Like most professional chef I get weak in the knees walking through a William Sonoma or Sur La Table. We’re like kids in a candy store! Sometimes we just can’t resist something, in my case a very fine, very expensive spring form pan. The weight was nice and heavy and the inside non stick. I was sure it would bake my cheesecakes to a whole new level! Because I know that I’m not the only person out there who can’t resist such a pan I thought I would share a simple practice that will insure the perfect condition of your favorite spring form pan for years and years to come.

  Being a restaurant chef I have learned many things over the years. Expensive, non commercial products usually can’t take the abuse and use of a commercial environment so buying really expensive tools is a waste of money. That being said, sometimes I just can’t help myself. Knowing of the ultimate demise of my perfect pan I set one simple thing in place to help it live a long happy life in my Bistro kitchen, paper. By simply using a piece of parchment paper in the bottom of my ridiculously expensive spring form pan my finished cakes can simply be inverted, bottom removed, paper removed, and then inverted onto a serving tray. Of course all of my other cheesecake “rules” must be obeyed for a great cake but it’s the paper that saves my pan! By not leaving it on the bottom I never have to cut through it thus cutting the bottom. Those cuts can cause pealing of the non stick and will eventually rust! No body wants a rusty cheesecake! Always use a circle of parchment paper to protect your pan and to make it very easy to remove.  Here’s my other rules for an amazing, restaurant quality cheesecake:

1. Always apply pan coating spray (such as Pam), or butter,  and sugar to the inside sides of pan, shake out extra sugar.This not only makes for an easy release but it looks incredible pretty. Then place a round piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan.
2. Cream cheese should always be room temperature!
3. Do not over mix the batter! Using a paddle with a stand up mixer not a whisk. Beat the cream cheese, sugar and sour cream until smooth and very well blended. Add eggs one at a time and mix only until incorporated then STOP MIXING. The more you mix the more air you add to the batter thus a light fluffy cheesecake not a dense creamy one.
4. Always bake in a water bath. Protect the pan with a pan protector like the one found on www.perfectcheesecakesystem.com .Place in a roasting pan  at least 2 1/2 inches tall and pour hot water in as high as it will go. Bake it 1 ½ to 2 hours in hot water.
5. Cool over night before removing from pan. Cut with a very thin knife dipped in water and wiped clean between cuts. This will give you a professional, restaurant quality cake every time!

Well, here it is….the truth. It doesn’t actually matter what the recipe ingredients are as much as the METHOD. Professional chefs know this well. This is why we can stand in front of a chill table filled with raw ingredients and make a variety of pasta dishes, for example, without any “recipes”. It’s all about method cooking. The ingredient that takes the longest to cook always goes in the pan first….say chicken. Then as that gets to temp the next ingredient that takes longest goes in..say onion. Then next….mushroom. As the ingredients get added the dish builds. The cream goes in and reduces, then the cooked pasta. Season to taste, toss, finish with freshly shaved Parmesan and Walla! You have a great pasta dish!  Now imagine if you started with cream, added the Parmesan cheese, then the veggies, raw noodles, and finished with the chicken. You would get a plate of mostly raw chicken and noodles, icky veggies and the cheese would be stuck to the bottom of the pan.  A serious “lack luster” pasta dish. Same ingredients, different method.  Professional chefs know this is the truth with most cooking. How does that translate into cheesecake baking? Let me tell you!

You can have a variety of cheesecake recipes, all with similar ingredients. Some may have added “tasty bling” but the base is basically the same. If you always prepare the ingredients  in the same way, mix in the same way, bake in the same way and serve in the same way, you’ll have perfect cake every time.

Here’s why pretty much any cheesecake recipe can qualify as the “best” on the planet, if, and only if you use these methods:

1. Parchment paper on bottom of pan, inside ring greased and sugared
2. Room temperature cream cheese
3. Beat cream cheese, sour cream and sugar together with a stand up mixer paddle (never whisk) or hand blender until smooth
4. Do not over mix! Add the eggs one at a time mixing until JUST incorporated then STOP MIXING
5. Always bake in a water bath. Protect your spring form pan with a pan protector or foil, place in roasting pan and fill with hot water at least half way up the sides of the spring form pan
6. Cool completely before serving. Best if over night. Remove the ring, invert onto plate, pull bottom and paper off bottom, invert onto serving plate
7. Always cut with a thin knife dipped in hot water and wiped clean after each cut.

It doesn’t really matter what the ingredients are just as long as the method is correct. Once you have the method down you can add all kinds of ingredients to change it up! Such as chocolate chips…..ganache….dulce de leche…..coffee…. oh the variety is endless!

The most baffling thing to me is that they have both worked under me, Chef Alisa, in my little Bistro kitchen. I’ve been making cheesecakes in my restaurant for the last 16 years. Over the years I have learned lots of things about baking cheesecake. There is one simple thing that I have done over the years that has guaranteed me a great product every time. You MUST bake the cheesecake in a water bath!  Think of baking a custard when you think of a water bath. You place the item to be baked in a larger pan and fill it as high as you can with hot water. This baking process keeps a nice even heat for the baked good, cooking it gently and evenly all the way through. Now here’s the tricky thing- you have to protect the pan before you stick it in the water bath. I have seen recipes that do indeed say bake in a water bath but don’t mention ANYTHING about wrapping the pan in foil or placing it in a pan protector like the Perfect Cheesecake System.

I have to give one of my culinary grads credit. She did wrap the pan in foil but it leaked, ruining her cheesecake. Now my other culinary grad was breaking my heart while I watch him whip up his cheesecake recipe. He used a whisk instead of a paddle to beat the cream cheese, sour cream and sugar together. Never, ever, ever do this unless you’re looking to produce a seriously fluffy cheesecake. I am a firm believer in nice dense creamy cakes.  I did give my guy space to create his masterpiece and didn’t watch over his shoulder or make him uncomfortable.  Like a considerate chef, I just observed from behind.  The next observation was the over use of alcohol. Just ½ of a cup of say Bailey’s Irish Cream will do it. No need to add a cup! The biggest mistake my grad made was not wrapping the spring form pan at all!! Unfortunately I wasn’t in the kitchen when it went into the oven or we could have saved it. He was pleasantly surprised that when he pulled it from the oven it had not cracked. Actually he was basically jumping up and down with joy. It was a beautiful cheesecake except it was totally water logged, like a beautiful chocolate, Irish cream sponge.  Moral of the story? Always use protection!