General Tips for High Altitude Cooking and Baking?
Hello!
I grew up at almost sea level near Portland, ME. I now live in a suburb of Denver, CO, at an altitude around 6,000 feet.
Moving brought many changes, but one that I did not expect to be so considerably is cooking and baking. It seems that most recipes I try here just don't turn out quite the same as they did back home in Maine.
My question: Are there any general tips or "rules of thumb" to follow with high altitude cooking and baking?
A bonus question: Does the dry climate affect (compared to Maine) effect recipes as well? If so, how can that be compensated for?
Many thanks, in advance!
- Jared
Comments
Hi Jared - I love Portland! I used to live there too. I also lived in Colorado for a month, so I've had some opportunity to cook at altitude. It's hard. When cooking, everything takes a lot longer to finish since the boiling point at altitude is lower than at sea level. For example, an apple baked in an oven set at 350°F will reach an internal temperature of 200°F in 20 minutes in Las Cruces, NM (3,500 ft elevation), while in Taos Ski Valley, NM (10,000 ft elevation) it will take 45 minutes to reach that same temperature. So plan for everything you made in Portland to take longer in Denver. Baking is a bit more complex. King Arthur Flour has a guide to baking at altitude that is fantastic and links to two other guides from Colorado State University Extension and New Mexico State University with even more information. Hope that provides some guidance for you! Best, Lynn C.
I have lived in Colorado now for 15 years, at an altitude of 6,000 feet above sea level. And, yes, baking is more difficult here. The guide you mentioned from King Arthur Flour is great! I have it and use it to help me in my baking.
I live at 7800 in Colorado. The cooking rice, beans and pasta can be tricky as well. For the rice and beans, I use a pressure cooker and adjust the time per the formula on the Instant Pot website. For pasta wait for full rolling boil and bring back to full rolling boil before you start timing, except for fresh pasta, still working on that.