EQUIPMENT FOR CHEESECAKES

Of course, all you REALLY need to make a cheesecake is a
mixing bowl, a whisk, a mixing spoon and a baking pan.
But today's cook s are usually well equipped, so I will
discuss some of the helpful items found in most kitchens.


                  ELECTRIC APPLIANCES


MIXERS:

A mixer is handy to make the cream cheese smooth and
light, and you can also whip the cream or beat the egg
whites with it.  Use a large mixing bowl when blending the
major ingredients to allow enough air space to give the
beaters a chance.  You will find that the cheese will
blend better if it is at room temperature or warmed 5
minutes in the oven at 250 degrees F.

When beating the egg whites, remember that your beaters
and bowl must be free of butter or oil and there should be
no bits of yolk on them.  If you are whipping cream, you
will have more success with a chilled bowl and beaters.

BLENDERS:

The only use you will probably make of your blender in the
preparation of cheesecakes, is that of breaking up cookies
or crackers for crumbs.


FOOD PROCESSORS:

A food processor comes in hand for whipping the cream
cheese, chopping the nuts, making graham cracker crumbs or
blending cottage cheese to a smooth consistency.  It
cannot be used to beat egg whites or whip cream as it will
not incorporate air.  Be careful not to overdo it using
the processor -- you don't want cracker flour or powdered
nuts.


                    BOWLS AND UTENSILS



MIXING BOWLS:

When I indicate in the recipe that you are to use a large
mixing bowl, I suggest one about 12 inches in diameter be
used.  The cakes in the recipes in this file tend to be on
the large size -- nine inches on the average -- and this
means that you will be working with up to two pounds of
cheese, some eggs, and so forth.

When beating egg whites, you will want a bowl with a broad
bottom.  This will provide enough room for the egg whites
to expand.


SIEVE:

The sieve serves a double purpose.  It can be used to
drain the cottage cheese and to smooth the curds to a
finer consistency.  Place the cottage cheese in the sieve,
allow the liquid to drain out and then with a spoon or
spatula, force the curds through the holes.  The result
should have a consistency somewhat like ricotta cheese.
Sieves are available in most stores that sell kitchen
equipment, but you can substitute a common kitchen
strainer or even a colander with very small holes.


PASTRY BLENDER:

This is a handy little gadget that will make making the
crusts a snap.  It can be used for other things around the
kitchen such as making pie crusts and/or biscuits.  If you
don't have one, consider buying one.  The are one of the
best buys for the money, in my opinion.


RUBBER SPATULAS:

Look for ones with the wooden handles.  In most cases
today, they are made of all plastic and in a single piece.  

Yes, the handles will come out and you will curse them,
but there is no plastic one that I know of that will do
things like folding egg whites into a stiff batter or
cleaning out an applesauce jar.  Or a pie filling can.  In
some cases, the larger ones are expensive, but worth the
money.




                      POTS AND PANS


DOUBLE BOILERS:

This is a handy kitchen item you can use to melt chocolate
for the chocolate and mocha cheesecakes, as well as to
gently heat the egg yolks or dissolve gelatin.  The
doubler boiler is the best way to control the heat when
working with delicate ingredients.


BAKING PANS:


There are several important differences between cheese
cakes and flour based cakes.  The most significant of
these is the fact that you cant remove a cheese cake from
the pan by turning it upside down.  Unless you plan to
serve the cheesecake in the pan you bake it in (as in the
case of the cheese pies) you are best advised to use a
springform pan.  These are a round baking pan, made of
aluminum or tinplate, with an expandable collar and a
removable bottom.  False bottomed pans are also excellent
for this purpose but they are rather hard to come by these
days.

Unless otherwise specified, the recipes in this file call
for a 9-inch springform pan.  To be on the safe side, use
the ones with the 3-inch high sides as the taller cakes
tend to spill over the top of the lower ones.  And who
wants to clean an oven filled with burnt cheesecake???


OVENS:

The recipes in this file should work equally as well with
gas or electric ovens.  Accurate baking temperatures are a
must, so if you are in doubt about the accuracy of your
oven, use an oven thermometer and adjust accordingly.

For those of you that have convection ovens, they are
ideal fro baking cheesecakes because of the even
distrubtion of the heat through out the oven.  As a
general rule, you can adjust baking recipes for the
convection ovens by reducing the recommended temperature
by 25 to 50 degrees and the recommended baking time by 20
to 30 percent.  This is only an approximation, though; the
best way to judge when a cheesecake is done is by the
appearance.  The cake is ready when the top appears firm
at the center and has just begun to brown.




                  SOME PRACTICAL TIPS


There are an assortment of special problems that come with 
making cheesecakes, so here are a few tips for you.



MODIFYING THE RECIPES IN THIS FILE:


Cheesecakes are rich desserts.  Depending upon the rest of 
your meal and on your guest's appetites, the nine-inch 
cakes in this file should serve on the average from 10 to 
16 people.  However, it is conceivable that you might want 
to make a smaller or larger cake based on the same 
ingredients.  To modify the recipes for use in an 
eight-inch or ten-inch pan, decrease or increase the 
quantities by approximately one-fifth.


LEFTOVERS:

Cheesecakes are just as good the next day, but they should 
be refrigerated.  To keep the cake from drying out or 
absorbing refrigerator odors, wrap the cake or keep it in 
a closed container.  It is difficult to wrap the cake 
directly without marring the surface, so I recommend 
returning the cake to the pan and covering the pan with 
plastic wrap or foil.


FREEZING FOR FUTURE USE:

Some cheesecakes freeze better than others.  The rich 
heavy cream-cheese cakes freeze well, while the lighter 
and moister custardy cakes freeze less well.  I do not 
recommend freezing cottage-cheese cakes.  Refrigerate the 
cake before you freeze it and wrap it carefully to prevent 
freezer burn.


CHEESECAKES AS GIFTS:

Bakers who make cheesecakes or cheese pies to give away as 
gifts face the problem of perhaps never seeing their pans 
again.  On the other hand, if you try to remove the 
cheesecake from the metal bottom, you run the risk of 
damaging the cake in the process.  Here's one solution.  
If you are making cakes, obtain a supply of 9-inch 
cardboard disks.  If you can't find them  in the 
housewares department of your local department store, try 
to find a pizzeria that makes the 9-inch pizza and see if 
they will let you buy some.  If not, make them out of 
sturdy cardboard and wrap them in foil.  Otherwise they 
will get soggy.  Use these in place of the bottom in your 
springform pan.  If you are making the pies, simply get a 
supply of the 9-inch aluminum pie plates at the local 
supermarket.  They come in several different sizes and are 
disposable.

Transporting the cheesecake can also be a problem.  The 
best solution is to leave it in the pan, covering it with 
foil, and simply remove the pan once the host or the 
person that you are giving it to has received it.  You 
have to remove the collar in order to serve it, so nothing 
is lost.


CUTTING THE CAKE:

Here is the best kept secret of the trade, dental floss.  
It is just about impossible to cut a cheesecake cleanly 
with a knife, to much of the precious filling sticks to 
the sides of the blade.  You can lick the problem by 
taking a long strand of dental floss, stretching it taut, 
and gently pressing it through the cake.  Don't try to 
pull the floss back up through the cut you have made, 
simply pull it out when you have reached the bottom.  
Either waxed or unwaxed floss may be used but do not use 
the flavored ones.  This works well on cakes with a crumb 
crust, but on the harder crusts you may want to finish it 
off with a very thin bladed knife (a fish fillet knife is 
great).



                    BASIC TECHNIQUES



Cheesecakes are not nearly as difficult to prepare as is 
commonly believed, and if you follow the steps in the 
recipes, you should have little difficulty producing a 
perfect cheesecake the first time you try.  However there 
are a few pointers that should be kept in mind, in dealing 
with both the crusts and fillings.


MAKING THE CRUSTS:

The techniques for preparing the crusts are described in 
the recipes.  I have recommended the type of crust to go 
with each cake, but bear in mind, that this is only a 
suggestion.  Do a little experimenting and see if you come 
up with a combination that you like better.


THE FILLINGS:

Before you start, make sure that you have all the 
ingredients read and at hand.  If at all possible, allow 
the cream cheese and eggs to reach room temperature; the 
egg whites can be then beaten to a larger volume and the 
cream cheese will blend much more easily with the other 
ingredients.  This process can be hastened by putting the 
cheese in a warm oven (100-200 degrees F.) for a few 
minutes before using.

In blending the batter, start with the dry ingredients 
first -- flour, baking powder and salt -- and combine 
these.  Flour or cornstarch must be thoroughly sifted (or 
pressed against the spoon with your finger) to remove 
lumps before adding it to the batter.

When mixing the cheese and eggs, make sure that they are 
completely blended and smooth, before adding the 
flavorings, sour cream or heavy cream.  Once the batter 
has been thinned out by the addition of these ingredients, 
it becomes impossible to remove any lumps, so be careful.

In general, all the ingredients except egg whites, whipped 
cream, or sour cream should be added slowly and beaten 
until completely smooth.  Egg whites and whipped cream 
should be folded in very gently so as not to lose the air 
put into them through the whipping.

Beaten egg whites are the only delicate part of a 
cheesecake.  Under ideal conditions they can be beaten 
safely to two to four times their initial volume, but 
contact with grease or fat in any form will prevent that.  
It is important the eggs should be separated carefully; 
any trace of the yolk that remains in the whites should be 
scooped out or drawn out with a moist cloth or paper 
towel.  When beating the whites, start slowly and 
gradually increase the speed, beating continuously until 
soft peaks are formed.  It is possible to beat the whites 
to an even greater volume and firmness, but this in not 
advisable; they will be more fragile and more likely to 
break down during baking.  To ensure even beating, vary 
the depth and position of the beaters.  Blenders and food 
processors are not suitable for beating egg whites or 
whipping cream as they will not allow the proper volume of 
air to be incorporated.  For the same reason, the beaters 
must be only partially immersed in the whites (no problem 
when making a single cheesecake).

If you beat the egg whites too long, their structure will 
collapse and the whites will begin to reliquify.  At this 
point, all is lost; they will not rise again.  Sneak them 
into an omelet, mix them in with the dog's chow, or use 
them in a pomade for your hair if you like but do not try 
to use them in a cheesecake.  Start over.

It is not possible to blend beaten egg whites or whipped 
cream into a batter with a mixer without destroying much 
of their lightness in the process.  They must be folded 
in, by hand with a large spoon or whisk, using a gentle 
scooping motion to draw them down to the bottom of the 
bowl.  Once they have been incorporated, the batter should 
be poured gently into the pan and placed in the preheated 
oven immediately.


BAKING:

Since each oven seems to have its own set of problems, it 
is impossible to provide temperature and baking times that 
will be ideal for all.  The temperatures and times I have 
included in the recipes in this file, should be 
appropriate under most conditions.  If you are in doubt 
about your own oven, an oven thermometer should be used.  
If one is not available, then use a slightly lower 
temperature than the one in the recipe and bake the cake a 
little longer.

The best test of when a cheesecake is done is its 
appearance.  The sides should be raised and just barely 
beginning to brown.  The center may still be a little soft 
at this point, but will harden as the cake cools.  When 
the cake reaches this stage, turn the oven off.  If 
possible allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven, with 
the oven door slightly open ( a wooden spoon accomplishes 
the job nicely).  If this is not possible, the cheesecake 
may be cooled on a rack.


COOLING:

Once the cake has reached room temperature, refrigerate it 
for at least four hours before serving.  To do this in the 
best way, cover the cake, still in the pan, with a layer 
of foil or plastic warp drawn tightly over the top to seal 
out odors and to prevent drying out.  Place the cake on a 
middle or upper shelf of the refrigerator.


TROUBLESHOOTING:

The most common disaster that beginning cheesecake bakers 
encounter is cracking.  If the egg whites were beaten and 
folded properly, then the problem is probably in the 
baking and cooling.  As the cheesecake bakes, it gives off 
a considerable amount of moisture.  If it gives off too 
much or give it off to fast, the cake will crack.  One 
solution to his problem is to increase the humidity of the 
oven.

Some commercial bakeries have steam injections systems 
designed for this purpose.  At home the same result can be 
obtained by placing the cake pan in a water bath or by 
placing a pan of water on the bottom shelf of the oven.  
Since springform pans are not watertight, it is advisable 
to place a skirt of aluminum foil around the entire bottom 
of the pan and up the sides, before placing it in a water 
bath.

Deep concentric cracks and a dark brown top indicate that 
the cake was baked too long and/or at too high a 
temperature.  Such cracks are usually indicative of 
extensive damage to the egg white structure and 
consequently mean a soggy cheesecake.  Don't serve it to 
company.

Grand Canyon crevices across the center of the cheesecake 
are unsightly but usually not very serious.  They are 
often caused by drafts or come about during the cooling 
process.  Two safeguards can be recommended.  Do not open 
the oven any more or any longer than necessary.  Unless 
the recipe specifically calls for it, never open the door 
during the first thirty minutes of baking.

To prevent cracking during the cooling process, run a 
knife or spatula along the edge of the pan so that the 
cake can pull away freely as it contracts.  Don't forget 
that unsightly cracks can be hidden with the judicious use 
of a topping.

By and large the same hints apply to all varieties of 
cheesecakes, but a few points should be kept in mind.  
Cheese pies and cheesecakes prepared without separately 
beaten egg whites can be baked at a somewhat higher 
temperature.  In recipes that call for the use of gelatin; 
the gelatin should be allowed to thicken, but not set, 
before it is added to the batter.  If it should set, place 
the bowl in hot water until it reliquifies.  It may then 
be cooled again until it reaches the desired consistency.