Yesterday I made a cheesecake -- this is only my second cheesecake, but the
first one turned out delicious. I used the same recipe. However, at the end
of baking +3 hours in the oven, when I took it out, despite my wrapping it
in 3 layers of heavy aluminmum foil, there was water in the cheesecake, and
in each layer of foil.

My method was:
I heated water in the microwave and poured it into a larger pan than my
cheesecake pan. I let the pan water heat further in the oven while the oven
was coming up to temperature. When I put the pan into the water, the water
did not rise above the cheesecake pan - I had previously left a mark on the
pan so as to know how high to fill it.

But, I am wondering IF PERHAPS I DID push the pan down and it did displace
the bottom plate of the pan, but imagining this, I don't know how this
would've brought the water into the aluminum foil.

I don't think I'll make a cheesecake again unless there is a tasty method of
making one without the water bath (bian marie)-- DH said -- just buy a
cheesecake factory one and forget it.

Does anyone made one not using a water bath? What have been the results?
Thanks,
Dee