Even an original glazed from Krispy Kreme can hardly compare to a homemade donut, especially if you mix, shape, and fry it yourself. Making homemade donuts isn't hard, but to make a delicious and crispy batch, you need the right kind of oil.Specifically, you'll always want to opt for oils with high smoke points when deep-frying your donuts.
The crispy, golden-brown crust that makes donuts such a nice treat is formed by frying them in hot oil between 350 to 360 degrees Fahrenheit. Unfortunately, not all kinds of cooking oil can withstand such high heat and may start smoking and burning at these temperatures. Once they do, they'll give your donuts a very bitter, unpleasant taste similar to burnt food. That's why virgin olive oil is never used for deep frying;it has a fairly low smoke point between 325 to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Another important consideration is the oil's flavor. Donuts have a rather delicate taste, and using a flavored oil (such as olive oil) can greatly alter its flavor -- and usually not for the better. While a slightly nutty flavor from oils like peanut or soybean is fine, it's best to steer clear of strongly flavored oils to ensure your donuts don't unexpectedly end up tasting like olive, coconut, or sesame.
Reach For These Oils The Next Time You Fry Homemade Donuts
Vegetable oil is the go-to choice for many good reasons. Besides being cheap and easy to find, it has no problem handling high temperatures with a smoke point of around 400 degrees Fahrenheit— well above temperatures needed to brown donuts. Plus, the best part is that since it's neutral in taste, you can fry easily knowing that the crust of your vanilla-glazed mochi donuts won't taste odd after their short trip up and down the fryer.
To achieve that classic "Dunkin' Donut-esque" flavor, you might want to opt for palm oil. Dunkin' Donuts uses palm oil to fry all of their donuts because it remains solid at room temperature. This means that once your donuts have cooled down, they'll just have a nice, glossy sheen of oil on their crust rather than leaking everywhere. Additionally, palm oil has the added benefits of being flavor-neutral as well as an impressively high smoke point of approximately 455 degrees Fahrenheit.
And if you're planning to top your donut with nuts or seeds anyway, consider using peanut oil. Unlike the two other oils above, peanut oil isn't flavor-neutral and will give your donut a faintly nutty taste. But as we mentioned earlier, a bit of nuttiness won't hurt, especially if your donuts already have some of this flavor baked in. Peanut oil has a very good smoke point of 450 degrees Fahrenheit, so sizzle it away without worries.
What kind of oil is best for cooking donuts? The best oil is the one with the least flavour. Vegetable oil and canola oil are both very good in this respect. The most important thing is to use the same oil for the same kinds of foods, since oil readily absorbs flavours and aromas.
In the fryer heat approximately two to three inches of CANOLA oil to 360 degrees F. I emphasize canola oil because it will give the donuts a great texture and won't leave you with an oily tasting donut.
We use vegetable shortening (palm, soybean, and/or cottonseed and canola oil) for zero gram of trans fat per one serving of doughnut. All monoglycerides and diglycerides are vegetable based. Enzymes are also present. The lecithin we use is soy-based.
Palm oil is the basic work horse of donut frying since partially hydrogenated oils have been banned. The saturated fat content in palm oil contributes to the oil setting up on the donut surface, which helps the adhesion of powdered sugar, glazes or other toppings.
The Dunkin' Donuts menu, while not wholly submerged in seed oils, does wade in it. They use soybean oil in a significant portion of their menu. They also utilize palm oil, which is notably not a seed oil, and can be deemed a safer option for those avoiding seed oils.
Fry the donuts, two or three at a time, in the oil 2 to 3 minutes or until they are golden brown, turning once. Remove the donuts with the slotted spoon, allowing excess oil to drain back into the fryer or pan. Drain the donuts on paper towels to avoid a greasy end result.
If it leaves a faint impression, donut is ready; if it leaves no impression, it is not proofed yet; if donut collapses, it is overproofed. Dry donuts after proofing for at least 10 minutes, or they will absorb frying shortening while frying.
Underproofed – leads to stiffer (denser) donuts that don't puff up well when fried. Cracked donuts – this may have happened if you used a cutter and it wasn't sharp enough to cut through the dough cleanly. Or the dough is underproofed or too cold.
The oils which should be avoided for cooking are oils like soybean, corn, canola, sunflower, and safflower. These oils have unstable fats and will decimate the nutritional properties of your food. Oh, and they'll give you a big fat health risk in the meantime.
Canola oil is one of the best choices when frying (and it's our top choice as the best oil to fry fish). It has a neutral flavor, and it's quite affordable, particularly if you are preparing large amounts of food.
To fry donuts safely, you need a pot large enough to accommodate a couple of quarts of oil and a few donuts. Something deep, heavy, and wide is best. A Dutch oven or a very large saucepan are both good, but J. Kenji Lopéz-Alt uses a wok, a solution that makes a lot of thermal sense.
Make sure to grease the donut pan well for easy removal later. Whisk the eggs until fully consistent, then pour into the donut molds. Only fill up the rounds 3/4 of the way to prevent any overflow.
Introduction: My name is Arline Emard IV, I am a cheerful, gorgeous, colorful, joyous, excited, super, inquisitive person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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