High Altitude Cooking in Guanajuato

[laconstance]

If you are a newcomer to Guanajuato and tried to bake your favorite recipes here, you may have been surprised at weird results, especially in baked goods. The difference is that at high altitude (Guanajuato is around 6,800' above sea level) there is less air pressure and fewer molecules in the air. Water boils at a lower temperature. I will leave the explanation to the scientists. What it means for cooks is that much of what you are used to doing at lower altitudes simply doesn't work here.

I've been cooking/baking at high altitudes (5,400' - 11,000') for nearly 50 years, so I offer these tips for cooking/baking in Guanajuato:

Regular cooking: Expect everything you boil/steam to take longer to cook. Rice takes a long time; brown rice takes a very long time!

Many people report difficulty with dried beans. Except for split peas and lentils, dry beans must be soaked overnight before cooking. Wash them, pick out stones and dirt clods, then soak them in enough water to cover the beans by at least 1?. Use the soaking water to cook the next day; you will probably have to add more water. Always cover the pot. DO NOT ADD SALT! DO NOT ADD ANY FLAVORINGS SUCH AS ONION, BACON, CHILE, WHATEVER! You must cook your beans ONLY in water until they are pretty much cooked. Only at that point, should you add any flavorings. Because the beans are not cooked in seasoning for a long time, they often taste better the second day. The Mexican clay ollas are perfect for beans; be sure to cover the top with a flat plate or lid.

Casseroles and stews cooked in the oven often need to be baked at a higher temperature. Baking at 325? simply does not work -- increase it to 350?. Sometimes you will need to increase a 350? recipe to 375?.

Baking: Your cakes rise to lofty heights, then sink in the middle. They overflow their pans, and simply don't behave! Try these adjustments:

Cookies usually don't need adjustment.

Quick breads, biscuits, etc. You should never need more than 1 tsp baking powder or ? tsp baking soda PER CUP of flour that your recipe calls for. Generally, you will use baking powder if your liquid is sweet, such as milk, and soda, if your liquid is acidic such as buttermilk or juice. If your recipe calls for a combination of baking powder or baking soda, maintain the above recommendations. For example, your recipe calls for 3 cups of flour, 3 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp baking soda: reduce the baking powder to 2 tsp (for the first two cups) and reduce the baking soda to ? tsp (for the remaining cup of flower). Since high altitude air does not retain moisture, your flour will be dryer; add a little more liquid to your recipe. You also should increase oven temperature by 25?.

Cakes. The above proportions also apply for baking powder and soda. If you use a cake mix, be aware that they usually contain enough baking powder to levitate a battleship. The manufacturers don't want you to have a failure, though, so follow the high altitude directions for added ingredients and mixing the batter. BUT, always increase baking temperature by 25?, even if the directions don't say so. You'll need three round cake pans, instead of two, so the batter does not overflow.

Yeast Breads. In many ways, these are easier than quick breads and cakes. But, you will need to be more instinctive about the the "feel" of the bread as you are working it. In other words, forget about measuring the flour. Take all the milk or water that the recipe calls for, and heat it, but not so hot that it will kill the yeast. Pour about ? cup of liquid into a cup, add about ? tsp of sugar and the yeast. In general, use only half the yeast that is called for in your recipe. Mix well, and let the yeast begin to "work". Meanwhile, add all the fat, sweetner, and all other ingredients (except flour) to the liquid you are heating, and heat it a little more, stirring everything until it is well mixed. Put a couple of cups of flour into a bowl and add the yeast mixture. Mix with a fork, incorporating bit by bit a little of the flour, until you have a kind of dough (you won't use up all the flour). Then start adding the rest of the liquid, bit by bit, mixing well after each addition. Once all the liquid is in, then starting adding more flour, as much as you need to make a dough. When you can't add any more, turn out and start to knead on a slightly floured surface. Mexican tile counters are perfect for this. Knead for about 10 minutes, but only add as much flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to the surface. Follow rising and loaf-shaping instructions called for in your recipe, but increase baking temperature by 25?.

Etc. Colorado State University Extension used to have a lot of free high altitude tips and recipes, but I note from their current website that the booklets are fancier and you have to pay for them. City Market, a Colorado supermarket chain, also has a few recipes on its website. Locally published cookbooks from high altitude areas are good resources. Classics are the cookbooks of the Junior League of Denver: Colorado Cache Cookbook, Creme de Colorado Cookbook, Colorado Collage, and others.

Hope this helps those frustrated cooks out there! ?Feliz Navidad!

[colleen]

Thanks for that, Constance. When we first arrived I couldn't figure it out. Then a friend gave me a high altitude cookbook. Sven used to kid me that soon I'd only need to walk by the bread dough with the yeast bag open. It takes alot of adjustment and I still have things rise too high, only to fall flat. I have given up on rice. It is either soupy or crunchy. I need a milagro for the rice to turn out. I was a "pro" at rice in the microwave at sea level. Oh well.

Buen provecho this holiday weekend.

[laconstance]

Correction: To the suggestions about cooking beans, please note that the soaking water for beans should cover them by 1? INCHES.

On rice cooking, you will always need to add more liquid than the recipe calls for. In general, for white rice, use 2 cups (and then some) of liquid for every cup of rice. Keep the cooking pot tightly covered, and check progress toward the end of the cooking period. Stir lightly only with a fork, and add more liquid if needed.

Summary of high altitude cooking tips:

Increase liquid
Cook longer
Reduce leavening
Bake at a higher temperature

[NanN]

Thank you, this is super. I will print it and put it with my recipes.

My Christmas cookies all turned out great, as you noted cookies are not so affected by the altitude. My bread is OK, not perfect but OK and I do use a bread maker for the bread. I will make the adjustments you suggest and see if I can get it better than OK.

With cakes I knew what to expect due to altitude so I just went with cake mixes (I know but....) Problem was that I only used two pans instead of the three you suggest and I had an over flow mess. Must look for another round cake pan I suppose.

Frijoles I use a pressure cooker anyway so no worries there. My boyfriend is the rice cooker in the family and he does it in the Persian method where you cook it al dente, drain it, then put it back in the pot with a bit of oil in the bottom, put a cloth around the lit and let it steam until you have a nice crunchy bit on the bottom. We've noticed that it takes longer to get it to the al dente stage up here and the browning/steaming phase takes longer too. Now we know why.

I had wondered why the potatoes and sweet potatoes don't seem to cook properly here when boiled. Didn't occur to me that it might be the altitude. We tried to make mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes a while back and it was a lumpy disaster. They just wouldn't soften up completely no matter how long we boiled them. I shall Google before tomorrow's Christmas dinner to see if I can cook them in the pressure cooker or not.

Once again thank you! And Happy Holidays!

[mr bill]

Constance thanks for the tips - and the trick for perfect al dente pasta???????

[NanN]

Yes, thank you again for the tips. Did your adjustments to the bread and it came out perfect!

[laconstance]

I am so happy you are having success!

NanN, yes you certainly can cook potatoes and sweet potatoes in a pressure cooker. I was given one for a wedding present (too many years ago to count) and I found it invaluable, though I don't have one here in Guanajuato. You will have to adjust the pressure cooker for altitude, too! If it says 5 pounds pressure, cook at 10; if it says 10 pounds pressure, cook at 15; and if it says 15 pounds pressure, simply cook longer by about ? of your recommended time. Pressure cookers are great for cooking beans, but you still shouldn't season until the time is over. Whole grains are easily cooked, too, such as hot cereal out of whole grains. But BEWARE of anything that can bubble up (such as beans and whole grains), and leave plenty of headspace in the pressure cooker. The foam can block the vent tube and cause the safely valve to blow. Believe me a "bullet hole" in your ceiling and goo everywhere is not a pretty sight (been there).

Bill, I would say the best way to cook al dente pasta is to throw away your timer. There are so many variations in pasta (fresh, dried, different flour types, etc.) that there is no way to cook it using a "set" time. Here's what I do: Put the pasta into boiling water, only as fast as the water keeps at a rolling boil, stirring well, then let it cook about 5 minutes or so. Then, grab a piece out with a fork and test it. You need to test every minute or so until the "doneness" suits you. Drain immediately, and return to the cooking pot, tossing it with a little olive oil -- this will cool it off enough that the cooking stops.

Have you figured out that cooking at high altitude will make better cooks of you, because you can't follow recipes exactly? Instead, you learn to test and check and adjust, just like a creative master chef. Happy cooking!

[NanN]

Thank you again! Good to know on the pressure cooker, I wouldn't have thought to increase the pressure but it makes sense. Mine has an emergency release valve that will kick in if the regular valve gets blocked and pressure gets to dangerous levels but...I am still wary of the thing so I only use it for frijoles.

We actually used the electric steamer for the sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots and brussel sprouts yesterday and taking your advice just set the timer for longer. They all came out perfect. Likewise the turkey, I increased the oven temperature a bit and it came out perfect too. Unlike the last roast chicken which we had to finish cooking in the microwave.

We owe our excellent Christmas dinner in large part to your good advice...

[KenMacD]

Yes, thanks LaConstance for the information on high altitude cooking. I haven't done much baking here yet (the first batch of cookies is on the agenda for today, as it so happens), but I do make regular use of a pressure cooker. Mine does not have pressure adjustments, but I cook black beans regularly with great results: no presoaking needed and I put all the ingredients (excluding salt) into the pressure cooker, then cook for 75 minutes once the pressure valve on the top starts hissing. Absolutely, perfect! Any other method seems a waste of time and energy. Pressure cookers are available at Mega and Commercial Mexicana. I use mine for other beans (we are a mostly vegetarian household), as well as for some vegetables. Works just fine.

I'm getting hungry with all this talk about food, so off to the kitchen to start the cookies. Muchas Gracias.