I like making cheesecakes, but my crusts suck. They are much
harder than what I want. I am using ratios of 1 cup crushed
graham crackers, 3 TB sugar, and 3 TB butter. Maybe a little
heavier on the butter and lighter on the sugar, but that's close.
I mold the crust up the sides, so I usually triple or quadruple
that amount to get about a 1/4 inch crust. I have tried molding
gently rather than pressing hard. That helped some but not
enough.

I quit pre-baking the crust at all in order to reduce its hardness,
but that hasn't fixed it. The recipe I use is pretty close to the
New York Cheesecake that's inside the Philadephia Cream
Cheese boxes. I underbake by about 15 minutes. Recipe
calls for 65 minutes and I go for 50. Works for me.

How do I make my crusts soft? Do you have a simple
alternative crust I could try?

Thank you, Michael

Michael wrote:
>
> I like making cheesecakes, but my crusts suck. They are much
> harder than what I want. I am using ratios of 1 cup crushed
> graham crackers, 3 TB sugar, and 3 TB butter. Maybe a little
> heavier on the butter and lighter on the sugar, but that's close.
> I mold the crust up the sides, so I usually triple or quadruple
> that amount to get about a 1/4 inch crust. I have tried molding
> gently rather than pressing hard. That helped some but not
> enough.
>
> I quit pre-baking the crust at all in order to reduce its hardness,
> but that hasn't fixed it. The recipe I use is pretty close to the
> New York Cheesecake that's inside the Philadephia Cream
> Cheese boxes. I underbake by about 15 minutes. Recipe
> calls for 65 minutes and I go for 50. Works for me.
>
> How do I make my crusts soft? Do you have a simple
> alternative crust I could try?
>
> Thank you, Michael

Skip the crusts entirely, they're utterly pointless if you make a really
good cheesecake.

Pete C.

Michael wrote on 14 May 2006 in rec.food.cooking

> I like making cheesecakes, but my crusts suck. They are much
> harder than what I want. I am using ratios of 1 cup crushed
> graham crackers, 3 TB sugar, and 3 TB butter. Maybe a little
> heavier on the butter and lighter on the sugar, but that's close.
> I mold the crust up the sides, so I usually triple or quadruple
> that amount to get about a 1/4 inch crust. I have tried molding
> gently rather than pressing hard. That helped some but not
> enough.
>
> I quit pre-baking the crust at all in order to reduce its hardness,
> but that hasn't fixed it. The recipe I use is pretty close to the
> New York Cheesecake that's inside the Philadephia Cream
> Cheese boxes. I underbake by about 15 minutes. Recipe
> calls for 65 minutes and I go for 50. Works for me.
>
> How do I make my crusts soft? Do you have a simple
> alternative crust I could try?
>
> Thank you, Michael
>
>

Try using more butter...say 4 tbsps... (I mean 1 more tbsp more than you
use now) see what that does...

Add some cinnamonor some such to the crust mix... try adding almond
crumbs or both. But increasing the butter should work.

The other stuff might make the crust taste better or more to your liking.



--
-Alan

Alan wrote:

Try using more butter...say 4 tbsps... (I mean 1 more tbsp more than
you use now) see what that does...

Add some cinnamonor some such to the crust mix... try adding
almond crumbs or both. But increasing the butter should work.

************
Thanks for the suggestions, Alan. One of the things I didn't
mention is that my cheesecake springform pans leak a litte
bit, so I sit them on cookie trays to bake them. Butter always
leaks out into the cookie sheet. Does that perhaps mean that
I don't have the butter combined well enough with the graham
crackers?

Another thing: I use a rolling pin to smash the graham
crackers. That's not pulverizing them too much and making
the crust hard, is it? I don't have a food processor and don't
plan on getting one, so that's not an option.

As far as additives, when I make a chocolate cheesecake,
I substitute crushed walnuts for some of the graham crackers
and add cocoa. I like it a lot, but it comes out hard also.

Thanks again, Michael

Pete wrote:

Skip the crusts entirely, they're utterly pointless if you make
a really good cheesecake.

***********
Thanks for the suggestion, Pete, but I like the crusts.

Michael

I had an experienced chef once make me a cheezecake. He used what seemed to
be a lot of melted butter in the crust and he also added very finely ground
almonds to the graham crust mixture. The crust was not prebaked and he lined
the pan with his fingers. It was fabulous. The almonds were just
recognizable to the taste buds.

F.J.

"Michael" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>I like making cheesecakes, but my crusts suck. They are much
> harder than what I want. I am using ratios of 1 cup crushed
> graham crackers, 3 TB sugar, and 3 TB butter. Maybe a little
> heavier on the butter and lighter on the sugar, but that's close.
> I mold the crust up the sides, so I usually triple or quadruple
> that amount to get about a 1/4 inch crust. I have tried molding
> gently rather than pressing hard. That helped some but not
> enough.
>
> I quit pre-baking the crust at all in order to reduce its hardness,
> but that hasn't fixed it. The recipe I use is pretty close to the
> New York Cheesecake that's inside the Philadephia Cream
> Cheese boxes. I underbake by about 15 minutes. Recipe
> calls for 65 minutes and I go for 50. Works for me.
>
> How do I make my crusts soft? Do you have a simple
> alternative crust I could try?
>
> Thank you, Michael
>

On 14 May 2006 10:07:40 -0700, "Michael" > wrote:

>Alan wrote:
>
>Try using more butter...say 4 tbsps... (I mean 1 more tbsp more than
>you use now) see what that does...
>
>Add some cinnamonor some such to the crust mix... try adding
>almond crumbs or both. But increasing the butter should work.
>
>************
>Thanks for the suggestions, Alan. One of the things I didn't
>mention is that my cheesecake springform pans leak a litte
>bit, so I sit them on cookie trays to bake them. Butter always
>leaks out into the cookie sheet. Does that perhaps mean that
>I don't have the butter combined well enough with the graham
>crackers?

Just put some baking paper inside the springform pan. No more leaks.

Nathalie in Switzerland

In article .com>,
"Michael" > wrote:

> Alan wrote:
>
> Try using more butter...say 4 tbsps... (I mean 1 more tbsp more than
> you use now) see what that does...
>
> Add some cinnamonor some such to the crust mix... try adding
> almond crumbs or both. But increasing the butter should work.
>
> ************
> Thanks for the suggestions, Alan. One of the things I didn't
> mention is that my cheesecake springform pans leak a litte
> bit, so I sit them on cookie trays to bake them. Butter always
> leaks out into the cookie sheet. Does that perhaps mean that
> I don't have the butter combined well enough with the graham
> crackers?
>
> Another thing: I use a rolling pin to smash the graham
> crackers. That's not pulverizing them too much and making
> the crust hard, is it? I don't have a food processor and don't
> plan on getting one, so that's not an option.
>
> As far as additives, when I make a chocolate cheesecake,
> I substitute crushed walnuts for some of the graham crackers
> and add cocoa. I like it a lot, but it comes out hard also.
>
> Thanks again, Michael

I use a meat mallet and put the crackers into a ziplock bag to make
cracker crumbs. ;-)

Try melting the butter before adding it to the crumbs, and increase the
amount of butter maybe.
--
Peace!
Om

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch"
-- Jack Nicholson

Michael wrote:

>I like making cheesecakes, but my crusts suck. They are much
>harder than what I want. I am using ratios of 1 cup crushed
>graham crackers, 3 TB sugar, and 3 TB butter. Maybe a little
>heavier on the butter and lighter on the sugar, but that's close.
>I mold the crust up the sides, so I usually triple or quadruple
>that amount to get about a 1/4 inch crust. I have tried molding
>gently rather than pressing hard. That helped some but not
>enough.
>
>I quit pre-baking the crust at all in order to reduce its hardness,
>but that hasn't fixed it. The recipe I use is pretty close to the
>New York Cheesecake that's inside the Philadephia Cream
>Cheese boxes. I underbake by about 15 minutes. Recipe
>calls for 65 minutes and I go for 50. Works for me.
>
>How do I make my crusts soft? Do you have a simple
>alternative crust I could try?
>
>Thank you, Michael
>
>
>
Try this, a Charmaine Solomon recipe called No Roll Pastry.

90gm butter
2 1/2 tbsp milk
pinch salt
1tbsp sugar if making sweet pastry
1 cup self-raising flour

Melt butter in milk. I do this in a large microwave jug which then
doubles as the mixing bowl. Sift in flour and sugar if using. Mix to
slightly sticky dough.

Now the fun part. You have this play-dough like substance and you have
to pat it out into the dish. At first you think you don't have enough,
but because it's warm it is expanding as you work with it and there's
plenty for even a 23cm tart tin. Work fairly quickly, because it's not
so pliable once it cools down.

You don't blind bake it, just put the filling - which can still be warm
- straight in. Give it 30 mins in a moderate oven. The resulting crust
is crunchy but never hard.

It's no good for lids because, of course, it doesn't roll. But it's
great in warm weather when pastry doesn't handle well.

Christine

On 14 May 2006 10:07:40 -0700, "Michael" > wrote:

>Alan wrote:
>
>Try using more butter...say 4 tbsps... (I mean 1 more tbsp more than
>you use now) see what that does...
>
>Add some cinnamonor some such to the crust mix... try adding
>almond crumbs or both. But increasing the butter should work.
>
>************
>Thanks for the suggestions, Alan. One of the things I didn't
>mention is that my cheesecake springform pans leak a litte
>bit, so I sit them on cookie trays to bake them. Butter always
>leaks out into the cookie sheet. Does that perhaps mean that
>I don't have the butter combined well enough with the graham
>crackers?
>
>Another thing: I use a rolling pin to smash the graham
>crackers. That's not pulverizing them too much and making
>the crust hard, is it? I don't have a food processor and don't
>plan on getting one, so that's not an option.
>
>As far as additives, when I make a chocolate cheesecake,
>I substitute crushed walnuts for some of the graham crackers
>and add cocoa. I like it a lot, but it comes out hard also.
>
>Thanks again, Michael

Quite the reverse... the finer you crush the biscuits, the softer the
crust will turn out. Hard cookie crumbs make for a cheesecake crust
that's very hard on the teeth. Put them in the food processer instead
and grind them up smaller.

On Sun 14 May 2006 09:38:16a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Michael?

> I like making cheesecakes, but my crusts suck. They are much
> harder than what I want. I am using ratios of 1 cup crushed
> graham crackers, 3 TB sugar, and 3 TB butter. Maybe a little
> heavier on the butter and lighter on the sugar, but that's close.
> I mold the crust up the sides, so I usually triple or quadruple
> that amount to get about a 1/4 inch crust. I have tried molding
> gently rather than pressing hard. That helped some but not
> enough.
>
> I quit pre-baking the crust at all in order to reduce its hardness,
> but that hasn't fixed it. The recipe I use is pretty close to the
> New York Cheesecake that's inside the Philadephia Cream
> Cheese boxes. I underbake by about 15 minutes. Recipe
> calls for 65 minutes and I go for 50. Works for me.
>
> How do I make my crusts soft? Do you have a simple
> alternative crust I could try?
>
> Thank you, Michael

Be even more gentle with shaping the crust. Leave the texture almost
"fluffy", then freeze it to set it before pouring in the filling.

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
_____________________

On Sun 14 May 2006 05:49:28p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Karen AKA
Kajikit?

> On 14 May 2006 10:07:40 -0700, "Michael" > wrote:
>
>>Alan wrote:
>>
>>Try using more butter...say 4 tbsps... (I mean 1 more tbsp more than
>>you use now) see what that does...
>>
>>Add some cinnamonor some such to the crust mix... try adding
>>almond crumbs or both. But increasing the butter should work.
>>
>>************
>>Thanks for the suggestions, Alan. One of the things I didn't
>>mention is that my cheesecake springform pans leak a litte
>>bit, so I sit them on cookie trays to bake them. Butter always
>>leaks out into the cookie sheet. Does that perhaps mean that
>>I don't have the butter combined well enough with the graham crackers?
>>
>>Another thing: I use a rolling pin to smash the graham
>>crackers. That's not pulverizing them too much and making
>>the crust hard, is it? I don't have a food processor and don't
>>plan on getting one, so that's not an option.
>>
>>As far as additives, when I make a chocolate cheesecake,
>>I substitute crushed walnuts for some of the graham crackers
>>and add cocoa. I like it a lot, but it comes out hard also.
>>
>>Thanks again, Michael
>
> Quite the reverse... the finer you crush the biscuits, the softer the
> crust will turn out. Hard cookie crumbs make for a cheesecake crust
> that's very hard on the teeth. Put them in the food processer instead
> and grind them up smaller.

No processor? Buy graham cracker crumbs in the box. They are fine crumbs
and mix well with the sugar and butter.

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
_____________________

ladyfingers.

--

Michael wrote:
>I like making cheesecakes, but my crusts suck. They are much
> harder than what I want. I am using ratios of 1 cup crushed
> graham crackers, 3 TB sugar, and 3 TB butter. Maybe a little
> heavier on the butter and lighter on the sugar, but that's close.
> I mold the crust up the sides, so I usually triple or quadruple
> that amount to get about a 1/4 inch crust. I have tried molding
> gently rather than pressing hard. That helped some but not
> enough.
>
> I quit pre-baking the crust at all in order to reduce its hardness,
> but that hasn't fixed it. The recipe I use is pretty close to the
> New York Cheesecake that's inside the Philadephia Cream
> Cheese boxes. I underbake by about 15 minutes. Recipe
> calls for 65 minutes and I go for 50. Works for me.
>
> How do I make my crusts soft? Do you have a simple
> alternative crust I could try?
>
> Thank you, Michael

On 15 May 2006 04:40:44 +0200, Wayne Boatwright wrote:

> On Sun 14 May 2006 09:38:16a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Michael?
>
> >
> > How do I make my crusts soft? Do you have a simple
> > alternative crust I could try?
> >
> > Thank you, Michael
>
> Be even more gentle with shaping the crust. Leave the texture almost
> "fluffy", then freeze it to set it before pouring in the filling.

I'm wondering if they aren't too thick. I've never had a problem with
my crusts.... unless I forgot to put in the butter. So that's another
idea - eliminate part or all of the butter for a "soft" crumb crust.
--

Ham and eggs.
A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.

In article >,
"Pete C." > wrote:

> Skip the crusts entirely, they're utterly pointless if you make a really
> good cheesecake.

Hard to believe as it is, some people do like the contrast between
the crust and the creamy cake.

Regards,
Ranee

Remove do not & spam to e-mail me.

"She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands." Prov 31:13

http://arabianknits.blogspot.com/
http://talesfromthekitchen.blogspot.com/

Michael wrote:
>
> How do I make my crusts soft? Do you have a simple
> alternative crust I could try?
>
> Thank you, Michael

Michael, years ago I made a cheesecake that had a crust made from cake
crumbs. The springform pan was buttered, then you sprinkled cake
crumbs (use whatever you want, yellow cake, pound cake, etc.) on the
bottom and up the sides of the pan, pressing in the crumbs as much as
possible. Fill and bake in the usual way. The resulting crust was
very thin, light and soft.

Sandy

Michael wrote:
>
> How do I make my crusts soft? Do you have a simple
> alternative crust I could try?
>
> Thank you, Michael

Instead of graham crumbs, which I know you say you like, use a cookie
type crust -

this one is generally softer and more easily cut than a graham crust,
at least in my

experience:

1 C. unsalted butter, room temp.
2 C. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
4 large egg yolks
2 3/4 C. all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp. salt

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy - add vanilla and yolks,
one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour and salt
together, and add to creamed mixture - beat until just barely coming
together, but still crumbly.

Divide dough in half and form into two flat patties - use immediately,
or wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
Roll out dough to fit springform pan and shape it in the pan as needed.

Makes 2 crusts for 9" pans.

N.

On 15 May 2006 12:26:04 -0700, Nancy2 wrote:

>
> Michael wrote:
> >
> > How do I make my crusts soft? Do you have a simple
> > alternative crust I could try?
> >
> > Thank you, Michael
>
> Instead of graham crumbs, which I know you say you like, use a cookie
> type crust -
>
> this one is generally softer and more easily cut than a graham crust,
> at least in my
>
> experience:
>
> 1 C. unsalted butter, room temp.
> 2 C. sugar
> 1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
> 4 large egg yolks
> 2 3/4 C. all-purpose flour
> 1/8 tsp. salt
>
> Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy - add vanilla and yolks,
> one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour and salt
> together, and add to creamed mixture - beat until just barely coming
> together, but still crumbly.
>
> Divide dough in half and form into two flat patties - use immediately,
> or wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
> Roll out dough to fit springform pan and shape it in the pan as needed.
>
> Makes 2 crusts for 9" pans.
>
> N.

I think he needs to butter the pan and sprinkle a smattering of
crumbs... they should be graham cracker, but who cares when it's so
little? The best cheese cake I know (which no one has heard of except
locals and NO ONE can reproduce) of has only a hint of crust on it.
--

Ham and eggs.
A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.

Thanks to everybody for posting. Although I like the graham
cracker crust, our favorite restaurant has a cheesecake that
has a very soft and smooth crust that I also like. I'd like to
give that a shot. Several of the recipes that you described
sound like they might give me something close to this. At
the bookstore, a cheesecake cookbook regularly recommended
crumbled butter cookies and butter.

And although I know there are strong arguments for minimal
or no crust, I'll probably stick with a quarter-inch crust on the
bottom on the sides.

Thanks again, Michael

Ranee wrote:

Hard to believe as it is, some people do like the contrast
between the crust and the creamy cake.

********************
I make them regularly, at least a couple a month, and take
them into work. I've yet to see somebody skip the crust,
although I have seen them struggle valiantly trying to defeat
it with a plastic fork.

Government office workers are great for the ego of a beginning
cook. Anything you take in disappears in minutes, and there
are no complaints.

Michael

Michael wrote:

> And although I know there are strong arguments for minimal
> or no crust, I'll probably stick with a quarter-inch crust on the
> bottom on the sides.
>
> Thanks again, Michael

A quarter inch? That sounds really thick to me, for a cheesecake
crust. You should probably bake the crust, break it into chunks, and
use the cheesecake mixture as a dip. ;-)

N.

On Tue 16 May 2006 08:42:24a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Nancy2?

>
> Michael wrote:
>
>> And although I know there are strong arguments for minimal
>> or no crust, I'll probably stick with a quarter-inch crust on the
>> bottom on the sides.
>>
>> Thanks again, Michael
>
> A quarter inch? That sounds really thick to me, for a cheesecake
> crust. You should probably bake the crust, break it into chunks, and
> use the cheesecake mixture as a dip. ;-)
>
> N.

My preference for many cheesecakes is to heavily butter the springform pan,
then toss around graham cracker or other crumbs to coat nicely, tossing out
the excess. It's frequently just enough of a "crust", and it absolutely
never hard or tough. I have never cared for totally crustless cheesecakes.

--

Wayne Boatwright
__________________________________________________ ___________

"How can a nation be great if it's bread taste like Kleenex?"

Julia Child

Nancy2 wrote:

A quarter inch? That sounds really thick to me, for a cheesecake
crust. You should probably bake the crust, break it into chunks,
and use the cheesecake mixture as a dip. ;-)

****************
Alright! That's about enough of that! Next thing I'll hear about is
my crust falling off a shelf and killing a man. ;-)

Michael