Sous vide cheesecake?

[HowardLi]

Has anybody tried to do this?

I assume that the cheesecake should set after refrigeration if all of the egg proteins have coagulated, which according to this site, can happen slowly at 78 C for a custard... so if I put my pan into a big pot with 78 C (or 80 or 82) water such that the level is just under the rim of the pan, in about 3 hours (randomly selected time) I should have a thoroughly-done cake.

Ideas?

EDIT: Crust can be blind-baked, of course.

Edited September 19, 2011 by HowardLi (log)

[HowardLi]

I think I'm going to try one this weekend. Should I cover the pan with plastic wrap? Loosely cover it with foil to keep lid condensation at bay? Leave it fully open?

Unless someone says otherwise, I will try 78 C water.

Edited September 19, 2011 by HowardLi (log)

[Lisa Shock]

I would leave it open, but, be aware of the air temperature. In school, we bake in convection ovens, the old-fashioned way, so the temperature is fairly even all-around and the circulating air removes some moisture. If you try this in a regulated water bath uncovered, but the room has the AC blasting, the top may not cook well.

I say leave it open because most formulas have some moisture that needs to be released during cooking. Caveat: there may be modernist formulas that work better sealed that I am not aware of. (I want the book, but cannot at this time afford it...)

[HowardLi]

In a normal oven with a water bath, though, there is significant humidity; I always get greeted with a huge blast of water vapor when I open the door to check on my cheesecake.

If the humidity is at 100% (as I suspect it normally is), it would be no different than leaving the pot lid on. And the cheesecake does normally turn out very well - it's just easier to "bake" in a pot than an oven.

[avaserfi]

I've thought about trying this out as well, but haven't had a chance. Douglas Baldwin does have a sous vide creme brulee video on youtube, so I would expect cheesecake to work as well.

edited for spelling

Edited September 20, 2011 by avaserfi (log)

[avaserfi]

I just recently made some sous vide cheesecake and the results are great. I bagged the custard and cooked at 80C for 3 hours then piped into molds. The pictured cheesecake I gave a dusting of sugar and bruleed.

I talk about it a little more on the link below, but the end result was a resounding success for me.

http://www.consumedgourmet.com/2011/10/low-temperature-sous-vide-cheesecake.html

[HowardLi]

How do you think the freezing affected the texture? Did you only do it so that you could handle them more easily?

[avaserfi]

Freezing allowed me to unmold them without damaging the cake. I compared some that was frozen to some that wasn't and couldn't detect a textural difference.

[HowardLi]

How would you describe the "set" of the egg matrix? Silky, creamy, or nearing a traditionally baked pasty sort of texture?

[avaserfi]

It is definitely silky and creamy, but my cheesecake always is. It has some of the lightness a cheesecake gets from the bake, but not quite as much. It feels a little more rich than I have experienced in the past. I attribute this to the lack of any overcooked parts. Traditional cooking methods result in the outside being over-baked while the inside is just right. So, in my experience, the outer portions are a bit lighter in texture than the inside. Not the case here.

After the project was done, I wished I had made some in the oven to compare more scientifically. Maybe next time.

[Rob Babcock]

Nice! I've been thinking that cheesecake & sous vide should be a match made in heaven, just needed a starting point. Thanks!

[lennyk]

Was yours very thick after 3 hours ?

I just did a bag at 176f for about 1:20

it was just about getting thick, I piped them into a silicone cannele molds but

may have started to set/clump and I don't think they will be cleanly set in the molds but will see after I freeze them.

[avaserfi]

Mine had thickened considerably by the time I removed it from the bath.

[lennyk]

Ok, the consistency and smoothness looks very good so far whilst its chilling.

I was just hoping that I could get them smoothly shaped like canneles and maybe coat them with choc ganache after freezing them.

It would be a good exercise to know how much time affects how much it thickens after reaching a custard setting temp.

I also have some I did in oven with waterbath to compare.

Edited January 7, 2012 by lennyk (log)

[lennyk]

the 1:20 at 176f was not long enough, they came out a little sloppy,

gonna try at least 2:00 next time, probably use 3 bags and pull at 2:00, 2:30, 3:00

very smooth though

I might try rebagging some of these and doing over.

I tried painting the interior of a silicone cannele mold with choc ganache but it didn't coat nicely.

[avaserfi]

I froze the cheesecake in the molds to prevent any damage when I unmolded them. The final product is extremely tender and is hard to unmold at refrigerator temperatures.

[HowardLi]

the 1:20 at 176f was not long enough, they came out a little sloppy,

gonna try at least 2:00 next time, probably use 3 bags and pull at 2:00, 2:30, 3:00

very smooth though

I might try rebagging some of these and doing over.

I tried painting the interior of a silicone cannele mold with choc ganache but it didn't coat nicely.

The little pocket in the top is begging for something to be put in it. Something fruity, or perhaps a graham cracker streusel as a nod to the tradition.

[lennyk]

I did them over for an extra 30mins and firmed up a bit, much better.

Very good texture.

Yes it would look good with something in the centre dripping over.

[FeChef]

I realize this is an old thread but there really isnt much information out there for making cheese cakes sous vide. Im wondering if making a thick, dense (no air bubbles) new york style cheese cake could be done in a bag and piped into a springform pan to brown in the oven and then left to set up in the fridge? Or must this be done directly in the springform pan (bagged and submerged)?

Would the filling set up in the bag, or does it only set up after cooling down?

Also, aside from a vacuum chamber, whats the best way to remove any air in the filling before cooking?

[lesliec]

I'm not sure what a New York one is like (it's a long way from here), but there is this recipe I spotted probably a couple of years ago - sorry, no idea now of the source:

• Cream cheese 100%
• Whole eggs 20%
• Egg yolks 7.5%
• Corn starch 1.9%

Seal and cook at 80°C for three hours. When cooked, pipe into moulds and freeze. Unmould while still frozen, roll in powdered sugar and brulée (which will begin defrosting while giving a crispy exterior).

This treatment doesn't sound like what you're planning, but the basic recipe may be of some use. It does suggest the answer to your question about piping is 'yes'.

I've never got round to trying this, but it remains on my list. Maybe when the Anova gets here ...

[Tri2Cook]

I'm going to preface this with the disclaimer that I'm very much a proponent of modern techniques and ingredients in cooking. Now I'm going to follow that by asking, if a New York style cheesecake is the goal, why would you want to go to the trouble of adapting it to sous vide? I'm not asking why as in "just bake it dummy", I'm asking why as in what is the specific goal you have in mind that makes doing it sous vide a better option than the, pretty much never fail, traditional way of doing a New York cheesecake. I've done sous vide cheesecake recipes that were good for their application but not at all like a New York style. I've also done a few versions using various hydrocolloids which made them "no bake" cheesecakes. They weren't anything like a New York style either. Even if you get the density right, the texture isn't the same. I guess what I'm trying to figure out is, do you want a New York style cheesecake or do you just want a more dense cheesecake? Because I haven't seen a result from any "modernist" cheesecake variation that even comes close in quality to the traditional if New York style is the specific goal.

[FeChef]

I'm going to preface this with the disclaimer that I'm very much a proponent of modern techniques and ingredients in cooking. Now I'm going to follow that by asking, if a New York style cheesecake is the goal, why would you want to go to the trouble of adapting it to sous vide? I'm not asking why as in "just bake it dummy", I'm asking why as in what is the specific goal you have in mind that makes doing it sous vide a better option than the, pretty much never fail, traditional way of doing a New York cheesecake. I've done sous vide cheesecake recipes that were good for their application but not at all like a New York style. I've also done a few versions using various hydrocolloids which made them "no bake" cheesecakes. They weren't anything like a New York style either. Even if you get the density right, the texture isn't the same. I guess what I'm trying to figure out is, do you want a New York style cheesecake or do you just want a more dense cheesecake? Because I haven't seen a result from any "modernist" cheesecake variation that even comes close in quality to the traditional if New York style is the specific goal.

Problems Ive had in the past using my (very old) oven are #1 cracking.#2 rising too high around the edges and sinking in the middle.#3 done on the outside still soft in the middle. Those are the 3 main reasons that have alot to do with my old oven and the fact that its built into the wall and is slightly off level so i have to rotate cake pans every 10 minutes so the batters dont pool into one side. I rent so replacing the oven is not an option unless it completely breaks.

[FeChef]

I'm not sure what a New York one is like (it's a long way from here), but there is this recipe I spotted probably a couple of years ago - sorry, no idea now of the source:

• Cream cheese 100%
• Whole eggs 20%
• Egg yolks 7.5%
• Corn starch 1.9%

Seal and cook at 80°C for three hours. When cooked, pipe into moulds and freeze. Unmould while still frozen, roll in powdered sugar and brulée (which will begin defrosting while giving a crispy exterior).

This treatment doesn't sound like what you're planning, but the basic recipe may be of some use. It does suggest the answer to your question about piping is 'yes'.

I've never got round to trying this, but it remains on my list. Maybe when the Anova gets here ...

New york style is a very tall with a bottom crust and a light dusting of crumbs or nuts on the sides, or plain on the sides and gets browned ontop and the sides to have a semi hard thin shell and a rich thick,dense,creamy, tangy inside. Its best i can explain.

I dont care for those soft, light texture cheesecakes that seem to sag in the middle of the slice.

[FeChef]

I think im going to try sous vide directly in the springform pan, inside a jumbo size ziplock bag @ 176F for 3 hours, then finish in a 425F oven till the top browns. I think starting with a recipe that makes a NY style will give me the texture im looking for. My wife wants me to make it a pumpkin cheesecake.

[Martin Fisher]

Please report back.

When I tried it the texture was always weird (too light and sometimes a bit grainy), no matter what ratio of ingredients I used.

Perfectly edible, just not what I was looking for.

I made them and served them in wide and short Ball half-pint jars.