294988 Thu Nov 20 17:52:05 -0800 2003 8 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1619755 I have always wondered about the technique restaurants and bakeries use to make the graham cracker crust go all the way up the sides of the cheesecake. Some people recommended crumbs after the cheescake is done, but thats not what I'm talking about. I guess the best example is the cheesecake factory because their cheesecakes always have a nice crust on the bottom and sides. I tried to make a paste with the graham crackers and butter and that made the crust gummy and not crunchy. Please give me some suggestions because I would love to have that Cheesecake factory look, but I don't know how to achieve it. Thu Nov 20 17:52:05 -0800 2003 0 Elle 1 1619772 I've always been able to press the crumb/butter (2oz butter, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 stack crackers) mixture up the sides of the pan. Thu Nov 20 18:54:12 -0800 2003 1619755 0 Curt 2 1619834 Though I says it as shouldn't I'm a damned good cheesecake baker. And, Elle, if your measure of cheesecake merit is the Cheesecake Factory, well, you ain't tasted nothing yet. I don't like crusts on cheesecake, ESPECIALLY graham cracker crusts. I match the cookie crumb to the filling (chocolate cookie crumbs for coconut cheesecake, gingersnap crumbs for pumpkin cheesecake, zweibach or vanilla wafer crumbs for plain cheesecake, amaretti crumbs for amaretto cheesecake . . . you get the idea.) I use a solid pan the size called for in the recipe, three inches deep (not a loose-bottomed or springform pan). I melt a couple tablespoons of butter in it and tilt the pan to coat it evenly. Then I toss about 1/3 - 1/2 cup of crushed cookie crumbs in the pan and set it aside while I make the filling. I bake it in a water bath. Result: my cheesecakes never, ever crack. Think about it: a cheesecake is essentially a custard and needs to be treated gently. They crack because their sides stick to the sides of the pan, and they shrink from evaporation and cooking, so they have no place to go but to crack in the middle. It can take some experience to bake it to the right state of doneness. It needs to -- when it's cool -- be thoroughly baked, but not over-baked. I let it cool in the water bath in the oven with the door tilted open. Now comes the tricky part. It takes guts to do this, so take a deep breath. The cheesecake needs to be cool but DO NOT refrigerate it at this point. You need a cake cardboard about 4" in diameter larger than your cheesecake. Take the cheesecake out of the water bath and dry off the outside of the pan. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the cheesecake pan, then place the cardboard on top of it. Flip the whole enchilada over and feel the cheesecake slip out of the pan onto the cardboard. Carefully lift the pan off the cheesecake and IMMEDIATELY place the cardboard with the cheesecake into the fridge. Close the door and leave it for at least an hour or so. Then cover it well and store it. A cheesecake pan an inch or two larger in diameter makes an ideal cover. It takes, as I say, guts, to turn a room-temperature custard out of its pan. And you can see it needs to be properly cooked, lest it collapse. Yes, I think I've had three collapse. I just scraped them into the mixing bowl, beat them again, prepared a fresh pan, and baked them for another 45 minutes or so. Sounds weird, but I'm known far and wide for my cheesecake. I think a heavy crust just detracts from a beautifully made and flavored filling. With this method the crumb coating goes right to the top of the sides of the cheesecake. Thu Nov 20 23:13:49 -0800 2003 1619772 0 Dorothy 3 1619840 Thanks Dorothy for the tips. No the Cheescake factory is not my measure of good cheesecake because I have certainly had better including mine, but I just like the way their cheesecake looks aesthetically. I will try your method when I don't have a major event because if I try the turn over method and it collapses on Thanksgiving I will be crushed. It does sound like a great technique and I am definitely going to try it. Fri Nov 21 00:32:27 -0800 2003 1619834 0 Elle 3 1619854 I'm confused. Does this give you cookie crumbs on the top of the cheesecake? Fri Nov 21 08:26:46 -0800 2003 1619834 0 danna 4 1619878 No, not on the top, but just a nice thick crust on bottom and all the way up the sides (about 2 inches) Fri Nov 21 10:49:25 -0800 2003 1619854 0 Elle 3 1619880 sorry if this is a stupid question, but do you put the cheesecake in the refrigerator upside down? when you flip the cheesecake upside down (on the cardboard) and remove the pan, when do you put it back right side up? Fri Nov 21 10:54:33 -0800 2003 1619834 0 margaret 3 1619893 I was wondering about it being upside down too; do you flip it onto a plate after taking it out of the pan? Fri Nov 21 11:55:40 -0800 2003 1619834 0 Naomi 3 1620031 Three clarifications. I should have included information about serving and the upside-down/right-side up issue would have been clear. First, you put the cheesecake into the fridge still upside down. Do it quickly and smoothly. This is the "danger point" -- when you've turned it out of the pan and it's not yet thoroghly chilled. If it's gonna collapse it will happen within the first hour after you turn it out of the pan. It won't happen later. Second, when I'm ready to serve it, I place a second circle of cardboard on top (it's really the bottom) of the cheesecake and flip it over. Then I peel off the plastic. Then I use a long, thin knife (I use a 14" carving knife) to cut it -- first in half, then in quarters, then into serving-sized pieces. I scrape the knife off after each cut. This way you get nice, neat, even pieces. [You actually can save what you scrape off the knife and spread it on graham crakers, or cookies!] Then I place each slice either on a platter or individual plates, garnish appropriately, and voila! The second circle of cardboard which you cut on is friendly to your knife and gets tossed later. If I'm taking the cheesecake to a party, I use a third cardboard (or the first one if it is clean and dry) put a doily on it and arrange the cheesecake on that, then put it in a pink bakery box. I buy cardborads, doilies and pink bakery boxes by the dozen at a local cake decorating store. Third, this method does NOT produce a crust. The whole outside, excepting the top, has a delicate coating of crumbs. Since I don't like a thick, dry, heavy, Cheesecake-Factory style crust, this works well for me. I've made a few hundred cheesecakes and no one's ever said, Gee I wish this had more crust. People are too busy licking their plates clean. I hate to brag (actually, I don't -- LOL) but I happen to be a wizard with cheesecakes. I need to write a book, since I've never seen some of the techniques I use in any book. Dorothy Sat Nov 22 21:50:43 -0800 2003 1619834 0 Dorothy