The boiling point of water change based off an altitude at which a person is cooking. The altitude of a location is the distance of that location above sea level. As the altitude decreases, the atmospheric pressure surrounding the water molecule decreases, which means that the water molecules requires less energy in order to transform into vapor.
Thus, the water will reach its boiling point at a lower temperature when a person is cooking at high altitude. At sea level, the boiling point of water is 212 degree Fahrenheit, but the boiling point of water drop as the altitude increases. Bakeries and cooks may find that it take longer for the food to cook at high altitudes due to the lower boiling point of water.
How High Altitude Changes Boiling and Cooking
For instance, pasta take longer to boil when cooks are present at high altitudes. The same is true for egg; they require longer cooking time at high altitudes due to the lower temperature of the boiling water at those altitudes. Additionally, candy making is more difficult at high altitudes due to the fact that sugar syrup do not reach the same boiling temperatures as they do at sea level.
However, by referencing the chart that describe the different temperatures at which food will boil at different altitudes, cooks can adjust the time required for these food product. Cooks can use pressure cooker to cook at high altitudes. Pressure cookers work by increasing the internal pressure of the cooking vessel, which allow the water within the cook pot to reach temperatures higher than the boiling point of water at that specific altitude.
Thus, using a pressure cooker allow cooks to reach higher cooking temperature at which they can prepare their food. Baking product may also be affected by the altitude at which cooks are preparing those products. At high altitudes, the air pressure is lower then at sea level, which causes the gas within baked goods to expand at a faster rate.
Thus, baked goods may rise quickly at high altitudes, but may collapse after reaching the peak of that rise because the structure of the baked product has not yet set. To avoid the collapse of baked goods, cooks may use less leavening agent for those recipe, use more flour or liquid for those recipes, or cook the goods in a hotter oven. A person should of use a meat thermometer to cook food at high altitudes.
While the boiling point of water change according to the altitude at which the cooks are preparing the food, the internal temperature that meat need to reach during cooking does not change. Thus, cooks can use a meat thermometer to ensure that the food is safe to eat. However, cooks may also use visual cue and texture test to determine if the food is cooked to the desired doneness, regardless of the boiling point of water at that altitude.
The boiling point of water is a predictable number and is related to the laws of physics regarding the property of water. For every 500 feet that a person ascends in altitude, the boiling point of water drop by 1 degree. Thus, cooks can use this information along with the reference chart to adjust the recipe that they prepare.
Following these step will allow cooks to prepare food at high altitudes that taste more same as food prepared at sea level.