Cook longer, not hotter

Yes, you need to cook things longer because water boils at a lower temperature up high.

At sea level, water boils at 212°F. At 5,000 feet it’s around 203°F. That’s nine degrees cooler. Your pasta, beans, or hard-boiled eggs are cooking in water that never gets as hot as you’re used to. Cranking the burner doesn’t help—water can’t go above its boiling point no matter how much heat you throw at it. All that does is waste energy and boil off water faster.

Rule of thumb: increase cooking time by about 5% per 1,000 feet above sea level. So at 5,000 feet, that pasta that normally takes 10 minutes might need 12–13 minutes. Simmered things like beans or stews? Give them an extra 20–30%. You can also use a lid to keep steam in (and a bit more heat on the food), but the real fix is just patience. Test for doneness as you go.