Choice Cheesecakes: Which Baking Method is the Best?

http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/FoodSci_p068.shtml

• ingredients to make nine cheesecakes. The type and quantity of ingredients required will vary, depending on the recipe you decide to use and the diameter of your cheesecakes.
• Springform pan, with a diameter of your choosing; available at your local home goods store
• Kitchen appliance to mix your cheesecakes, such as a mixer with beaters, a mixer with paddles, or a food processor
• Mixing bowl, large
• Large bowl for inverting (turning upside-down) over a cheesecake as it cools; should be bigger in height and width than the finished cheesecake
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Silicon spatula
• Heavy-duty aluminum foil (1 roll)
• Baking dish or roasting pan, shallower than the springform pan, but at least 3 in. wider
• Recommended: Oven thermometer for checking the accuracy of your oven temperature
• Optional: Fine grater for making lemon zest from the yellow part of lemons
• Optional: Camera
• Ruler
• Lab notebook
• Graph paper

1. Select a cheesecake recipe to use for all of your testing.
1. The Bibliography has sample recipes, but you can find others online or in recipe books.
2. Some cheesecake recipes have a sour cream layer or a topping above the cheesecake layer. If you decide to use a recipe like this, then you will need to take your measurements on the cheesecake layer (counting cracks and measuring rise) before you add the sour cream layer or topping, since you will be unable to take these measurements once the sour cream layer or topping is added.
2. Gather and set out all the ingredients and utensils you will need to make one cheesecake, according to the recipe that you have selected, on the kitchen counter.
1. Make sure all ingredients (for one cheesecake) are at room temperature before making your batter.
2. Although it is less efficient, it is recommended that you make and bake your cheesecakes one by one, instead of trying to do several at once. This will eliminate variables like placement inside the oven or time between mixing the batter and baking.
3. Follow the recipe directions and make your cheesecake batter.
1. Keep your mixing method constant; in other words, mix your ingredients in the same way for every trial.
2. Write down in your lab notebook the details of how you prepared the batter, such as:
1. If you had the ingredients at room temperature,
2. How you greased the pan,
3. If your oven was preheated,
4. What kind of kitchen appliance you used to do your mixing,
5. How long you mixed the batter, and
6. The order in which you mixed your ingredients.
4. Bake your cheesecake according to one of the three methods described in the Introduction.
1. Use the oven thermometer to adjust your oven temperature to the correct temperature, if necessary.
2. Bake the cheesecake in the same place in the oven for every trial. Record the location of this place in your lab notebook.
5. Select a time (or times) after baking to evaluate your cheesecake; for example, at 15 min. after baking.
1. Count up and record in your lab notebook the number of cracks in the cheesecake top and enter your count in a data table, like the one below.
2. Using a ruler, measure the height of your cheesecake, and enter your measurement in a data table, like the one below.

Number of Cracks Data Table

Baking Method	Trial 1	Trial 2	Trial 3	Average of Trials
New York
Traditional
Water Bath

Cheesecake Rise Data Table

Baking Method	Trial 1	Trial 2	Trial 3	Average of Trials
New York
Traditional
Water Bath

6. Repeat steps 1–5 for the two additional baking methods.
7. Repeat steps 1–6 for two additional trials for all baking methods. Running repeat trials ensures that your results are accurate and repeatable. Sure, it's a lot of cheesecake, but your friends probably won't mind helping with the eating part of your science project! And, you can always freeze the cheesecakes for treats throughout the next few months.

Analyzing Your Data Tables

1. For each baking method, calculate an average number of cracks from the three trials, and record your calculation in the Number of Cracks Data Table.
2. For each baking method, calculate an average rise from the three trials, and record your calculation in the Cheesecake Rise Data Table.
3. Make a bar chart showing the baking method on the x-axis and the average number of cracks on the y-axis. You can make the chart by hand, or use a site such as Create a Graph.
4. Make a bar chart showing the baking method on the x-axis and the average rise on the y-axis.
5. Looking at your bar charts, which baking method produced a cheesecake with the fewest number of cracks? Which baking method would you recommend to get the best rise?