Can You Make Cheesecake Without A Water Bath?
http://bit.ly/2WYzWXG The good news and the bad news: It’s certainly possible to make cheesecake without a water bath. But it’s less possible to bake an excellent cheesecake without one. Big, showstopper cheesecakes baked without a water bath are more likely to overbake, which will give them a curdled texture, cracks in the surface, and lopsided tops. Unless you prefer your cheesecake that way, why let a water bath be the one thing between you and perfection? On the other hand, smaller or shallow cheesecakes are not quite as finicky as large and deep ones, because they’re not baked as long. The rule of thumb: the more filling in the pan, the more useful a water bath is. Cheesecakes less than 6 inches in diameter, or with a depth under 2 inches, should be okay. WHY BOTHER WITH A WATER BATH AT ALL?Technically, cheesecake is not cake. It’s a custard on a graham cracker crust. Custards do best when you cook them low and slow, which a water bath helps to achieve. A water bath goes a long way in preserving the rich and smooth texture of a baked custard. WHAT IS A WATER BATH, ANYWAY?A water bath is a pan of heated water that surrounds the pan with your cheesecake. It acts as a buffer for heat so your custard bakes gently and evenly. If you want to be cheffy about it you can call a water bath a bain-marie. The pan you use for your water bath needs to be bigger than the springform pan for your cheesecake. Ideally, you want a space of 1 inch to 1-1/2 inches between the two pans—snug but not tight. It also needs to hold enough water to come halfway up the side of the springform pan. BUT WATER BATHS ARE A PAIN!I know! Think of it this way: A cheesecake is a lot of work. So why skip one step that will ensure the best result? WHAT’S THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN?There was only one way to find out. I baked two pans of this seriously-totally-amazing Perfect Cheesecake recipe side-by-side: one in a water bath, one not. It’s a very substantial recipe, calling for two pounds of cream cheese per cheesecake. As you can see in the photo above, the cheesecake baked in the water bath (left) had a level surface, and some light but attractive browning around the outer edge. The cheesecake baked with no water bath (right) puffed up, almost like a souffle, and then collapsed, making the outer edges higher than the center. It also browned more. Both cheesecakes were delicious, but the cheesecake that had a water bath looked more professional and had a silkier texture. Also, the water-bath-free cheesecake baked faster. This makes sense, because the water bath’s purpose is to ensure gentle, evenly distributed heat. WANT WATER BATH HACKS? WE HAVE THEM!
DO YOU HAVE TO WRAP YOUR PAN IN FOIL?Springform pans aren’t water-tight, and if water from your water bath penetrates your cheesecake, it’ll be soggy and waterlogged. Bummer! That’s why so many cheesecake recipes (including our own) call for wrapping the bottom of the springform pan in multiple layers of foil. But here’s a tip: If you happen to have oven bags or slow cooker bags, you can use one of those instead of foil. It’s a little easier to wrangle. Put the pan (without its filling) in the bag, then roll or fold over the excess plastic and tie it in a snug knot on the side of the pan (almost like you’d knot a t-shirt on the side to make it more form-fitting). Then add the filling, settle the cheesecake into the water bath, and bake. STILL NOT SOLD? SKIP THE WATER BATH!Not everyone is a water bath person. We still got your back! Simply Recipes contributor Cindy Rahe has actually forgone water baths entirely, which she talks about in this recipe for Lemon Cheesecake. Instead, she places a 9×13-inch baking dish full of boiling water on a rack below the cheesecake while it bakes. While this method doesn’t have quite the 100% guarantee as a traditional water bath method, it’s a good compromise and worth trying if you are water-bath-adverse. Do still wrap the pan in a layer of foil to prevent it from browning too much, and also keep a close watch on the cheesecake while it’s in the oven to make sure it doesn’t over-bake. Also, check for doneness early. A fully baked cheesecake will pull away a bit from the sides of the pan. When you nudge the pan gently, the cheesecake filling might jiggle in a springy fashion like a Jell-O mold, but it won’t slosh around all wavy-like. And if you insert a table knife in the center of the filling, it should offer resistance and come out with some chunky streaks, but no runny liquid. These Cheesecakes Don’t Need a Water bath:
This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Simply Recipes. Read more about our affiliate linking policy. Recipes via Simply Recipes http://bit.ly/2F9fkDA June 25, 2019 at 09:00AM
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The Flat Belly FixThis is the only 21-day rapid weight loss system that allows you to easily lose an average of 1 lb a day for 21 days without feeling hungry or deprived. The unique and brand new techniques used in this System are proven SAFE. And they do not cause the rebound weight gain common to all the other rapid weight loss systems that are not backed by the latest science. The Flat Belly Fix System takes advantage of a recent scientific discovery that proves the effective weight loss power of an ancient spice. Combined with other cutting-edge ingredients in the patent-pending Flat Belly Fix Tea™ — that you can make right in your own kitchen in minutes — this System is the quickest, easiest and most enjoyable way to quickly get the body you desire and deserve. Click HereCategories
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