# Unevenly Baked Cheesecake



## xiaozhu (Mar 30, 2006)

Hey guys, I'm currently experimenting with Chantal's New York Cheesecake Recipe.

The recipe states to bake it in a water-bath for 1 hour at 350F degress. Basically first time I followed exactly the same ingredients and steps, my center of the cake was very soft but the crust area was just right. So the 2nd time I tried again, I baked for additional 30 minutes. This time the center turned out just nice but the crust area was alittle too hard for my liking. I always make sure my waterbath doesn't run low of water by adding boiled water now and then.

Is there any way I can make the texture of my cheesecake equal and evenly distributed? I was thinking of using a smaller springfoam pan (eg. 6 inch) so the heat could be distributed better.

What do you guys suggest? What are the mistakes I'm making?

Hope you guys can help, Thanks!


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## chefraz (May 10, 2007)

I always bake my cheesecakes at 300 degrees,1 1/2 hours. also if you has a top rack put a sheet pan up there to keep the heat from cooking the top too fast.{ I've seen some of the cheesecakes get too dark on top because of it.}]Webshots - Page Not Found







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## even stephen (Oct 10, 2005)

alto-sham!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## xiaozhu (Mar 30, 2006)

Do you mean that I just put an empty pan sheet on the top rack? 

Thanks Chef Raz!


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## cookie jim (Apr 24, 2007)

XiaoZhu; I just checked my very old,like me.spiral notebok and ChefRaz has what I have which is 300* temp. and !:30 to !:45 cooking time. cool 2 hrs. cool. I never heard of the sheet pan use but it sounds reasonable. course it took me 20 yrs to get a microwave oven...lol...good cookin...cookie


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## jessiquina (Nov 4, 2005)

we just got one at work. we only use it for hot holding.. but i bet it would be good for creme brulee baking. .. . hmmm???


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## m brown (May 29, 1999)

it sounds like it would be VERY useful in the baking world!
kindly explain how it works.
sounds like any kind of set custard would work well, and without the guesswork!

:bounce:


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## even stephen (Oct 10, 2005)

They are great for custards, creme brulee, and cheese cake. I actually
use a food holding hot box for brulee. You don't always get a golden color
on top as you would from an oven, but, you can literally bake them with 
out a water bath, and put them in the alto sham when you leave at night
and pull them out the next day. Necessity is the mother of invention. I
have also cooked creme brulee on the enclosed aluminum speed racks with
sterno and a hotel pan of water. Sure everything tastes like sterno, but, when you have no kitchen, you do what you must. I actually started plastic
wrapping all the pans on the second batches an it eliminated the sterno flavor. Good luck.


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## tigerwoman (Jul 18, 2002)

back in the day when I was a pastry chef and renown on Fire Island (at least)0 for my cheesecakes I would bake in a waterbath (using boiling hot water carefully poured in almost half way up the springform wrapped in tin foil) until the center was just warbling and not quite firm but not quite raw. The edges would be as you described in your post perfectly cooked. Then when you chill the cake and slice (making sure it's always really cold and using a hot knife or dental floss) it would hold together - as the customer ate it, the heat of their mouth would make the cheesecake literally melt in their mouth for a fabulous effect.

My favorite recipe was an adaptation of Maiter Heatters bullseye cheesecake, except I used coffee and vanilla (no cinn or chocolate) for a cappucino bullseye cheesecake - so double whammy great look and great taste. I didn't want the top overbrowning because it ruined the look and that's how I figured out to slightly underbake and let it set up outside of the oven and in the frig.

hope that helps


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