Full three part video series and show notes found here: http://stellaculinary.com/podcasts/vi...

As most of you are already aware, cooking at altitude will effect the food you're preparing, sometimes causing undesirable results. Food items that heavily rely on water's boiling point, such as pasta, potatoes, and braising meat, will simply take longer to cook since the boiling point of water is reduced at altitude. Cakes, breads, and pastries also have a tendency to dry out, crack, and deflate starting at around 3,000 feet (914 meters).

To understand why this happens, you must first grasp the science behind water. When you stop to think for a moment, a lot of cooking has to do with controlling water in its various states. Since most items you cook contain water, or will require a water based cooking method, understanding how water acts at altitude is the first step to mastering high altitude cooking.

To master cooking and baking at altitude, the first concept you must understand is atmospheric pressure. When you're standing at any given point on the earth, you have air above you. This air has a weight, and the downward force caused by the ever-present weight of air, is known as atmospheric pressure.

It makes sense then if you're standing at sea level, which has an elevation of zero, you will have more air above you, thus more atmospheric pressure, than if you were at a higher elevation.

Now the next concept you need to understand is...

Continue reading: http://stellaculinary.com/podcasts/vi...