High Altitude Cooking... or not (Albuquerque, Santa Fe: oven, dinner, resort)

[ziaAirmac]

Ouch! At least you were thoughtful enough to put down the piece of aluminum foil. Saved you some cleanup. Glad you have a sense of humor about it.

[AlisonL]

I have made pizza crust with no additions or eliminations of any thing and it turned out fine.
Same with package mix brownies and cake, although I did bake them according to the high altitude directions on the box.
Please tell me my turkey will still turn out delicious. LOL

[Towanda]

My pizza crust turned out great too -- rose a lot and didn't fall.

Your turkey will turn out delicious.

[Goodpasture]

In addition to rising faster and falling harder, remember water boils at a lower temperature. That adds a dimension most cooks fail to account for. Any recipe that requires moist internal heating will require less moisture to achieve the same level of steam, but will require longer baking times and lower temperatures.

[GregW]

All this is the result of decreased ambient air pressure. Breads rise faster on the same amount of yeast. Baking powder is more like gun powder. Water boils without getting boiling hot. I have no real idea how to make the adjustments for baking at lower pressure and temperature (for as long as the water is liquid) but for cooking pot roasts, stews and soups an old fashioned pressure cooker is your friend. The pressure in these is not related to the outside air pressure but to the weight used to close the vent. Gravity, hence the pressure needed, to open the controller is independent of altitude.

FWIW – did you ever notice that you cannot get a really hot cup of coffee on an airliner? This is because the cabin pressure altitude is 8,000 ft or higher. You feel cold and sleepy for the same reason. You are bored because you are 30,000 ft above a nearly featureless cloud deck but that is another post.
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[Trkstp Tina]

I just checked out a cookbook at the library called "CakeLove: How to Bake Cakes from Scratch." Interestingly, even though the author lives in Washington, DC, he has included high-altitude directions for all his recipes. Might be worth checking out.

By the way, I NEVER got any of my loaf breads to bake properly while I was in New Mexico! They would never cook all the way through the middle--or if they did, they would get very brown and hard on the outside.

[Towanda]

Tina:

After I don't know how many bread failures, I resorted to a bread recipe our cousin in Santa Fe gave me 38 years ago when I was learning to make bread.

I decided last week if that bread always worked for her, maybe it would work for me too.

The result ---- PERFECT bread.

It rose very big and didn't collapse and it was baked all the way through.

I was rejoicing -- I will be using that recipe from now on!

[ABQSunseeker]

Let me join the chorus of complaints about high altitude baking. I've found instructions for adjusting baking powder, flour etc. but still have many disappointments. I used to be a great cake baker, but I never know when I'm going to have a failure. Frustrating! I stick to pies now. lol.

[Alinka]

I am more of a cook than a baker. I'm in Albuquerque, but against the open space in the foothills so I guess that would add to the altitude. Through trial and error- a couple of things that generally work for me: for cookies and cakes- spray aluminum foil with some Pam like product (I like Albertson's canola spray) and cover the product lightly for the first 1/3 or so of baking time.

I also place the cake layer pan on another thin baking sheet. And I'll do the same for casserole dishes, like scalloped potatoes or dishes like frittatas and quiche. Usually works; I think what throws me off more than the altitude is when it is raining. Don't bake much on those rare days.

[WasSoggyInSeattle]

I will certainly be putting them on another cookie sheet or something... Yep, I have a good sense of humor - AFTER the fact. My husband came in to see if the house was on fire, I growled & glared and he went back out to rake leaves. A website I found recommended "High Altitude Cooking" (can't remember the two authors) published in 1980 I think. With all the adjustments to ingredients I think it will be easier to just buy it at Costco or something. 'Course it won't be as exiting as boiling cakes but not as messy!!