ISO: recommendations for springform pans

[LGBurns]

I have been wanting to make some of the wonderful cheesecake recipes recommended on this board but, alas, I do not have a springform pan. I've been thinking of buying one. Does anyone have a recommendation for the best brand to get? Should I get a non-stick one? Thanks.

[Laura B]

I am no expert, but my guess would be to get a nonstick one. This would help prevent your sides from sticking and potentially tearing when you remove the outer ring.

I bought the new glass-bottom nonstick pan but have not tried it out. I don't remember the brand name, but I think only one company makes them at this point. I bought mine at www.amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com) in the kitchen store.

[Gail]

I just bought a new La Forme springform with a leakproof pan (meaning the bottom portion actually extends outward giving kind of a funky pan-on-a-plate look to the apparatus.) I think the stick/non-stick thing is really a matter of personal preference.

Two things more important than the stick/non-stick issue (to me, anyway)are (1) non-scratch bottom if you're going to serve and slice on the base, and most important to me (2) how solid are the rivets in the latch mechanism. The rivets actually came out of the holes in my last pan when I tried to release the latch!

[sk8grl]

One "anti"-recommendation...

I had a horrible experience with a NordicWare springform pan I once bought at a local supermarket. The problem wasn't so much with the pan as with the packaging--the company used some kind of glue to stick their ID paper on the inside of the pan that might as well have been Crazy Glue. Usually the adhesive used for stuff like this is the kind that rolls of easily. Not this kind--my husband and I tried everything under the sun, even resorting to nail polish remover (not that I could have baked anything in it after that, but I was determined to get it off!), and NOTHING worked. In fact, it just spread the glue around the pan more and stuck to everything that came into contact with it. It was like I was in a bad cartoon!! I got so frustrated I threw the pan across the kitchen a few times before I calmed down, ran to Target and got another one. I returned the pan and vowed I would never get one of their products again!

Hopefully this isn't the norm for their company, but just be careful if you buy any of their products!

Libby

[Beth]

I've had mine too long to remember what type it is. I don't remember seeing non-stick at the time, so mine is plain. I've never had the sides stick, but the bottom is sometimes a little difficult to wedge the server under, especially for the first piece. Non-stick might help that.

If you're only going to have one, I'd probably get a 9-inch pan, but you can adjust recipes and/or cooking times for different size pans.

[Lauren]

Thanks for the tips! I had an old one that my mother-in-law had given me years ago, as she had a couple of them. I have been using it a lot lately (love the lemon cheesecake on the cover of CL a few months back) and noticed the bottom piece getting a little rusty. Anyway, I took it to a dinner lately and whomever served it broke the latch. So, now I'm in the market for a new one. I saw some 9" pans, but wondered if that would be to small. Do most recipes make a 10 or 11" cheesecake? Out Target store doesn't have any. I like the idea of the glass bottomed pan.

[Laura B]

Lauren - I don't make a lot of cheesecakes, but it seems to me that 9" is probably the most commonly called for size. I have seen sets of three pans that were not too expensive. Maybe you could find a set and then you would have a variety of sizes.

[LGBurns]

I just realized that I never thanked you all for your input or let you know what I got. I ended up buying a glass bottom non-stick at Bed, Bath & Beyond. I'm happy with it, although I've only used it once so far. I had first checked out Crate & Barrel and Williams Sonoma, but could not bring myself to pay $30 or $45 (respectively) for a pan! The one at BB&B was $20, which seemed a little more reasonable to me. And it came with the recipe for CL's Lemon Swirl Cheesecake in it! Apparently, it's the pan they used in the magazine. So, I figure it's gotta be good, right? Anyway, thanks so much for your thoughts and input.

[Leonard]

I use a 9 inch pan. I think that's the most commonly used. I had one from KMart and always thought it worked out fine, until one day I put the pan in the oven, looked through the glass door moments later to find the batter "oozing out the bottom". What a mess!! After that, I decided to go to a restaurant supply store in my area. It's more like a warehouse. A friend works as a cook at a diner and got me in with his card. Not everyone is so fortunate, but I have learned whenever possible to buy supplies from these types of stores. They have to withstand a beating a do the job!!

[Lauren]

I saw a glass bottomed pan at Home Goods, but didn't get it. Now I'm kicking myself! I'm a woman on a mission for a glass bottomed springform! I think it will look better than a metal bottom when serving on it and it won't scratch.

[Karen from VA]

I've had a couple of 9" pans and am now looking for two 6 or 7-inch non-stick. Since a large cheesecake is too much when making it just for my husband and me, I'd like to be able to make two smaller ones--eat one and freeze or give away the other. But I haven't yet found what I'm looking for.
Karen

[Joyce]

Karen, I don't know if this helps, but I was looking on Amazon this morning and saw a set of 4 41/2" springforms. It seems this size might be just right to serve two.

[donleyk]

Karen,

I don't know if you have a Marshall Fields or not but I found a non stick in a 7 inch there that has worked beautifully for me.

[phantomcg]

Karen:

I just used a William Sonoma gift certificate to buy a set of four 4-1/2" springform pans for exactly the reason you mentioned. The literature in the box says that 1/2 of a 9" recipe should be perfect for the 4 pans. My husband will not eat cheesecake and I thought these small pans would be perfect for me.

Cheryl