Freezing Cheesecake

[Gifted Gourmet]

ahem .... Back to that raw cheesecake question, where this all began: isn't it true that one can't freeze uncooked cream cheese without it turning into pieces when defrosted?

I just feel like it would weep and separate

That has been my experience ... and if I freeze cheesecake, it is only after baking ... at all helpful, jsolomon?

[jsolomon]

No, not really. This is a savory bleu cheese cheesecake intended to be piped into mushrooms and served individually post-cooking.

And, freezing would not play well with the mushrooms post-cooking.

[jsolomon]

K8memphis, the chemistry is basic.  The fat is emulsified by milk protein (casein) into tiny globules. 

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You are forgetting that before you do this, you cook the cheesecake which has fat that is emulsified by both milk caseins, and egg proteins (lecithin). A good cheesecake should play off of the strengths of both caseins and lecithin.

Also, mealiness depends on the amount of flour and how long the gluten formed by the flour is allowed to form.

[scott123]

K8memphis, the chemistry is basic.  The fat is emulsified by milk protein (casein) into tiny globules. 

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You are forgetting that before you do this, you cook the cheesecake which has fat that is emulsified by both milk caseins, and egg proteins (lecithin). A good cheesecake should play off of the strengths of both caseins and lecithin.

Also, mealiness depends on the amount of flour and how long the gluten formed by the flour is allowed to form.

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Most of the cheesecake recipes I've seen don't contain that many egg yolks. My recipe (dense/creamy style) contains 1 yolk for 8 ounces of cheese. That's not a lot of lecithin. Even if they did contain a lot of yolks, I don't see lecithin as being especially effective at protecting the texture of frozen emulsions. Try freezing mayo and you'll see what I'd talking about. The major player in the cheese cake stabilization equation is the casein in the cream cheese, not the lecithin in the yolks.

As far as the flour goes... not all cheesecakes contain flour, and, those that do contain so little flour that gluten is not an issue. Fat is a barrier to gluten formation- it's what makes pie crusts flaky- gluten can't bond/form through a layer of shortening or butter. With cheesecake it's the same thing- there's no way for protein strands to actually make contact with each other/form gluten through that much cream cheese/egg/other ingredients.

[MarkIsCooking]

How about adding some batter to a ice cream base and making cheesecake ice cream????

[jsolomon]

Most of the cheesecake recipes I've seen don't contain that many egg yolks.  My recipe (dense/creamy style) contains 1 yolk for 8 ounces of cheese. That's not a lot of lecithin.

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Actually, one yolk will go a long way. The way lecithin works is not a molecule of fat per molecule of lecithin basis.

How about adding some batter to a ice cream base and making cheesecake ice cream????

Decent idea, except I think its sweetness would interfere with the flavor of the bleu cheese in my batter.

As things are right now, I said "[expletive deleted] it." It is refrigerating, and I will simpy cook it in the mushrooms on Friday.