You probably found yourself in a situation where you don’t have the time to wait for your cheesecake to cool by itself on the countertop.
Maybe you have guests, and you underestimated how much it takes to make and bake the cheesecake and other staff you prepare for your dear guests.
Or maybe you don’t have the patience to wait for the cheesecake to cool by itself, and a warm cheesecake is not really the best thing you want.
So naturally, you will try to find a way to cool the cheesecake faster. I will help you with several ways to cool it faster for those situations.
Just be careful that you can affect the quality of your cheesecake if you rush things.
How to cool cheesecake quickly?
The best way to cool a cheesecake quickly and safely is to place it in a pan with cold water and change it as soon as it gets warm.
You can use the sink for this as well if it is big enough.
I used to do this for pudding every time I needed it to cool faster. Most times, when I want to incorporate it in a cake recipe or something like this, I don’t have the patience to wait for it to cool down in an hour or so.
This is the best way to cool the cheesecake, and most probably, it will not affect the quality at all.
When using this method, make sure you change the water as often as possible. You will have to change it more frequently in the beginning since the cheesecake is way too hot, and the water will heat up faster.
If you just place the cheesecake in a pan with cold water or in the sink and don’t change it at all, you most probably will save only 5 or 10 minutes from the cooling process, so it’s not worth it if you don’t have the time to change the water.
Observation: Don’t get creative and put ice cubes into the water or something like this because cheesecake can crack if you cool it too fast.
Other ways to cool your cheesecake
There are also other ways to cool your cheesecake.
-Using a cooling rack
Using a cooling(wire) rack to cool your cheesecake is a bit faster than leaving it on the countertop because the airflow to your cheesecake is better. Combining this with placing the cooling rack in a colder place in the room or maybe a pantry will save you considerable time.
This is the second-best way to cool your cheesecake quickly, after the one mentioned above, but the advantage is that it is carefree. You don’t have to watch it constantly, so if you have something else to do in the meantime, this may be the better way to do it.
-Using a cold towel
Wrapping the backing pan with a wet, cold towel can help cool your cheesecake fast. But in my opinion, this is not that useful, you can combine this one with the one before for better results, but using only this method may not save you enough time.
Read Also: Does Cheesecake Have Cheese ?
Can you refrigerate cheesecake?
Yes, you can refrigerate the cheesecake but don’t refrigerate it when it is still hot since it can ruin your refrigerator and your cheesecake.
This is not a way to cool your cheesecake but rather to store it for later usage.
You can refrigerate your cheesecake for up to three days.
The best way to refrigerate your cheesecake is to place it in an airtight container or cover it with plastic wrap. This way, you keep your cheesecake as fresh as possible and also avoid the smell contamination from the other food you have in the fridge.
Can you freeze cheesecake?
Yes, you can freeze the cheese for up to three months. It can depend on the ingredients you used and how fresh they were.
It can still be good for up to three months, but I highly recommend you not let it more than one month to be on the safe side.
How long should you bake your cheesecake?
A cheesecake should not take more than an hour to an hour and a half to bake at 325 degrees F.
But, you have to adjust the baking time to the size of your cheesecake.
It is better to check it with a toothpick from time to time rather than setting a timer and counting entirely on that.
How to know if cheesecake has gone bad?
Ok, so you cool it properly, you store your cheesecake in the fridge or freezer, depending on when you plan to eat it. But how do you know that it is still edible?
-Edges. A fresh cheesecake should have smooth and even edges, while a cheesecake that has gone bad will have split, crusty dried edges.
-Smell. Since it contains dairy, it will have a sour smell like a stale dairy if it’s bad. Also, many times you add other toppings to your cheesecake that will also smell bad.
-Changing color. The cheesecake should have the same color as a fresh one. If it is a darker yellow or has any spots, throw it right away.
-Mold. This one is pretty obvious. If you see mold on your cheesecake, you should not take any chances. Don’t ever think of scooping the mold spots out; this is a sign that most likely bacteria have grown all inside your cheesecake as well, not only the visible parts.
Read Also: Buttercream VS Cream Cheese Frosting
Conclusion
There are a few ways to cool your cheesecake faster, but they can affect the quality of your cheesecake.
If you want the best out of your cheesecake, it is recommended that you let it cool one hour in the oven and then take it out and place it on the countertop. But this way doesn’t help you if you are in a rush.
So you can hurry the cooling process a bit by using one of the methods described above.
I noticed that some people recommend putting it in the fridge or freezer right away. This is the worst recommendation if you want a good cheesecake; yes, it will cool it faster, but it will affect the taste and texture.
