Cheesecakes in Convection?

[mariachi_chef]

O.K, here's what I do. I make a Chevre Cheesecake in a 10-inch springform pan, wrapped in foil, placed in a hot water bath for 45 minutes in a convection oven at 325 degrees. It comes out perfect every time. Good luck.

[TapTapper]

Everyone, thanks for the wonderful info! I will be running a test bake the week after Easter. I'll let you know how it goes.

--Pat

[rat]

To make it in a convection you can also lose the waterbath with the reduced tempratures, we cook ours at 235 degrees, a 10 inch cheesecake takes about 40 minutes to reach in internal temp of 157 degrees which is what we cook them too. We finish them with the oven door slightly open with the cool down fan running, they come out fine never a problem. For a nice color on the top start them at 350 or so until you get the color you like then set the oven on cool down to get to 235 degrees go from there.
Honestly, I am lazy and couldn't be bothered with the whole foil and waterbath thing, if i showed you the springform pans I use you would understand.

[HeavyMetal Chef]

At wark what we do is bake all of our custards and cheesecakes in the convection oven at 200 F. It comes out perfect. We have a semi-difficult oven to work with because when either the top or bottom opens it stops the rotation and it jerks (thats why I have the people who come fix the oven...lol). But our custards and cheesecake come out awsome in a matter of (for a 10'' cheesecake) 1 1/2 hours maybe shorter (depending on how many are in at a time).

[HeavyMetal Chef]

and no bath required

[shaloop]

Thanks all. I tried again this week at a lower temperature (about 225) and they came out much better.

[Sonny's Bakery]

Hi, I can give you all the knowhow for the best creamy cheesecake you may wish, just email me at sonny@cheesecake.it

[Sonny's Bakery]

Hi, I can give you all the knowhow for the best creamy cheesecake you may wish, just email me at sonny@cheesecake.it

[ShoeMaker]

I've baked countless hundreds of cheesecakes (NY style) in the "spinning rack" type convection oven. We'd use 2" hotel pans to put the cakes and H2O in, and never had water slopping around, never had to cover cakes. I absolutely loved that oven (at my previous job) as it baked most everything quite nicely.
These days, I'm limited to a standard convection oven (high/low fan), and I bake cheesecakes "satisfactorily" in it (although I don't like the results as much as non-convection and the "spinning" rack type). I cover the hotel pan with foil (vented) for 25 - 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake until done (occasionally having a crack or two, but the crack usually settles down into just being a line on the cake when cool, and the head chef and general manager are perfectly happy with the results, so....
I can't stand the oven I'm using at the moment, fwiw, but I make do. My favorite oven ever was a big old gas oven with 5 shelves that held 4 full sheets per shelf and turned like a ferris wheel. Had a steam attachment, made THE BEST "baked on the shelf" rye, french, and sourdough breads

[PastryChica]

as for the rotating -yuk. I thought I had it back with the convection oven that seems to be on high or instant sahara mode. In that oven I cover tops of cheesecake pans with sheet pans and fill the lower rack with a deep pan of hot water. Perhaps with your roataing oven you could get some REALLY DEEP pans and fill them half way with hot water and place them on the lower racks of the speed rack so if they slosh they just slosh onto the floor of the oven and hopefully retain enough water to create a moist atmoshpere. Still not a waterbath, but the crazy place were I just started working bakes cheesecake on sheet pans with risers - no possible way to put them in a waterbath, so all I could do was put a waterpan in the oven with it. Mine did come out better when I added fruit puree to the batter, so play with a little more moisture a little more sugar to combat the inhospitable enviroment. GOOD LUCK.

[shaloop]

Just an update. I finally figured it out. It's been more than 6 months and things are working out fine. I use the convection oven with only one fan speed which is full blast on 250 F. I put the cheesecakes in a 4" deep hotel pan and fill 1/2 way with water and then cover for the 1st hour and uncover the last 30 mins or so and they come out great, no cracks. Thanks for all the help.

[Sadie1]

Hi..don't mean to hijack Shaloops thread, but I am trying to figure out exactly what type of ovens I want for a small bakery. I do only cheesecakes and cakes, and I THOUGHT I wanted a couple of double stack convection ovens, but I am getting conflicting opinions from both restaurant owners and equipment salesmen. Half say convection is what I need, the other half say I should never consider baking cakes and cheesecakes in a convection oven...I'm confused! Can anyone help me?