Every time I boil water, I am so glad to live at sea level.

[BlondGirl]

I know, I know. This is not particularly profound. But it is a thought and perhaps some of y'all will appreciate it. I remember trying to make spagetti when I was up with a friend in Vail and it damned near took forever. Down here, bingo--the bubbles show within a minute. I love it!
(It also really helps when waiting on the water heater to be ready for the next bath.)

 

[Rubyfruit]

Living at a high altitude for the first time, I can relate. It does take forever for the water to boil, and longer for the food to cook in the oven too.

 

[rexfelis]

Living at sea level

That is certainly something I never thought of, since I have never lived above sea level. Interesting to realize though. I wonder why it should take longer for things to boil and cook as you add altitude?

 

[Rubyfruit]

I don't understand it either. I bet somebody here could explain it though. PC? Miles? Marxist? DCL?

My dad said that when we were living in Bolivia the water never really boiled, the hottest it got was a slow simmer. Said it took practically all day to boil potatoes.

 

[JazzManJim]

Ummmm guys? Are you sure that's right?

Water boils faster at higher altitudes. It has to because the pressure on the water is less which makes the boiling point lower. The pressure holding the molecules are less which allows it to break its bonds faster and become steam. The higher you go, the faster you can make water boil. The water in your spaghetti pot in Vale will boil faster than it will in Omaha, but it won't be as hot.

You have to cook food longer at higher altitudes because you need to put more energy into the food to counteract the boiling process (for above range food) or the internal temps of the food (for in-stove food).

That's, according to my own halting physics knowledge, at least. I don't think I'm wrong on this one, though I could be.

 

[MacCortz]

Ummmm guys? Are you sure that's right?

Water boils faster at higher altitudes. It has to because the pressure on the water is less which makes the boiling point lower. The pressure holding the molecules are less which allows it to break its bonds faster and become steam. The higher you go, the faster you can make water boil. The water in your spaghetti pot in Vale will boil faster than it will in Omaha, but it won't be as hot.

You have to cook food longer at higher altitudes because you need to put more energy into the food to counteract the boiling process (for above range food) or the internal temps of the food (for in-stove food).

That's, according to my own halting physics knowledge, at least. I don't think I'm wrong on this one, though I could be.

I would have just said it's majic shit stuff.... or like Jim said

 

[seXieleXie]

wow... i just spent 45 minutes studying a chapter about this very topic. how convenient.

boiling is actually a cooling process. when you're boiling water, it doesn't get any hotter, even though you're putting energy into it. that energy goes into allowing the water molecules to escape and become a gas.

at a higher altitude there is less pressure on the liquid so the molecules don't need as much energy to escape the liquid state and become a gas. this means that the boiling temperature will be lower than it would be at sea level. however, as i said before the water isn't going to get any hotter because now all the heat you're adding is going into evaporating the liquid as opposed to raising its tempterature.

therefore the water isn't as hot and so it won't cook your pasta or potatoes as well. same goes for when you're cooking in the oven. a liquid will boil off at a relativly low temperature so you get less actual cooking per time in the oven.

good lord i'm a dork.

 

[JazzManJim]

good lord i'm a dork.

But yuo're a cute one, and you're in the same boat with me, so that's okay, isn't it?

 

[Rubyfruit]

Thanks Lexie. I think I got the Bolivia story wrong. I think he said it would be boiling but you could put your finger in and it would just be luke warm. Does that sound right?

Are you sure it boils faster at higher altitudes? It sure seems to take a long time to reach a boil here.

 

[JazzManJim]

Are you sure it boils faster at higher altitudes? It sure seems to take a long time to reach a boil here.

The basic rule is that temperature is a constant, but that the boiling point is a sliding scale. The higher you go, the lower temperature is required for water to boil.

There's a table I have somewhere, based on altitude, but darned if I can think of where I have it.

If Bolivia's high up, then it'll boil, but will be cooler than you'd expect it to be.

 

[LukkyKnight]

JMJ'S right

higher altitude = lower temp for the boiling point, which is why there's less heat directed to whatever you're cooking in that water (it may boil, say, 10 degrees cooler in Denver or Vail than it does in New Orleans.)

So why does it take longer to boil for Ruby? Why does BlondGirl think it goes faster at sea level than it did up higher (besides being blonde, obviously)? This is really pretty simple, too:

the energy molecules get dizzy in the thin air and need to take a lot of breaks.

 

[Rubyfruit]

Re: JMJ'S right

the energy molecules get dizzy in the thin air and need to take a lot of breaks.

I think you might be right, especially considering I can't remember the Bolivia water boiling story correctly and my dad just told it at Thanksgiving.

 

[Phil333]

I learned about this in chem.

At higher altitudes there is less pressure which means water boils at a lower point. (because its easier for the water molecules to escape, less pressure pushing down on them). So it takes longer for food to cook because the temerature is lower. Easy as that.

 

[rexfelis]

Wow...

Whoda thunk it? Physics and chemistry lesons at Literotica! I love it! lol

I used to be a "physics guru" but I let it slide. lol

 

[rexfelis]

Wow... Part 2!

Er, that's "lessons". I may be bad tonight, but I didn't realize I was doing that badly. LOL

 

[Merelan]

A hint...

stop watching it.

 

[JazzManJim]

A hint...

stop watching it.

It's like the old saying goes:

"A watched pot never boils, except in space, but then your eyes would pop. Ouch."

Or something like that. I'm bad with posts.

 

[JazzManJim]

Re: Wow...

Whoda thunk it? Physics and chemistry lesons at Literotica! I love it! lol

Who was saying something about braininess being sexy?

I just fell in heavy lust with leXie on this post!

 

[LukkyKnight]

no no no no no

It's like the old saying goes:

"A watched pot never boils, except in space, but then your eyes would pop. Ouch."

Good heavens, Jim, what have you got stashed in that sax case?
It's, "In space, nobody can hear it boil."

 

[Weird Harold]

Living at a high altitude for the first time, I can relate. It does take forever for the water to boil, and longer for the food to cook in the oven too.

Two words for you RF -- Tight lids!

Covering a pot you would normaly leave uncovered, like spaghetti noodles, will make it cook more like it does at lower altitudes. The tighter the lid, the higher the vapor pressure, and the higher the boiling point.

BTW, I know that all of the theory says that lower vapor pressure will allow a liquid to boil faster, but from experience, I know that in addition to boiling at a lower temperature, it does in fact take nearly twice as long to produce a "rolling boil" at 7000' MSL than it does below 1000' MSL. (That's without a lid, BTW)

I suspect the contradiction comes from the fact that, as pointed out earlier in this thread, boiling is in fact a "cooling process." The cooling effect of a low boil is enough to slow down the build-up of temperature in the water with similar input of heat. It takes a much bigger flame to produce a "rolling boil" at altititude than at sea level -- and the water still doesn't get as hot. (Boiling point at 7000'MSL is about 195F Vs 212F at sea level. or about 1 degree lower for every 350' of elevation.)

 

[Azwed]

[
good lord i'm a dork. [/B]

Not dorky smart. Smart is sexy i would do you.

 

[seXieleXie]

Not dorky smart. Smart is sexy i would do you.

 

[Azwed]

Damnit even though she is only two years younger then me i have this dirty old man feeling now. How do you get rid of that???

 

[JazzManJim]

Damnit even though she is only two years younger then me i have this dirty old man feeling now. How do you get rid of that???

You don't. You just revel in it. At least that's how I handle it

 

[rexfelis]

And thus...

pressure cookers cook things faster because they have a very tight lid, which helps keep the heat in, and the pressure causes the molecules to be closer together which makes them friction better?

lol

I know, I know. Verbalizing a noun...