Fat Daddio for 2026’s PSF-93 Springform Pan Review (2026)

Why you should trust this review

I bought this springform at retail and baked fourteen real cheesecakes in it over five months. Fat Daddio’s did not provide a sample and had no part in this review. I write kitchen reviews and bake cheesecakes regularly at home, so this pan went through the actual conditions that break springforms, water bath bakes, repeated latching, and real cake releases, not a single staged test.

I also have direct, real-world comparison experience with the obvious rivals: a gasketed leakproof pan, a coated premium pan, and a cheap coated pan that lives in a closet labeled, only half-jokingly, do not use for water baths. So when I tell you how the seal and latch stack up, I am comparing this pan against pans I have actually leaked and ruined, not against a spec sheet.

How we evaluated

I baked fourteen cheesecakes of identical recipes and scored each one for leak-through into the water bath, which is the single most important test for any springform. I tested seal integrity in three modes: the bare pan in a dry oven, a single foil wrap in a water bath, and a double foil wrap in a water bath, so I could isolate exactly how much protection the wrap adds.

I ran a latch durability test, opening and closing the pan many times over to check for loosening or play in the mechanism. I inspected the anodized side ring monthly under raking light for scratches or surface wear. And I compared the squareness of the cheesecake edges against a gasketed leakproof pan and the cheap coated pan, measuring the actual edge angles with a caliper.

Seal performance: the most important test

This is the category that drives the rating for any springform, and the PSF-93 performed well with one honest asterisk. With a single layer of heavy-duty foil wrapped around the bottom and lower side wall, a couple of my early water bath bakes showed slight water seepage at the foil edge. Once I switched to a double foil wrap, every remaining bake stayed bone dry, zero leaks across the rest of the test.

So the pan-to-base seal itself is tighter than the cheap coated pan, but it is not as tight as a silicone-gasketed leakproof pan, and Fat Daddio’s does not actually claim it is leakproof on its own. That is the honest picture: this is not a pan you can drop into a water bath bare and trust. But with proper double-foil prep, it matched the genuinely leakproof pans I compared it against, for a fraction of their price. If you are willing to wrap, the seal is a non-issue.

Release performance: clean across fourteen bakes

The anodized aluminum side ring is the unsung hero here. There is nothing for a cheesecake to grip on the bare anodized surface, and across all fourteen bakes every cake released cleanly. My technique was simple and consistent: run a thin offset spatula around the inside of the side ring before unlatching, then unlatch slowly so the cake top does not tear.

With just a light butter prep on the side wall and no flour at all, the release was effectively perfect every time. That reliability matters enormously with cheesecake, where a botched release after hours of baking and chilling is a genuine heartbreak. A coated pan can deliver easy release too, but coatings wear, whereas the anodized surface is the surface, with nothing to scratch off or degrade over years of use. Five months in, it releases exactly as cleanly as it did on day one.

Latch reliability and edge squareness

The sliding lever latch tightens to a clear, positive click that tells you the pan is fully closed, and that tactile confirmation is the easiest insurance against a mid-bake seal failure. Across many open-and-close cycles in my latch test, the mechanism showed no loosening or play at all. By contrast, the cheap coated pan I tested started developing play in its latch much sooner in the same test, the Fat Daddio’s simply holds its tension.

The edge squareness is the detail that makes the cakes look professional. The straight ninety-degree side wall produced cheesecakes with consistently square edges, my caliper measurements landed right around a true right angle on every cake. That is sharper than the slightly sloped budget pan, and it makes for cleaner slice cross-sections at serving. For decorated cheesecakes especially, those squarer edges hold ganache and glazes far more cleanly than a sloped wall would.

Build quality and care

The pan is noticeably heavier than a cheap stamped springform, and that heft translates to a sturdy, confidence-inspiring feel and even baking. The anodized surface showed no scratches, dulling, or wear after fourteen bakes and monthly inspection. It carries an NSF certification, which means it meets commercial-kitchen durability and food-safety standards, something few home springforms can claim, and it is made in the USA.

The care requirements are the trade-off, and they are minor but real. This is a hand-wash-only pan, the dishwasher will dull the anodized surface over time, so it asks for a quick hand wash rather than a toss in the rack. The removable bottom plate, which is part of what makes release so easy, can warp slightly if you drop it, so treat it with reasonable care. Neither is a dealbreaker, but they are worth knowing before you buy.

Who should buy the Fat Daddio’s PSF-93?

Buy it if you bake cheesecakes more than a couple of times a year, want a pan that performs reliably in water bath bakes, and value genuine commercial-grade construction at a non-commercial price. The combination of tight foil-assisted sealing, clean anodized release, and a latch that does not wear out makes it the dependable everyday choice for a serious home baker.

Skip it if you specifically want a pan that is truly leakproof without any foil prep, where a gasketed leakproof pan is the right buy. Skip it too if you prefer a coated non-stick surface, where a coated premium pan is the alternative, or if you bake only a cheesecake or two a year and a cheaper wrapped pan will get you through.

The verdict

The Fat Daddio’s PSF-93 is the springform I would put on a serious baker’s registry. After five months and fourteen cheesecakes it stayed leak-free in every water bath bake once I committed to a double foil wrap, released every cake cleanly thanks to the bare anodized side ring, and held its square edges and tight latch without any wear. It is not leakproof on its own, and it asks for hand washing and a little care with the base plate. But with simple foil prep it matches pans costing far more, and the NSF-certified, USA-made build feels like it will outlast the kitchen. For cheesecake, this is the one I reach for.