When is a donut a donut?

[Farang]

What specifically makes any given pastry a donut?

 

[amdhunter]

A perfectly placed hole...

 

[shortylickens]

Is it good noms?
Its a donut. No questions asked.

 

[Spikesoldier]

cake donut for me please

 

[DrPizza]

Deep fried dough.
Most pastries aren't deep fried.

 

[MovingTarget]

Always. A donut is always a donut!

 

[Thump553]

If it comes from Dunkin it is not a donut but a manufactured product.

 

[nageov3t]

If it comes from Dunkin it is not a donut but a manufactured product.

what isn't a manufactured product?

to actually answer the OP... I'd say any sweet fried dough in the shape of a circle.

 

[guyver01]

Deep fried dough.

not always

i want one of these!

 

[RichUK]

Krispy Kreme or go home!

Also, it's 'Doughnuts' not 'Do-nuts'!

 

[Red Squirrel]

Mmmmm, donuts. Tim Hortons FTW.

 

[nageov3t]

Krispy Kreme or go home!

Also, it's 'Doughnuts' not 'Do-nuts'!

I believe both donut and doughnut are acceptable.

KK's are probably the only mass produced donut that I like. I don't really care for Dunkin's (though I love their muffins and coffee) and Tim Horton's is basically the exact same thing as Dunkin Donuts except in Canada.

I've had some amazing donuts from non-chains, though. just this week I took a 2 hour drive with my friends to buy cider donuts at an apple orchard.

 

[IronWing]

Our resident topologists should probably weigh in.

Is a long john really a donut?

 

[RichUK]

I believe both donut and doughnut are acceptable.

KK's are probably the only mass produced donut that I like. I don't really care for Dunkin's (though I love their muffins and coffee) and Tim Horton's is basically the exact same thing as Dunkin Donuts except in Canada.

I've had some amazing donuts from non-chains, though. just this week I took a 2 hour drive with my friends to buy cider donuts at an apple orchard.

I was kidding on the spelling of donuts.

Freshly made ring/sugar doughnuts are amazing, if done right.

 

[guyver01]

Is a long john really a donut?

yes

The Long John is a bar-shaped, filled doughnut often embellished with glaze or icing.

 

[jupiter57]

Our resident topologists should probably weigh in.

Is a long john really a donut?

yes

The Long John is a bar-shaped, filled doughnut often embellished with glaze or icing.

NO.
A doughnut is round with a hole in the middle, deep fried.(Unless it's a "Creme Filled" or "Jelly "doughnut", which is technically a Creme or Jelly Filled Pastry)
A Long John is a rectangular, deep fried pastry, usually filled & topped.
The list goes on.
All pastries have names. Learn them & use them.:biggrin:

 

[Farang]

I'm hearing at least two different answers:
-A donut is not a donut unless it has a hole in the middle.
-A donut is not a donut unless it is fried.

However there are "cake" (or baked) donuts, as well as differently shaped "donuts."

Again I ask--when is a donut a donut?

 

[mmntech]

Mmmmm, donuts. Tim Hortons FTW.

Buy yourself a pack of Krispy Kreams right now (Walmart has em) and smack yourself. Seriously though, Tim's doughnuts are a lot drier and chewier than I remember them. Not very good.

 

[DrPizza]

Tim Horton's and Krispy Kreme are so over-rated it's ridiculous. Else all the other places that make doughnuts around you guys absolutely suck. I got a small package of day old doughnuts from a grocery store on my way to Buffalo a couple weeks ago. I remember thinking "omg, these are awesome!" If the place wasn't 25 miles away, I'd get doughnuts from there every other weekend.

 

[dank69]

Dough:

Nut:

No hole = technically not a doughnut

 

[Jeff7]

Tim Horton's and Krispy Kreme are so over-rated it's ridiculous. Else all the other places that make doughnuts around you guys absolutely suck. I got a small package of day old doughnuts from a grocery store on my way to Buffalo a couple weeks ago. I remember thinking "omg, these are awesome!" If the place wasn't 25 miles away, I'd get doughnuts from there every other weekend.

There's something like that here too - there's a doughnut shop on the west side of town. Fresh-baked, as in, fresh. They make them right there on the premises, from flour and sugar on up. Not even close to something like Tim Horton's or Krispy Kreme. (Though I will still of course eat either of those two.)
The problem, and probably benefit, is the "west side of town" thing. That puts the shop considerably out of my way, or at least it's farther than I'm willing to drive just to get a food item. (Ok, so it's only 5 miles in the wrong direction. I'm exceedingly lazy and unmotivated when it comes to going out of my way to hunt down food, especially if it involves driving. Thank you, first world.)

I'm sure there are other doughnut shops too, but I probably shouldn't look for them. I'm +10lbs from a few years ago, and I'd prefer to avoid starting to look like a lazy engineer who abhors motion in the physical realm.

 

[sactoking]

WTF is a "long john"? IS that some kind of East coast name? 'Round here they're maple bars or chocolate bars.

 

[nageov3t]

Tim Horton's and Krispy Kreme are so over-rated it's ridiculous. Else all the other places that make doughnuts around you guys absolutely suck. I got a small package of day old doughnuts from a grocery store on my way to Buffalo a couple weeks ago. I remember thinking "omg, these are awesome!" If the place wasn't 25 miles away, I'd get doughnuts from there every other weekend.

eh.

insofar as mass-produced, chain donuts go, I'd say they're better than a box of like Entenmann's or Little Debbie or something go.

I'm not sure anyone would chose them over a local store, but personally, the donuts they sell in my grocery store are pretty disgusting and any kind of non-chain donut shop is horribly inconvenient for me to get to on any kind of a regular basis.

 

[Eos]

http://www.voodoodoughnut.com

Their apple fritter (a pastry) with caramel glaze is awesome. Enough for two people...

I also like the Mango Tango. A mango filled pastry with vanilla icing, sprinkled with Tang.

 

[Jeeebus]

I got a small package

Go on...