‘Cooked with Cannabis’: Netflix attempts to take marijuana-infused food to 'higher' ground
Spoiler-free review for ‘Cooked with Cannabis’
In 2018, when Netflix launched ‘Cooking on High’, it sure was an unusual content idea for all food show fans, aspiring chefs and of course, cannabis enthusiasts. But the show majorly lacked vision and turned into a food competition where a panel of weed propagators got high on cannabis-infused food.
Truth be told, cooking with cannabis is anything but what it seems or seemed from this show. So, it is safe to say that it couldn’t deliver the message it was intended for.
The all-new cooking competition show is Netflix’s reparation of sorts for its previous show on the same concept.
One could also say that the latest Netflix food show is timed perfectly right. In the last decade or so, use of cannabis has grown manifold, beyond its medicinal purposes and into mainstream lifestyle usage, from recreational uses to the dinner plate. And more so in the last couple of years, the adoption of cannabis has spread far and wide with the herb being legalized across many more states around the United States than what it was even a couple of years ago. With more chefs and food experts incorporating distillation and various strains of marijuana in food, it was time for the world to see what possibilities this potent herb holds for the culinary world.
‘Cooked with Cannabis’ is many steps above and beyond of what you would have known about using weed in food. Each of the six episodes revolves around a different theme and how every dish can be made with cannabis infusion.
As the show host and a cannabis chef, Leather Storrs said in an interview about the show, “Cooked with Cannabis is a show where weed is a seasoning rather than the reason. It's granular, educational, heartfelt and smart”. And we couldn’t agree more.
For instance, did you know that before you even think of using weed in cooking, you need to understand the concept of decarboxylation? It is a process of heating the cannabis flower to break down the carbon chain and converting the natural tetrahydrocannabinolic acid to THC. Then there is the difference between usability of each strain, how much milligrams of THC and CBD could be used in every dish and how it can be concocted to give the best flavor and effects, without tampering the experience of the dish and so on. Done right, cannabis can elevate a recipe to levels beyond your imagination, do it wrong and it can ruin the entire dish and also lose its psychoactive properties.
The authentic, innovative recipes at play, ingenious culinary skill, techniques of the chef and the educated stance on the plant and its extracts, by every chef leaves you in awe. The show is not just about using a controversial ingredient but making it shine for what it’s worth. And just as Storrs says, it is more of a seasoning, like any other potent herb. As such, if you want to skip the whole “high” aspect of it, you can still get a beautiful, hearty dish that can satisfy your senses. To learn and discover more from every recipe, we recommend that you sign up for a binge-watching, high inducing (virtual of course) session when the show drops.
And while we are at it, here’s a quick roundup on the hosts. Both Storrs and Kelis Rogers are fun and exciting to watch. Kelis brings her effusive charm and Storrs takes you in with all the informative and educational bits on cannabis for cooking. Being an expert cannabis chef, Storrs is befitting as the show's host and a primary judge. The celebrity judges are also a treat to watch. While it’s fun to watch the guests get stoned, they don’t forget to be critical of the food and not just get carried away by the intoxication.
‘Cooked with Cannabis’ takes a very sophisticated stance on using marijuana in food but also tells you what to expect in the future, the herbs adoption in various cuisines and much more than what even pro chefs have started to experiment with.
To sum it up, as beautifully put by Storrs, "This is a show for food people, for stoners and for folks that are curious about both." And there couldn’t be a better celebration of 04/20 than this colorful, flavorful, and delicious take on cannabis.
'Cooked with Cannabis' streams all six episodes on Netflix from April 20, 2020.