My Grandma's cheesecake was the best.
She's dead
The pan is the most important (and expensive) part of a traditional cheesecake.
That recipe GagHalfrunt posted is close to the one I use, but I squeeze a lemon into the mixture and a tbs of Mexican vanilla to give it a more "New York" taste.
You need this:
A tall-sided cake pan works as well if you line it with some buttered parchment paper. Then you don't have to worry about water ingress (ugh).Yeah, you absolutely need a springform pan and you need to bake in a water bath. The water bath makes a big difference, it's essential to get custards to the proper texture without becoming rubbery. Don't skip that step.
A tall-sided cake pan works as well if you line it with some buttered parchment paper. Then you don't have to worry about water ingress (ugh).
Roomate's method is to simply have another container of water in the oven to keep the humidity up - cake doesn't even sit in it. Has worked very well.
I'm not posting any recipes, but the pointers I can share are:
1) use a springform pan
2) cream cheese and eggs must be room temp
3) add eggs last to the batter (but before any morsels, nuts, etc).
4) bake cheesecake in a water bath (and like GagHalfrunt's pic, use foil as a barrier between the pan and water); bake for 55-60 mins then turn off oven, leave cheesecake in oven for another hour
I know a couple of you use recipes which include flour and sour cream ^. You want the full flavor of the cheesecake and flour will slightly counter that, IMHO. Replace sour cream with heavy cream and the flavor will be soooo much better.
will try the bake for an hour, turn off oven and leave for an hour trick. thanks.
Note that it will not look done after 55-60 minutes. The edges will be beginning to turn a light golden brown and the middle won't look set. That's exactly how you want it to look. Don't keep on the heat longer to try to make it firm up. It will keep cooking gently and set all the way as the temperature coasts down over the extra hour it stays in the oven.
Oh, and if nobody has mentioned it, use full fat cream cheese and sour cream, not the lite or reduced cal stuff. Cheesecake is not something to watch your weight on, the extra fat is important for getting the right texture.
will try the bake for an hour, turn off oven and leave for an hour trick. thanks.
Note that it will not look done after 55-60 minutes. The edges will be beginning to turn a light golden brown and the middle won't look set. That's exactly how you want it to look. Don't keep on the heat longer to try to make it firm up. It will keep cooking gently and set all the way as the temperature coasts down over the extra hour it stays in the oven.
Oh, and if nobody has mentioned it, use full fat cream cheese and sour cream, not the lite or reduced cal stuff. Cheesecake is not something to watch your weight on, the extra fat is important for getting the right texture.