# cheesecake again...the purpose of water?, effect of altitude



## karendf (Jul 2, 2008)

At the risk of beating a dead horse...

I looked at some of the threads on cheesecakes and overcooking etc.

a few questions:

a cheesecake that browns was in too hot an oven for too long?

What does a pan of water do in the oven for the cheesecake?

seems like temp should be low, although the recipes I have are at about 350 F (175 C)-too hot. 300 or 145 is about right? at cooking school they want us to be at 120 C, which seems too low to me, at least for my home oven.-(High) altitude shouldn't affect the temperature for this cake?

cheers from Mexico City.


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

Cheesecake that browns -- in the oven too long? Usually a browned top means it's dried and cracked as well. But not always.

Water pan? It's not just a water pan, it's a water bath. The cheesecake tin goes in the bath, and the bath helps to prevent the sides from cooking too fast. The idea is to have the cheesecake cook as evenly as possible. This prevents cracking and curdling. It protects the bottom of the cheesecake from the radiant heat coming up from the oven's floor. In addition, the water pan keeps the oven humid -- a good thing when cooking cheesecake. It also acts as a "heat sink" and helps ameliorate the temperature shifts resulting from the deadband of the oven's thermostat -- again, so the cake cooks evenly. There are probably other reasons as well, but that's what I've got for now.

Altitude? Don't know. Don't be fooled by the name. A cheesecake isn't so much a cake as a custard. Whatever the rules are for baking flan at altitude (speaking of water baths), they're transferable to cheesecake. 

Hope this helps,
BDL


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## msgtdoug (Aug 1, 2008)

The pan of water is to bump up humidity in the oven. IT helps prevent the cake from cracking. (Similar to that burst of steam for French breads to enhance the oven spring and give that crackly crust).


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