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I have never found a spring-form pan that does not leak.
I have never been able to wrap a spring-form pan so that some of the water doesn't get into the pan.
I can wrap it so that a lot of the water doesn't come into the pan.
But it seems to me that there must be a method that works to keep the water out entirely. I just haven't figured it out.
How can I wrap a spring-form pan in foil so that water from the bath doesn't leak into it?
If you have 18 inch wide heavy duty foil, pull a square that is 18X18, place your pan in the center of the foil and lift the edges of the foil up around the outside of the pan, effectively making a pan within a pan (spring form inside the aluminum foil pan.
If you only have 12 inch foil, pull two pieces of foil about 18 inches long and put them on top of each other. Along one if the long edges, fold both pieces over about 1/2 inch a few times, crimping each time. Open up the sheets which will create one large piece with a seam down the middle. Put the spring form pan in the middle like above. If your seam is tight it should work as well as the single piece of 18 inch foil.
Cook's Illustrated recently discovered that placing the springform pan inside a slightly larger cake pan works. The slight air gap doesn't negate the water bath's benefits. And of course a cake pan is a solid piece of aluminum, thus completely water tight.
(Haven't personally tested this yet.)
My recommended solutions, in order of preference:
Simply don't use a springform pan at all with a water bath. It's just not worth the trouble. Use a regular round cake pan for your cheesecake instead. Put parchment into the cake pan for easy removal. You'll just need to become comfortable with inverting the finished cheesecake to get it out, remove the parchment, flip back onto serving platter, and you're done. But it's the best method I've found.
Find a round cake pan that is slightly larger than your springform pan. Place the springform pan inside the round cake pan, then put the cake pan in the water bath. (This solution is recommended by Cooks Illustrated and mentioned in an answer to a previous -- very similar -- question.)
Place a baking pan/sheet with water on the rack immediately below the cheesecake while baking, rather than placing the cheesecake directly into the water. A lot of the benefit of the water bath comes from the moderating effect of the humidity around the cheesecake, which you'll still get this way. Unless your oven is very uneven, your cheesecake should still bake smoothly with no cracking.
Use a double layer of solid heavy-duty aluminum foil. No seams (as Stephie says). Double layer. The problem is even with no seams, you can still get moisture evaporating and then condensing between the foil and the pan. (I've tried this, and I know it can happen. People are always mystified by water "leaking" through the foil -- but sometimes it gets there other ways too. The cooler cheesecake mixture will cause condensation in a high-humidity environment.) And if your pan leaks, even this small amount of moisture may infiltrate and make the crust a bit soggy. That's why I'd recommend option (2) instead, since the humidity won't have a chance to pool and get trapped in the foil where it will get into the crust.
Personally, I've never found a springform pan that doesn't leak. Alton Brown claims they don't exist, so I gave up looking and stopped putting springform pans in water baths.
put your springform pan in a slow cooker liner or a Reynold's turkey bag. Both are made to withstand heat and work well.
One hint: No seams!
You can do as many layers as you like, but if there is some kind of seam or overlap it is very hard to get a tight seal.
If you absolutely must connect sheets, try what roofers do: Lay two sheets atop each other, fold one long side over a few times, press to seal tightly. Unfold the remainder. The result should be similar to (b) in this picture:
(source)
Repeat with a second or third layer, if necessary.
And finally: There are springform pans on the market that are watertight, no need for extra aluminum foil.
They have a wonderful new invention that I use. I bake 3 - 4 cheesecakes a week for my business and the best thing I have found is the crockpot liners. They can withstand the high temperatures of oven baking. I wrap one around the spring form pan and then wrap it with heavy duty foil. I have not had a soggy cheesecake since.
