Cheesecake is one type of food which has maintained its popularity amongst the baker and consumer alike. Cheesecake is typically made by the home baker by mixing a variety of ingredients including a major portion of milk or milk products to form a batter, placing the batter into a baking container, placing the baking container into an oven, sometimes within a water bath, at a preset temperature for a certain period of time sufficient to bake the cheesecake, removing the cheesecake from the oven, allowing the cheesecake to cool to room temperature in an ambient environment and placing the cheesecake in a cold environment for at least twenty-four hours before serving.
Home-baked cheesecake is usually consumed within 24 to 72 hours of the time it is removed from the oven as it cannot be stored for a very long time, even in a cold environment such as the one provided by a refrigerator since many changes occur rather quickly to the palatability and texture of the cheesecake. Such changes may even have serious consequences on the health of those who consume the cheesecake if the time for which the cheesecake has been stored in the refrigerator or the temperature of the refrigerator have been such that they have allowed for bacteria and mold to develop and grow either on or within the body of the cheesecake.
As the demand for cheesecake has grown steadily with the growing population and as more and more home bakers' time is taken up with working outside the home, commercial bakers have sought to mass-produce cheesecake. Such mass production and attempts at marketing this delectable dessert has led to the expansion of equipment and adoption of techniques which include: (a) automated on-line mixing of ingredients; (b) specialized baking forms and molds; (c) computer-controlled industrial size ovens; (d) automated transfer of ingredients throughout the baking method through the use of conveyors and other movers; and (e) automated packaging and labeling of baked goods. Despite all of these and other features, which have increased the speed by which commercial cheesecake can be made, such features often have a negative impact on the taste and quality of the cheesecake produced. More importantly, however, such techniques and equipment have failed to change the process of mixing, baking, cooling, serving the cheesecake and/or prolonging the storage time and/or shelf life of the cheesecake prior to consumption.
Commercial cheesecake, i.e. factory baked cheesecake generally sold in retail bakeries and supermarkets, has a very short shelf-life due to its high susceptibility to spoilage. Such spoilage is probably due to its milk and other highly perishable ingredients. Thus, commercially baked cheesecake must either be refrigerated, frozen, or baked with preservatives. Freezing most definitely spoils the taste. Refrigeration must be carefully monitored and is effective for only very short periods of time. As for using chemical preservatives as ingredients for the cheesecake to prolong its shelf life, it is not a desirable alternative because (a) such preservatives affect the flavor and other physical characteristics of the cheesecake; and (b) in view of the general health conscious attitudes adopted by the consuming public at large, use of such preservatives will most likely lead to a drop in sales and consumability of the commercially baked cheesecake. More importantly, however, is that no matter which one of these three methods is used, the shelf or storage life of commercial cheesecake is relatively short and, when exceeded, results in a great deal of spoilage and return of cheesecakes to the baker for credit or replacement. Such returns translate to economic loss for the bakers and, by extension, to an increase of cheesecake prices to the consumer.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a baking process and method for commercially available cheesecake which results in a product of such purity and lasting characteristics that it may be stored, transported and displayed without refrigeration.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a commercially baked cheesecake having a long shelf life under normal atmospheric conditions, without any freezing, refrigeration or preservatives whatsoever.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a baking process for commnercially available cheesecake, the cheesecake having a flavor, aroma and taste similar to that of freshly made home-baked cheesecake, without needing preservatives, freezing or refrigeration to maintain its relatively long shelf life.
The objects and advantages together with others will be apparent from the following disclosure of the present invention.