High altitude cooking

[ccdell]

Not a recipe so much as a cooking question. Last time I went camping, I was using a new Coleman stove with the 1lb propane bottle and it was never able to bring the pan of water to a boil. I know the altitude (about 9,000 ft) and the temperature (40 degrees) affects the heat output, but I thought I would at least be able to make coffee

How can I get more heat out of the stove? (yes, I did turn it all the way up) Should I look for something with a higher BTU rating or ... ??? I need my coffee in the mornings!

[Miriam C.]

The temperature of boiling is higher at altitude so you need more btu's. You might find a stove specific for use in the mountains especially in winter. You might also look for an electric solution to getting your coffee made. I hear the campfire works well also.

[GregB]

I know exactly what you mean. I finally bought a Camp Chef Sport Utility stove for high altitude cooking. It works well with 20,000 btu/burner rather than the 10,000 of the Coleman. Ya' need more BTUs.

GB

[coreyjhen]

The temperature of boiling is higher at altitude so you need more btu's. You might find a stove specific for use in the mountains especially in winter. You might also look for an electric solution to getting your coffee made. I hear the campfire works well also.

Actually, the boiling point decreases with elevation. The boiling point of water at 9,000 feet is about 194-195ºF instead of the 212ºF of sea level. The most likely explanation for being unable to boil water on this stove is that there is simply not as much oxygen for the fuel to combine with at high elevations (less atmospheric pressure = less oxygen available) and the fuel is not combusting as completely as it would at lower elevations. A 20,000 BTU stove will be affected by the same percentage as a 10,000 BTU stove, but the presence of twice as much fuel in the first place will probably allow you to generate enough heat to boil water. If you want your food to cook all the way through on top of Pike's Peak you may want to consider a pressure cooker.

[ccdell]

Ooops, Sorry about the slow response, or more correctly - thanking you for your responses. I have had limited computer time lately. It looks like I will have to invest in a "better" stove for the tear. I am so looking forward to camping this summer, but I think hot food will be a necessity! Oh well, any excuse to peruse the local Coleman outlet store is a good one.

Thanks for the responses.

[Miriam C.]

The temperature of boiling is higher at altitude so you need more btu's. You might find a stove specific for use in the mountains especially in winter. You might also look for an electric solution to getting your coffee made. I hear the campfire works well also.

Actually, the boiling point decreases with elevation. The boiling point of water at 9,000 feet is about 194-195ºF instead of the 212ºF of sea level. The most likely explanation for being unable to boil water on this stove is that there is simply not as much oxygen for the fuel to combine with at high elevations (less atmospheric pressure = less oxygen available) and the fuel is not combusting as completely as it would at lower elevations. A 20,000 BTU stove will be affected by the same percentage as a 10,000 BTU stove, but the presence of twice as much fuel in the first place will probably allow you to generate enough heat to boil water. If you want your food to cook all the way through on top of Pike's Peak you may want to consider a pressure cooker.

Okk, I guess I overcome my embarrassment and admit to being terminally confused.

Found this:

The boiling point is the temperature at which the pressure of the water vapor equals atmospheric pressure and the bubbles of water vapor are able to break through the surface and escape into the air. If the atmospheric pressure is less, the temperature required for water to boil is less (Table 1). Therefore, cooking food in water boiling at this lower temperature takes longer. A "3-minute egg" will take more time. Also, a bowl of boiling soup is not as hot.

http://cerc.colostate.edu/titles/P41.html

This explains it much better than it was explained to me and certainly much better than I explained it