Cooling a cheesecake can be a long and tedious process. Several steps along the way contribute to the fluffy, delicious cheesecakes we eat and love, but the cooling process can be sped-up under certain circumstances. So, how to cool a cheesecake quickly?
To quickly cool a cheesecake, there are several methods you can follow.
You can use a wire rack for cooling, place your cheesecake in the fridge as soon as it reaches room temperature, leave your oven door open as it cools down, or place your cheesecake in the freezer once it’s reached room temperature.
Your cheesecake must be at room temperature before you put it in the refrigerator. Cheesecakes are to reach room temperature and cool down slowly before being placed in the fridge.
Rushing it could ruin your cheesecake, but there are safer ways to speed up the cooling. Just remember that cheesecakes take time and care. You can only speed up the process so much without cracking or ruining your desert.
Methods for Cooling Down Your Cheesecake Quickly
Here are the recommended methods for cooling your cheesecake faster than the cool-down time, which is around one to two hours.
1. Use a Wired Rack
Wired racks are one of the easier and more common solutions to let your cheesecake cool to room temperature quicker. Placing your cake on a wire rack lets it breathe more. It will help remove the moisture from you cake, and it will cool down evenly. To give it the chance to cool even quicker, place it in a cooler area in your home.
2. Take Your Cheesecake Out of the Oven
While many recipes recommend keeping your cheesecake in the oven to cool, you can take it out closer to ten minutes and let it cool on your counter. The heat is still trapped in your oven, even when it’s turned off, and one of the last things you want is your cake to overcook.
Check-in with your cheesecake and the moment it feels ready, plop it in the fridge.
3. Leave the Oven Door Open
This only works once your cheesecake has cooked fully and the oven has been turned off.
Crack the door to your oven if you want a more efficient way to cool your cheesecake without risking ruining it. This will allow the hot air trapped in your oven to disperse quicker and help your cheesecake begin its transition to room temperature.
4. Put Your Cheesecake in the Freezer
Once your cheesecake has reached room temperature, either with a wire rack or cooling in the oven, you can place it in the freezer. The tricky part is making sure you don’t leave your cheesecake in for too long.
If your cheesecake becomes frozen, the texture will be completely off. The best way to use the freezer to speed up the cooling process is to lower its temperature enough to where it would reach in a refrigerator. You’re cooling it, not freezing it.
Related Questions
Now that you know how to cool a cheesecake quickly, here are some frequently asked questions regarding properly cooling off cheesecakes and speeding up the process.
How long to cool a cheesecake before refrigerating?
Typically, it takes at least an hour, and potentially up to four hours before a cheesecake is ready for refrigeration. If your room temperature is warmer than usual, it will take your cheesecake longer to reach the desired temperature.
You want to avoid any sudden temperature drops. As long as the cooling is gradual, it should be okay.
Can you put a cheesecake in the freezer to set quicker?
Yes! As it’s been stated, as long as it has reached room temperature, you can plop your cheesecake in the freezer instead of the refrigerator. Remember to not leave it in long enough to freeze, but long enough to cool down the fridge temperature.
How long to chill a cheesecake in the freezer?
However long it takes to cool off. This means it is important to check now and then, although it freezing all the way can be an issue, it will only change the texture of your cake.
So while it’s best not to let it freeze at first, it will still be edible.
What happens if you don’t let your cheesecake cool?
Now allowing your cheesecake the proper time to cool can lead to cracks and spots and ruin your cheesecake completely. Cracking is unappealing and can ruin the structure of your cake, but your cake is still edible with cracks, so it is ultimately up to you if you’re in a rush and it seems worth the risk.
Why do cheesecakes need to be put in the fridge for a few hours after baking?
Because cheesecake is a form of custard, refrigerating it is the last step in the process. A cooked and warm cheesecake without refrigeration doesn’t taste the way it should and can go bad.
Not to mention putting a hot glass pan in the fridge can cause it to burst.
How can you keep a cheesecake from cracking?
Cheesecakes crack when they aren’t given the proper cool-down time before being refrigerated. The best way to prevent this is to cook it in a water bath and to let it cool down properly.
Use tin foil and wrapping around your pan if you use the water bed technique. This will ensure no water leaks into your cheesecake and ruins it.
Conclusion
We’ve described several methods on how to cool a cheesecake quickly. Cooling a cheesecake quickly is possible, but only to a certain extent. With the hopes that your cheesecake stays intact and tastes the way it should, an allotted time is necessary for it to cool to room temperature.
There are some loopholes like using a wired rack to help it cool faster, and utilizing your freezer once it’s reached room temperature. In the end, as long as your cheesecake is cool and delicious, the rules you follow to get it just how you like can be flexible!
