Cheesecakes: I love them. They are my favorite type of cakes. Once you find a recipe that you like, stick with it! I found mine about 30 years ago and it's reliable, no matter what:
Here are my tips:
- You can use virtually any pan for a cheesecake: I usually leave the bottom part of the cheesecake pan on the cake. It's easy and there are not problems. HOWEVER, the next time I want to make a cheesecake, the bottom of the pan cannot be found. It's like that elusive sock that gets lost. No matter where you look, it is gone! I always make my favorite cheesecake for Christmas. One Christmas Eve, tired from wrapping and cooking, and talking, and wining, I reached for my cheesecake pan and no bottom! Mind you, I now have at least 6 cheesecake pans, and can't bear to throw away the ones with missing bottoms. The minute I do, the bottom will appear. What did I use that Christmas Eve? A cast iron skillet! I declare that was the best cheesecake I ever made and the bottom of the pan certainly did not get lost.
- Always put a small pan of water in the bottom of your oven while baking your cheesecake. Technically, it's called a water bath, but don't bathe your cheesecake. The pan of water provides humidity and keeps the cheesecake from drying out or cracking too much. Mine sometimes crack anyway, but no one has ever complained. Leave the pan in the oven until the water has cooled; it can slosh and burn you, otherwise. There are brave folks out there who put their cheesecake pan into a larger pan of water. I'm not one of them. Putting the pan of water in the oven seems good enough.
- Your cheesecake should still "wiggle" a bit when it comes out of the oven. Don't wait until all the wiggle is gone; it won't be nearly as good. The texture will be more grainy than creamy.
- Put your cheesecake in a fairly warm environment to cool off. I usually put mine on the stovetop or near the stove. If it cools too quickly, it will definitely crack. Let it cool completely before transferring it to the fridge.
- To cut your cheesecake: Unless you've already grabbed a fork and are digging in, use a hot knife. I keep a glass of hot water near and dip the knife in periodically. You can spray the knife with cooking spray too, but that's not convenient when cutting many slices.
