Cheesecake Tips
Source of Recipe
Aunt Saunny
For best results, do not use light, low-fat, or fat-free cream cheese and sour cream. The fat-free kind is apt to bake up a cake that's soft, chalky and slightly rubbery inside while the low fat sort, often dubbed "Neufchatel", will yield a harder, more crumbly cheesecake, according to Pam Anderson, author of The Perfect Recipe.
Always soften cream cheese before mixing. To soften in the microwave- place an unwrapped 8 oz. package of cream cheese on a plate & microwave on medium power for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating on low speed after each addition just until blended. Avoid overbeating.
Baking cheesecakes in a bain-marie (also known as a water bath), produces a texture that is creamy almost custard-like, moist and rich. Cheesecakes baked in this manner are insulated from the direct dry heat of the oven. Like creme brulee, bread pudding and flan, a cheesecake is similar in structure to these flourless custards and benefits from the gentle even heat a water bath can provide.
Always bake a cheesecake on the center rack of the oven.
Open the oven door as little as possible while baking the cheesecake. Drafts can cause the cheesecake to fall or form cracks.
A cheesecake is done when the edges are slightly puffed and the center (about the size of a walnut) is still soft & moist. The center will firm upon cooling. A crack in the cheesecake may be an indicator of overcooking.
Unless otherwise directed by your recipe, turn the oven off and allow cheesecake to remain in oven, with the door ajar, for 30 minutes or until center is completely set. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack away from drafts before refrigerating.
Soon after you remove a cheesecake from the oven, run a sharp knife around the edge to loosen the crust from the springform pan-This allows the cake to pull away freely from the pan as it cools. Don't remove the sides of the pan until completely cooled.
If you do have cracks in your cheesecake, disguise them with a topping like fresh berries, whipped cream, or jam- let the topping settle into the cracks for a few minutes, then add more to even out the surface.
Garnish a cheesecake no sooner than 1 to 2 hours before serving, better yet...just before serving
For optimum flavor, serve cheesecake at room temperature. This takes about 30 minutes.
Store in the refrigerator up to 4 days, loosely covered.
Baked plain (minus topping) cheesecakes freeze well for up to 2 months. Cool completely and wrap tightly in heavy-duty foil or plastic wrap. To use, thaw frozen cheesecake overnight in the refrigerator.
Most cheesecakes can be kosher for Passover if you replace whatever crumbs are call for in crust with nuts or kosher cookie crumbs.
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