High-altitude cooking (idea)

Many baking mixes will often have a little blurb that reads "high altitude directions (3500-5500ft)". That's great, and all, but I live in Leadville, which is at 10,000ft!! So what am I supposed to do?! What does this mean to you? It means if you are from the lowlands, and you come up here, your cooking may not work right!

Just remember these points:

• Water boils cooler - because of the lower air pressure, water boils at a lower temperature. Instead of 212f, it can be as low as 185f. So food that is cooked in boiling water will have to be cooked longer. You will usually see this on noodles and other pasta. A 3-minute egg takes five minutes. Boiled potatoes take forever, and you should probably just use a pressure cooker to negate this effect. Coffee and tea do not work as well, because the water is not hot enough.
• Air is dryer - not really an altitude issue, but more of a climate issue. You will not need as much liquid in your doughs. If you follow the directions exactly, your dough may be too sticky.
• Leavening is stronger - You will often use half the yeast, and less soda. Your bread will rise too fast.

If you are making anything that uses yeast in high altitude, I strongly recommend that you seek the help of a local. It is nearly impossible to get it done right the first time without help.