difference. After pouring the infused oil through the PurifyFilter I was able to squeeze the heck out of the remaining plant matter and get every last drop. The glove wasn’t slippery either, thanks to the grooves all over it. It truly made the whole process much easier for me and there was almost no waste what so ever.

Final Results

The final product is a green hued. slightly marbled semi-solid oil that smells faintly of earthy cannabis. I think I could have filtered it a second time to get it a bit smoother but that won’t really affect things for me - this is still a really great final product that I can see using up very quickly.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised at the size and effectiveness of the MagicalButter and I can say with confidence that I will no longer be using my tired old slow cooker for infusions and I would recommend this product to a friend.