Are pressure cookers a good idea?

[mooserider]

Given all the comments on water-boiling issues at altitude, is packing a pressure cooker a good idea if one plans to cook food requiring boiling? Similarly, do old-style coffee percolators still work at altitude, or will the coffee be too weak?

[Elorrum]

altitude of 3907 ft = water boiling temp of 204.97 vs. sea level 212 degrees.

this isn't an issue of concern in my opinion.

[VultureChow]

Overkill in my estimation. I think the rule is 1 degree for every 500 feet. So water boils at one degree less per 500ft of altitude. BRC is 4000ft above sea level, so water boils at 204 degrees, optimal range for coffee. For boiling pasta, just add salt to the water and boil a bit longer.

[LowePro]

Boiling water on a camp stove or jetboil works just fine. As does my old school coffee boiler-percolator. I don'y think you need any special gear/pressure cooker to boil water. Maybe just bring an extra fuel can or 2, compared to what you might need at a lower elevation, because it might take a few extra minutes to heat the water (also due to wind). And/or rig up a wind-screen for your cooking area.

[trilobyte]

I've never experienced any significant issues with boiling water or cooking food. Yes the elevation does affect temps, but it's negligible.

[mooserider]

I'll probably pack the pressure cooker anyway. It takes bloody forever to cook brown rice at ambient pressure (or it seems like it when I'm hungry). Raising the pressure by 15psi makes things cook much faster.

[LowePro]

(Not sure if you have a Trader Joe's in your area, but they have a pre-cooked brown rice package, requires no refrigeration, heats up easy and tastes pretty good. It's part of my essential playa shopping list. There's also an option to cook rice at home, ziploc bag it and freeze it in small servings for easy use. (This is my unsolicited advice, take it or leave it I won't be offended).

[Jovankat]

We used a pressure cooker to pre-cook meals which with then hot sealed in take-out style plastic deli containers and froze. It worked extremely well. Save your playa time and bring ready made home cooked meals!

[Drawingablank]

Or just live on a liquid diet (alcohol based) - it's worked for me for 4 burns.

[Captain Goddammit]

The biggest food issue related to the playa's altitude I've noticed is that potato chip bags build up enough pressure to inflate pretty hard. But that probably just helps prevent broken chips.