Douglas Prinsen, age 12, of Kingston, Ontario, Canada, for his question:
DOES HIGH ALTITUDE BAKING TAKE SPECIAL CARE?
In baking, food is prepared by placing it in an oven and leaving it there until it is tender or completely cooked. The baking method is used for preparing cakes, breads, fruits, vegetables, casseroles and meat dishes. Excess moisture in the food is evaporated during the baking period, so it isn't recommended for all dishes.
Sometimes oven temperatures are listed as slow, medium or hot. A slow oven is maintained when the temperatures range from 250 degrees Fahrenheit to 325. At this heat you'll bake dishes containing large amounts of egg or cheese.
A medium oven runs from 325 to 400 degrees and is used for baking cakes, some breads and most vegetables.
A hot oven has temperatures over 400 degrees and is used for baking most breads, rolls and pies.
Tested recipes, found in newspapers and cookbooks, tell you at what temperature your oven should be set to get satisfactory baking results.
When you go into the mountains, however, something mysterious happens in the oven. Altitudes above 2,000 or 3,000 feet above sea level often bring variations that defy the general baking rules. Thinner mountain air makes it necessary to change some of the cooking rules.
Most culinary experts recommend that each cook experiment and keep a record of what brings the best results. Most problems will be found with baking bread and cake.
It is thought that no adjustment of the cake formula is necessary up to an altitude of 3,000 feet other than to make sure you do not overbeat the eggs. Also, it might be wise to raise the recommended baking temperature by about 25 degrees.
Between 3,000 and 5,000 feet, oven temperatures may require still an additional 25 degrees of temperature. Continue to underbeat the eggs and also keep them refrigerated until you are almost ready to use them.
At 5,000 feet, the experts recommend that the double acting baking powder in a cake be reduced by about one quarter teaspoon for each teaspoon called for in the recipe. Sugar should be decreased between one and two tablespoons for each cup called for, and liquids should be increased by two or three tablespoons for each cup indicated. An additional 25 degrees should also be added at this altitude.
At 7,000 feet, baking powder should be reduced by a further one quarter teaspoon for each teaspoon in the recipe and there should also be a reduction of the sugar. An increase of an additional three tablespoons of liquid for each cup in the recipe should also be added.
And what happens at 10,000 feet? You're right! Take away a bit more of the baking powder and sugar, and add a bit more liquid.
Grease your baking pans very well and dust them with flour or line them with wax paper.