Cheesecake Baking Tips

Another method you can use to help prevent cracking is to put a pan of water in the bottom of your oven to moisten the atmosphere.  The best method is to place the your cooking pan inside a pan filled with hot water to create a bath.  The pan should be at least 2-3 inches in depth.  If you’re using a springform pan, wrap the bottom with aluminum foil to prevent the water from seeping into the cheesecake mix.  Be careful when you remove it from the oven as it will be very hot.

Furthermore before taking the pan out of the water bath, place some paper towels on your counter.  You should also take off the foil before placing the pan on the paper towels because some of the water may have made its way through the foil.  This step helps to avoid unnecessary mess.

After you take the cheesecake from the oven, you want to let it cool on a wire rack or some other type of cooling rack.  20 to 30 minutes should be sufficient.  You don't want to let it cool this way for too much longer as this is another source of cracking.  After this the final act of cooling should always take place in the refrigerator.  I usually put an oven mitt on the refrigerator shelf just in case the pan is still hot enough to crack the glass shelf.  Most cheesecake will cool within 2-3 hours, but it you have the time overnight is always best.

And finally, be creative .  I like to look at a recipe as a guideline on how it should go.  When I was growing up, I rarely remember my mother using a recipe book.  Her thing was always to use the taste test .  She would always sample the mix before deciding if she needed to add more of any ingredient.  And since everyone loves her cooking, I guess she was doing something right.

So if a recipe calls for a cup of sugar don’t be afraid to add a little less or a little more.  After all, who knows better than you what you like.  And if the recipe is called Cherry Cheesecake, that doesn’t keep you from adding raspberries if you like raspberries.  All you have now is your very own Cherry-Raspberry Cheesecake Special.

And one last thing.  Food is more that just nourishment for our bodies.  It is also an expression of love .  So have fun with these recipes and always, always make them with love.  Not only will your family and friends appreciate it more, so will you.  Enjoy.