In news:rec.food.cooking, "Pete C." > posted on Thu,
25 Nov 2010 19:48:55 -0600 the following:

> Water bath??? For a cheesecake??? I've never heard of that in any
> cheesecake recipe, even the screwy ones that use a crust. Are you baking
> cheesecake or a creme brulee???

Does a creme brulee have a crust? I've never had a cheesecake without a
crust, or I'd call it cheesecake pudding. And I'm not talking about some
Keebler pie crust in a pan. I'm talking about the layer of graham cracker
crumbs and butter that is pressed into the bottom of the springform pan
that gives the cheesecake some kind of base to sit on. I would probably
like a cheesecake without a crust, however, but just because the one I
made has a crust, I don't consider it screwy, bad, wrong, evil or sinful.

The cheesecake I baked for Thanksgiving was my second using this recipe.
It didn't call for a water bath, but some of the comments under the recipe
did call for one. Plus a discussion I had over instant messaging has
become clearer now. A water bath will keep the sides of the springform
pan from exceeding 212 degrees. That will result in a cheesecake which
has the same creaminess on the sides as it has in the center. And while
the cheesecake I brought to dinner made everyone moan in ecstasy like no
other food that was on the table, I noticed a difference in texture as I
ate toward the outside edge of the cheesecake. The center was so creamy
that it had no texture at all that my tongue could detect, but the outside
edge did have a texture. It wasn't gross or inedible or anything, but
there *was* a texture and I didn't like the mouth feel of the outside inch
of cheesecake as much as the center. A water bath is supposed to keep the
outside edge as creamy as the center where it was absolutely perfect.

Damaeus
--
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crimes"
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