First attempt at making a cheesecake...

[dpnice]

why yes, yes I did chide him, all in fun. i believe as does Ina that it's perfectly acceptable to purchase a pre-made component of a dinner. Yes, it would be better to make the dough yourself, but it doesn't take away from it if you don't...

So what would be the most important part of the pizza, the homemade topping or the base bought from the shops?

 

[gsdx]

So what would be the most important part of the pizza, the homemade topping or the base bought from the shops?

Only self-sufficient people who grow ALL of their own food and prepare it themselves (including the pepperoni) can truly make their own pizza. Otherwise, if you purchase all of the ingredients, you might make your own dough, but the rest is just assembly.

 

[NotHardUp1]

Homemade cheesecakes are to die for. The ones from the grocery store are never as good.

It's pretty obvious SOMEBODY doesn't like Sara Lee!

 

[dpnice]

Only self-sufficient people who grow ALL of their own food and prepare it themselves (including the pepperoni) can truly make their own pizza. Otherwise, if you purchase all of the ingredients, you might make your own dough, but the rest is just assembly.

That is really going to the extreme in being picky over terminology.

So I can't say I "made" a cheesecake as I didn't produce all the ingredients myself?

I assembled an apple tart yesterday and tomorrow I fancy assembling a date and walnut cake.

 

[GreyUnderscore]

So what would be the most important part of the pizza, the homemade topping or the base bought from the shops?

A good crust is important but if the toppings are lackluster then the whole pizza falls apart.

 

[NotHardUp1]

Although good crust is indeed good, I agree with the OP.

It's not like pie where the crust is an automatic disqualifier if it is soft, packing, or ruined. That said, a heckuva lot of diners sell pie with shit for crust. As Marjorie once told me, "people will eat ANYTHING!"

 

[star-warrior]

I used a springform pan and yes I cooked it in a water bath.

In my rush earlier, I didn't form my question very well, sorry. I meant, is there's a crushed crumb crust base made out of something like graham crackers underneath the filling? I notice online some people like to make the crust go up the side of the tin before putting in the filling. Some recipes require you to beat the egg whites separately and fold it in to make it lighter. I've tried some cheesecakes which are thick and creamy in texture, which was your type?

I like cheesecake, but alas, they're really filling.

 

[sixthson]

I'm not a big fan of cheesecake, but I do believe they are best when eaten at room temperature. To me, the flavor is compromised when eaten cold from the refrigerator.

 

[GreyUnderscore]

In my rush earlier, I didn't form my question very well, sorry. I meant, is there's a crushed crumb crust base made out of something like graham crackers underneath the filling? I notice online some people like to make the crust go up the side of the tin before putting in the filling. Some recipes require you to beat the egg whites separately and fold it in to make it lighter. I've tried some cheesecakes which are thick and creamy in texture, which was your type?

I like cheesecake, but alas, they're really filling.

Yes I used a graham cracker crust and no I didn't put it up the sides. I'll do that next time. I didn't beat the egg white separately but maybe I'll try that out in the future. Mine was creamy but it was thicker than I wanted. I'm going to reduce the amount of eggs I used or maybe try incorporating beaten egg whites.

 

[gsdx]

Egg whites fluff up much more than whole eggs. Did the recipe call for whole eggs or just the whites?

 

[JPGhost]

Cake is like chemistry class, no?

That's why I don't like to make it

 

[NotHardUp1]

I'm not a big fan of cheesecake, but I do believe they are best when eaten at room temperature. To me, the flavor is compromised when eaten cold from the refrigerator.

In my experience, this is true of almost all cheese.

 

[NotHardUp1]

Cake is like chemistry class, no?

That's why I don't like to make it

Although baking certainly does involve chemical reactions, it really is more akin to shop class. There is a tried and true blueprint for how to build something, and in the kitchen, that is a recipe.

It's not that the builder cannot deviate from the drawing, but the best success at innovation comes after the builder has mastered the design as proven.

For my own part, I love varying the recipe, and I have a friend that hates it because she doesn't like experimentation. Different strokes. LOL.

 

[GreyUnderscore]

I'm not a big fan of cheesecake, but I do believe they are best when eaten at room temperature. To me, the flavor is compromised when eaten cold from the refrigerator.

I enjoy it both ways. Although even when it's at room temperature I still like it to have just a bit of a chill to it.

Egg whites fluff up much more than whole eggs. Did the recipe call for whole eggs or just the whites?

Whole eggs. I only slightly modified the original recipe. I didn't want to get too crazy the first time.

 

[rareboy]

I made it early in the week. I tried to make some jam swirls but as you can see I need to work on it.

(The light in my kitchen sucks.)

I would totally fuck that cheesecake.

 

[GreyUnderscore]

My second attempt is cooling in the oven now. I want to "perfect" the graham cracker crust so I stuck with it again. I remembered to grease the pan and I reduced the amount of a few ingredients. This time the top didn't crack. Tomorrow evening is tasting day.

 

[DonQuixote]

While most cheesecakes do indeed use a spring form pan, I have a recipe from my mom that bakes in a deep dish pie plate - and makes its own crust, no crushed graham crackers or chocolate wafer cookies required.

I enjoy the Chemistry of Cooking. I have a bread book I got from my folks - in the muffin section the author starts with a basic recipe, then goes on for another 2 or three pages of additions and what to substitute (e.g. going from white sugar to brown when you sub whole wheat flour and/or add nuts, fruit, etc.)

It is chemistry, because the ingredients combine and change as they bake.

 

[star-warrior]

So what does cheesecake #2 look like?

 

[GreyUnderscore]

^Very similar to the first one except the swirls don't look as wild as the first one and there's no crack on top. It's too early to eat a piece so the pics will come later.

 

[rareboy]

The secret is to make a sour cream icing for the top that fills in the crack.

We have a classic old recipe from the Belarus and that is how they made a prefect looking cheesecake.