Norpro Nonstick Mini Cheesecake Pan with Handles - 12-Cup Baking Pan for Perfect Cheesecakes, Cupcakes & Desserts | Ideal for Home Baking, Parties & Holiday Treats

Nice but smallI've bought this exact pan twice, years apart. The second I just received recently because we hosted a large party that required 24 cheesecakes. And I have to say, I've had zero issues with flaking of the removable bottoms that others reported and my cheesecakes always came out with ease. You just have to make sure to spray the pans really well with Pam before baking and do not put the pans in the dishwasher. TIPS: I have NOT used a water bath for any recipes and the tops only sunk a slight bit for me. But I did fill my pans with batter to the tops and after baking the 15 mins, I turned off the oven for 10 mins leaving the pans in, then cracked the oven for another 15-20 before removing the pans. I then put the mini cheesecake pans right into the fridge. They were cooked perfectly and cold in about 2 hours. The slight sinking in the middle of the cheesecakes is not a problem for me, because I always top the cheesecakes with a topping and/or whipped cream. No one even sees an issue... I also have made mini key lime pies in here and they came out great. Finally, it is worth it to invest in a "tamper" to help you tamp down your crusts. I got the Norpro "Tart Tamper" here on Amazon for less than $10. Well worth the extra investment, as these pans do not come with a tamper.I made Basil Parmesan mini cheesecakes topped with tomato jam as an appetizer with this sturdy, well made pan with removable bottoms. There was no other way to make them. The pan was a little over priced in my opinion. And I always concern myself with storage when buying additional cook gear. So I only bought one. But I think two would be great. I like this pan and I should find lots of other applications for it.I was searching for a "mini pan" that made smaller portions. A cupcake size was too large; the standard mini-pans were too small. I also preferred something that had a removeable bottom piece so that I could more easily remove mini-cheesecakes and/or "layered" type foods such as strawberry-pretzel treats.This pan works like a dream... and the portion size is just perfect! The only caveat is that when baking a "buttery" bottom layer crust, I would recommend placing something underneath the pan (another pan or layer of heavy duty tin foil) to contain any ingredients and keep them from leaking onto the oven floor. Other than possible "leakage" of ingredients, this pan bakes and performs well. Due to the excellent non-stick finish, my strawberry pretzel treats (3 layer dessert: crushed pretzels/sugar/butter, cream cheese/sugar/cool whip, jello/strawberries) were so easy to remove, pushing up and out WITHOUT even having to run a knife around the inside perimeter to loosen sides!Clean up of this pan was not an issue, again, due to the non-stick finish, however having to clean the little removeable "rounds" from the bottom of the pan WAS kind of tedious... but the trade off was NOT having to spend time cutting individual parchment paper liners and/or "coaxing" each individual dessert portion from a "regular" closed bottom mini pan. With this particular NORPRO pan, just MAKE SURE TO REMOVE EACH INDIVIDUAL BOTTOM DISC from your finished product before serving!! (As a precautionary measure, I double check each portion as well as performing "disc counts" during and after my baking project.)As far as durability of this product, it's just too soon to evaluate.OF NOTE: Each pan makes 12 portions, so I had to purchase two pans ($44 investment) in order to have enough cavities to accommodate a standard 24 count "single recipe". Also, while washing the pans prior to first use, I noticed two of the 24 round bottom pieces had a "spot" on them. It appears that perhaps the non-stick finish either bubbled up or somehow "missed" adhering to the surface during manufacturing. I will address this issue with the company directly in the near future. (I did notice that replacement "discs" are available for purchase.)PROS:* Excellent portion size* Excellent non-stick finish* Effortless removal of finished product from pan* Easy clean up (except for number of individual discs)* Replacement discs available for purchaseCONS:* Leakage of contents (butter) from bottom of pan when baking "buttery" crust* Making sure all discs are removed from individual finished products* Tedious washing of individual bottom discs* Meticulous storage of individual bottom discs to avoid loss/misplacementOverall, I would recommend this pan.I love this pan and am planning on getting another, but if you want tall, smooth cheesecake, you do need a water bath, at least for the recipe I normally use which is Dorie Greenspan’s Tall and Fluffy Cheesecake (which I baked for 20 minutes at 325 degrees).I did two batches with the same batter, one without a water bath (on the left in the picture all sad and collapsed) and one with (on the right). They both taste great but the one on the right looks much, much better. Wrapping each cavity in aluminum foil is a pain, but worth it. Just make sure you wrap it high enough because I did not and my water bath seeped in to some of my crusts.Also make your life 100 times easier and get the Norpro pastry tapper— the large end is the perfect size for getting an even crust and the small end is perfect for getting the individual cheesecakes out! I simply placed the tapper on the counter on its large end and pushed the small end through the bottom of each cavity to grab each cheesecake. Easy! Now if only they made some sort of cover so I did not have to individually wrap each cavity. It was a struggle until I realized I could hold each piece of foil in place with a rubberband.Also, FYI for the recipe I normally use (which makes a tall 9-inch cheesecake), I halved it expecting to be able to make one batch, but I ended up with enough batter for two batches (which is why I decided to try a second batch with a water bath). This is my reasoning for getting another pan— that and one batch just isn’t enough for my family! Even with the time to prep the water bath, this bakes up and cools so much faster than one large cheesecake.UPDATE: I found a quick and easy way to prep the pan for a water bath— I use silicone cupcake liners!Missing one metal diskCan only make 11 mini cheesecakes