Mmmmmm Doughnuts (Simpsons Doughnut Maker)

Member Name: paulpry118

Product:	Simpsons Doughnut Maker
Date:	03/01/09 (573 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to use and cheap to make

Disadvantages: Make you fat

If you are like me and love the freshly cooked doughnuts that you sometimes spot when walking around a fair, market or city centre, then the perfect machine for you would be a doughnut maker. So whilst walking around Wilkinson's this time last year I spotted my Christmas present to myself. I had always fancied buying a doughnut maker and if I had let this opportunity pass I would probably never buy one.

So the Doughnut maker was Homer Simpson's Doughnut maker and cost £19.99. The Doughnut maker is bright yellow and looks rather like a sandwich toaster and works the same. The machine is 25cm x 27cm including the handle and 8cm high. Inside the machine it has six 5 cm round compartments top and bottom with a 1cm raised bit in the centre of each compartment to make the hole in the doughnut. The inside is covered with a non stick surface. The top of the machine has two lights next to each other, one red which shows the machine is working and heating up and one blue to shows that the machine has reached its temperature. Above this is a picture of Homer Simpson and the words "What You See Is What You Get" The lid release at the front of the machine is stamped with a picture on Homer Simpson. The electric cable is 96 cm. At the back of the machine are two hinges with a thick spring type thing connecting the top and bottom of the machine. The machine comes with a complete set of instructions including recipes, caring for your machine and how to wire the plug, although my plug was already connected.

*To Use.*


Make up your batter mix using plain flour, sugar, baking powder, a pinch of salt, ½ a large beaten egg, milk, melted butter and vanilla essence. Turn your machine on and leave for about five minutes for the machine to reach its temperature, the blue light then comes on. Spoon about 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons of batter mix into each compartment, so the circle looks about 90% full. Close the lid and wait about 3 - 4 minutes for the 6 doughnuts to cook, lift the lid occasionally to check progress. When the doughnuts are cooked, remove using a non-metal spatula. Leave the doughnuts to cool on a plate then eat one to test that they are OK! Add more batter to the machine and make some more, the cooking time does gradually reduce with each batch. Test another one to make sure that they are still OK. One batch of batter makes about 18 plain doughnuts.

*Other Flavours you can make.*

Add some melted milk or plain chocolate to the mix for chocolate doughnuts. I have also used cocoa powder and they have come out just as good.

Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the mix for cinnamon doughnuts.

Add a large tablespoon of apple sauce to the doughnut mix for apple doughnuts. I tend to use Tesco Value as it is a smooth sauce.

If you add melted chocolate or apple sauce, you can make about 22 doughnuts. Although for some reason, when it comes to serving them, there are only 18 left on the plate after I have tested them, you can't serve rubbish food can you! Any excuse.

*Toppings.*

Melted butter and sugar

Melted Chocolate

Icing and sugar strands.

*Cleaning the Machine.*

With the machine having a non stick surface it is very easy to clean. Once your machine has cooled down just rub over it with a damp cloth.

*How do the doughnuts come out.*

When freshly cooked they are crisp on the outside and lovely and soft on the inside. If you leave them for a while they tend to loose their crispy outside. I tend to wait until serving before dipping in melted butter and rolling them in sugar otherwise the sugar melts away.

*Is it worth buying a Doughnut Maker.*

In one word - Yes. The ingredients to make a batch of plain doughnuts cost around 40p if using Tesco value range. My electric monitor says the machine uses around 700 watts an hour but the machine is only on for around ½ hour, based on my average electric unit cost the electric costs about 10p to make around 18 doughnuts. Not bad, 50p for a batch of freshly made doughnuts.

I always make 6 plain doughnuts, then split the remaining mixture in two add some apple sauce to one half and add some chocolate to the other half. It is great if I know my niece and nephew are coming for a visit, as I can knock up a batch before they get here and if when Holly starts bringing friends home from school I can quickly knock up a batch. I always use light sugar (I use about 3/4 of the amount sugar needed) and semi skimmed so they are less calories. Its a good job really with the amount I have to test before serving them up. The doughnuts are best eaten on the day of cooking, however I have put some in Darren's lunch box for the following day and he has said they still taste OK.

A couple things I have noticed when using the machine is the hole in the centre of the doughnut is never there. It always seems to have a very thin cover over it but this is easily knocked out or you can leave it in to impress people when you tell them you have made the doughnuts yourself. Also, when using apple sauce the doughnuts don't seem to rise as well.

The machine is quick and easy to use and it works out cheaper to make your own than to buy them from the supermarket. A box of around 20 cost about £1.00 in the supermarket.

If you love doughnuts and do ever spot a machine when you are out and about or surfing the net it is certainly well worth buying one.

Many thanks for reading. Anna

Summary: Fresh Doughnuts whenever you want.