Q: Why do things take longer to bake at high altitude?

A: The behavior of water - especially its boiling point - is as critical to baking as to boiling on the stovetop, said Srinivasan Damodaran, professor of food science at UW-Madison. Air pressure inhibits the boiling of water, and air pressure and boiling point both fall as altitude increases.

This matters because when water boils, it deprives the baked goods of water and heat, both of which are necessary to baking.

"You need liquid water to cook," Damodaran said. "As water evaporates at lower temperature at higher altitude, the heat is not retained."

Dough and meat are both 60 percent to 80 percent water, he pointed out.

At high altitude, he says, "Food never reaches the boiling point you would see at sea level. Eventually the food will cook, but it will take a longer time, and the texture may not be the same, because you will lose more water."

Produced in cooperation with University Communications

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