The graph below charts the boiling temperatures
of water as you go into higher altitudes. The altitude
effect can wreak havoc on recipes. Beans don’t cook
right. Pasta never softens. Stews take longer to
braise. Pancakes can overrise and deflate. Go high
enough, and you won’t even be able to cook
vegetables, which need to be heated to at least 183°F
to break down.
For some of these problems, most notably
involving stews, dried beans, and root vegetables, a
pressure cooker can be a lifesaver. It works by
creating a vaportight seal around the food. As the
water inside it heats up and converts to steam, the
pressure inside the pot increases, because steam
takes up more space than water. This increased
pressure keeps the water from boiling, allowing you
to bring it to a much higher temperature than you