10 Tips for a Successful Cheesecake 

• Study all best practices for making cheesecakes. There are different methods out there and it's prudent to read about them. Many recipes are missing basic do's and don'ts so studying up on what works will serve you well.
• Practice recipes and find one that works best with clear steps of execution.
• Use a springform pan always.
• I swear by the bain-marie method. Doing a water bath helps distribute moisture so your cheesecake cooks evenly while not taking on a rubbery texture.
• Leak-proof your pans from water leakage. Many use just a heavy foil wrap on the pan bottom and submerge the pan in the water bath. This works for many people. For me, this never was a guaranteed for no water leakage because it still happened to me on occasion. So aggravating. I needed a guarantee. So..I still foil wrap my cheesecake pan and put the cheesecake into another slightly larger round pan submerged in the water bath. NO water can seep in at all - booya! It will never happen to you again if you do this. The water bath still does its job emitting moisture and the cheesecake turns out great - that is if you did everything else correctly...haha.
• Use room temperature ingredients. Do not cheat time on this. Room temperature ingredients trap air in the dairy ingredients forming an emulsion allowing for an even, smooth blending creating a light fluffy cheesecake with no lumps.
• Do not over-mix the batter at any stage. I cannot stress this enough. Think of it this way...for every ingredient going in one at a time you are mixing each time. This is already a lot of combined mixing. So...just mix each ingredient until lightly blended and resist the urge to over mix!!
• Use a recipe with flour and corn starch.
• Know your oven, use a thermometer inside to be sure of the correct temperature, and do not open the oven until close to the cooking time is done.
• How do you know when your cheesecake is done? Near the end of the cooking time use oven mitts to "jiggle" the pan. If the jiggle is only in the center slightly the cheesecake is done as this means it's cooked but not overcooked. The cheesecake will now need time to set and come to complete room temperature then it needs to be chilled for several hours or best chilled overnight.