Cooking, Stewing and Simmering

• The higher you go, the less oxygen there is in the atmosphere. This causes moisture to evaporate quickly and liquids to boil at lower temperatures. Water boils at 212 degrees F at sea level, and the boiling point drops 1 degree F for every 500 feet of elevation. At higher elevations, boiling, stewing or simmering foods requires longer cooking times at lower temperatures; increase the cooking time of meat by 25 percent and vegetables by 4 percent. Add more liquid to your recipe, and keep food covered while it’s cooking to keep in moisture. When using a slow-cooker, remember that food comes to a simmer at lower temperatures in higher elevations, so it takes longer to reach temperatures high enough to kill bacteria. Set temperature controls to at least 200 degree F, or on high, for at least the first hour of cooking. Leave the lid on, too; it can take as long as 20 minutes for a slow-cooker to regain lost heat each time the lid is removed.

Baking Breads and Cakes

• Baked goods need a leavening agent to rise and give them texture and shape. In bread, that’s typically yeast; cakes use baking soda or powder. Low air pressure allows the gasses in leavening agents to keep expanding, so bread dough rises faster in higher elevations than at sea level. To keep cakes from being dry and coarse, use 1/8 to ½ of a teaspoon less of baking soda or powder per teaspoon in each recipe. Allow bread dough to rise until just double in size, punch it down, then let it rise a second time before forming it into loaves or rolls for baking. Low humidity dries out flour, which causes it to absorb more liquid as it cooks. Add 2 or 3 tablespoons more of water per cup of liquid or use less flour at higher elevations. Increase baking temperatures by 15 to 25 degrees F to allow the bread or cake to set, which helps keep it moist and from falling.

Deep-Frying Snacktime Favorites

• Moisture loss through evaporation occurs fairly quickly in the dry air of higher elevations. Deep-fat frying also removes moisture from food, so French fries, doughnuts and breaded products can dry out quickly at higher altitudes. Keep fried foods moist -- and avoid overbrowning and undercooking -- by lowering the temperature on the fryer 2 or 3 degrees F for every 1,000 feet of elevation.

Cooking Candies and Jellies

• Sugar-heavy candies and jellies are first brought to a boil specifically to reduce the moisture and concentrate the ingredients. At higher elevations, boiling occurs at lower temperatures than at sea level, and so it comes to a boil faster. To avoid losing too much moisture, cook candies and jellies to a lower “done” or “finish” temperature than the recipe directs. Place a candy thermometer into boiling water to determine the boiling temperature at your elevation. The “finish” temperature is the difference between 212 degrees F and the boiling temperature, typically 2 degrees F for every 1,000 feet of elevation.