To prevent cracking, I don't think you can emphasize enough not to overbake (need that jiggle!) and not to shock it by pulling it right out of oven i.e. 325* into a 70* room. Also, I beat my eggs lightly and then slowly add to the batter with minimal beating. Excessive air incorporated into the batter is said to case cracking. I line the bottoms of my pans so I can easily transfer them to cake rounds. In addition, I use 2 1/2 to 3" strips of parchment paper to line the SIDES of my cheesecake pans. Cut the strips long enough to overlap a couple of inches. As the batter is poured into the pan it pushes the parchment paper up against the sides. I leave the paper on until I am ready to put in on the serving plate. Then I gently put it off and the sides are perfect...no knife gouges! One last comment since I have the floor... I use cheesecake, not springform pans. They are aluminum, 3" high with a lift out bottom. There is no clamp or a bottom to fit into a groove.

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