Overcooked cheesecake5/11/2023 The simplest way to avoid cracks is to shorten the cooking time, but you also can play with other variables. I’m always amazed that after chilling, the cake is perfectly cooked. I’ve made Rose Levy Beranbaum’s cheesecakes successfully many times, and every time there’s a section in the center, at least three inches in diameter, that wobbles wildly as if it were totally runny inside. I think that judging cheesecake doneness is one of the most deceptive and disconcerting things in cooking. Overcooking causes proteins to shrink and the cake to dry out, leading to-cracks. “The center jiggled a tiny bit, as if it weren’t done.” That’s true when the cake is hot, but examine it after chilling and you’ll see that it’s firm and dry right around the crack. The question I’m asked most frequently about cheesecakes is “Why did my cheesecake crack?” It’s difficult for cooks to believe my answer: it’s overcooked. Whatever the mechanism, the presence of starch means you can safely cook cheesecake at 325☏ for up to an hour without a water bath, just as you can bring crème pâtissière to a boil without fear of curdling. How? I lean toward a theory that swollen starch granules physically “get in the way” of the linking egg proteins, thereby slowing down coagulation. In this case, the starch protects the eggs from scrambling by preventing egg coagulation. Just as crème pâtissière (pastry cream), which is essentially a crème anglaise plus starch, can be cooked over direct medium-low heat without curdling, so can a cheesecake with starch be cooked without a water bath in a moderately hot oven. Starch in the batter affects the method of cooking. The thickening occurs when the granules of starch are heated, which causes them to swell and eventually pop, releasing their contents and creating a tangled network of molecules. When you add cornstarch or flour to cheesecake, the texture becomes firmer and coarser-maybe not ideal for a dessert, but I find it quite appropriate for a savory cheesecake. In a 350☏ oven, the temperature in a water bath will hover around 200☏, which allows the custard to set without curdling. My friend Doris Koplin, a professional baker and cheesecake expert, bakes her cheesecake without starch at 350☏ for 30-minutes (just enough time to get the batter hot) and then she turns off the heat and leaves the cheesecake in the closed oven for about an hour to continue cooking very slowly.Īnother method is to bake the cheesecake in a water bath. Betsy Murrelle, a cookware shop owner in Banner Elk, North Carolina (and an outstanding cook), bakes her cheesecakes in a 275☏ oven for one hour, and then leaves them in the turned-off oven for another hour. There are several ways to shield a cheesecake without starch against too much heat. As with crème anglaise (a boiled custard), which must be stirred constantly over very low heat, a cheesecake without starch must be baked very gently and evenly to avoid curdling. A little heat cooks the proteins just enough to make them loosely link together to form a thick but smooth texture but beyond a certain heat threshold, the proteins tighten up and form curds. Like other custards without starch, cheesecakes need gentle heat to prevent curdling. Also, emulsifiers in the egg yolk-lecithin and lipoproteins-help give the cheesecake a smooth texture. Thickening occurs when raw egg proteins unwind and link together, which is what happens when eggs cook. Without starch, cheesecakes rely on eggs for their thickening power. The texture of a cheesecake without starch is quite smooth and, if the batter contains sour cream, it’s also incredibly creamy: a sensuous, luxurious combination that’s perfect for a rich dessert cheesecake (see the recipes Classic Creamy Cheesecake and Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap & Pecan Crust). Adding starch to cheesecakes, or to any custard, affects both the cooking method and the texture, making it firmer and less likely to curdle or weep. And like custards, there are two major categories of cheesecake-those with starch and those without. You may not have realized it, but cheesecakes are just custards that happen to be made with cream cheese instead of milk.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |