Cheesecake and water do not mix. There, I said it and I stand by that statement, even though we give our cheesecake a bath.

Grandpa's Famous Cheesecake is carefully baked in a bain-marie. If you don't speak French, it's simply a water bath. The process adds extra steps, danger and time. So why go through it? If I pop it in the oven it will still cook.

Well, results speak for themselves. Our recipe is time-tested and the cheesecake is smooth, decadent and wonderfully delicious. Using the water bath method is a requirement for these results.

A water bath is similar to the bath we all took as a child - We take a rubber ducky and a pan of cheesecake, and place them inside a metal tub. OK we don't use a rubber ducky, but it sounded good. We carefully put them all in the oven (sans ducky) and add hot water to the tub.

Here's the dangerous part - trying to get the water into the tub without spilling it into the cheesecake pan, or burning myself. Sometimes I don't know which is worse - getting burned physically or the emotional loss of a cheesecake that took on water in the oven. The biggest hurdle is adding sufficient water without getting it into the cheesecake pan. Again, cheesecake and water do not mix.

The slow cooking process in the water bath allows the cheesecake to cook more evenly. The Moisture is increased, which reduces the risks of cracking. It also allows the delicate, custard-type batter to cook without becoming rubbery (remember rubber ducky was removed prior to baking).

Next time you're enjoying a piece of Grandpa's Famous Cheesecake, remember that it had a bath before you met.