Newcomers to Colorado or those traveling to the mountains are often surprised when their favorite recipes at sea level fail to produce expected results when made at higher elevations.
Below is some helpful information from our colleagues at Colorado State University (CSU) Extension. For additional information, please reach out to us at the Archuleta County Extension office or visit extension.colostate.edu.
Pagosa Springs sits at an elevation of approximately 7,200 feet (this number will fluctuate depending on where you live in Archuleta County), and preparation of food may require changes in time, temperature and/or ingredients due to lower atmospheric pressure. Air pressure decreases as elevation increases. In other words, the blanket of air above us is lighter. At sea level, atmospheric pressure is 14.7 pounds per square inch (psi); at 5,000 feet it’s 12.3 psi, and at 10,000 feet only 10.2 psi — a decrease of about one-half pound per 1,000 feet.
Decreased atmospheric pressure as elevation increases affects food preparation in two major ways: Water and other liquids evaporate faster and boil at lower temperatures, and leavening gases in breads and cakes expand more quickly.
Whether boiling eggs, baking bread or making cookies, small adjustments can often improve the results.
The Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at CSU has a long history of addressing challenges associated with preparing and preserving food at higher elevations.
The temperature at which water boils declines as elevation rises. Because of this, foods prepared by boiling or simmering cook at a lower temperature at high elevation than at sea level and, thus, require a longer cooking time. This includes vegetables, beans, pot roasts, soups and stews. When deep-fat frying, consider lowering the frying temperature about 3 degrees F for every increase of 1,000 feet in elevation.
At high elevations, slow cookers simmer at a lower temperature, making it more difficult for food to reach a safe temperature and for bacteria to be destroyed. If your slow cooker has an adjustable temperature control, select a setting that will maintain the food at 200 degrees F or higher. If your slow cooker has both a high and low setting, start the food cooking on high for the first hour, then either continue to use high or turn it to the low setting for the remainder of cooking. Allow longer cooking times at high elevation and do not remove the lid. It can take 20 minutes or longer for the lost steam and heat to be regained each time the lid is lifted.
With yeast breads, decreased atmospheric pressure at higher elevations allows the dough to rise too fast, negatively impacting texture and flavor. To counteract this effect, less yeast may be used or the dough can be punched down and allowed to rise a second time before molding into loaves or rolls. Watch carefully to prevent over-rising. Allow dough to rise until just doubled in bulk, as over-proofing can result in a heavy, dry loaf, or a misshapen or collapsed loaf.
Flours tend to be drier and absorb more liquid in high, dry climates. Therefore, less flour or additional liquid may be needed to moisten the dough to the proper consistency. Yeast breads benefit from flour with a higher protein content compared to other, more tender baked products. For improved texture and volume, especially when baking at higher elevations, use flour with at least 12 percent protein. Bread flour or whole-wheat flour usually have higher protein content than other types of flour.
Most one-bowl cake recipes perfected for sea level need no modifications up to 3,000 feet. Above that, decreased atmospheric pressure may result in excessive rising, which stretches the cell structure of the cake, making the texture coarse, or breaks the cells, causing the cake to fall.
Leavening: Measure accurately and reduce both baking powder and/or baking soda.
Increase baking temperature by 15 to 25 degrees F to help “set” the batter before cells formed by the leavening gas expand too much. Note that baking time may be reduced, so check during baking.
Excessive evaporation of water at high elevation leads to high concentration of sugar, which weakens the cell structure. Therefore, decrease sugar in the recipe and increase liquid.
In making rich cakes at high elevations, you might have to reduce shortening by 1 or 2 tablespoons. Fat, like sugar, weakens the cell structure. Also, increasing the amount of egg strengthens the cell structure and may prevent the rich cake from falling.
When wheat flour is replaced with gluten-free flour(s), high elevation challenges remain, although there are no set guidelines on how to successfully compensate for the elevation change. The home cook is advised to experiment with recipes, first making any necessary adjustments for the elevation change and then altering the recipe further as needed to adjust for the properties of gluten-free flours.
Do not assume your sea level recipe will fail. Try it first. It may need little or no modification. Take notes to keep track of which adjustments resulted in improvements. Take non-stick precautions seriously. At higher elevations, baked goods have a higher tendency to stick to pans.
When you have questions, CSU Extension has research-based answers. Contact your Archuleta CSU Extension Office to learn more about high-elevation food preparation at (970) 264-5931 or archuleta.extension.colostate.edu.
Resources:
• High-Elevation Food Preparation. (n.d.). Colorado State University Extension. https://extension.colostate.edu/resource/high-elevation-food-preparation/.
• CSU Extension Staff. FoodSmart Colorado. (October 2025). Crockpot and Slow Cooker Food Safety. https://extension.colostate.edu/resource/crockpot-and-slow-cooker-food-safety/.
• FoodSmart Colorado. Colorado State University Extension. https://foodsmartcolorado.colostate.edu/.
• Preserve Smart. Colorado State University Extension. https://apps.chhs.colostate.edu/preservesmart/.
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