Based in Manila, Philippines, Dessert Comes First is a chronicle of the food-obsessed food writer, Lori Baltazar. This website is all about desserts, restaurants, coffee, and the pleasures of homebaking. Read more about me A Donut Discourse (sort of)
Thu, July 21st of 2005
4:30 pm
Last of a 2-part donut post
When GoNuts Donuts first exploded onto the food scene about two years ago, the inevitable comparisons to Krispy Kreme were endless. People were divided into two camps – those who thought GoNuts was just as good or even better than Krispy Kreme, and those who maintained that GoNuts was just a trying hard donut wannabe.
I for one, never really got the connection. Why bother comparing? Like I said before, all Filipinos ever had then was Mister Donut and Dunkin Donuts. Both stores offer a cakey kind of donut, which is a far cry from the light and almost ethereal discs that GoNuts introduced to the public.
Comparisons be damned, I’m just grateful that Filipinos now have the choice between dense and delicate. While the Krispy Kremes I’ve tried have been two days old, they were pretty damn good after a few seconds in the microwave. Thinking about it now, the new donuts (GoNuts Donuts and company) all taste the same: lip-smack-me-good. With a few exceptions, I’d be hard pressed to tell one from the other, even if you threw a Krispy Kreme in there.
What people need to remember about donuts is that they’re an eat-it-now food. Donuts are best when you bite into them just seconds after they’ve leapt off the fryer and been glazed. That’s when they’re at their most glorious and delectable. Even your trip to and from the store affects their quality, such fragile circles of seduction they are.
When I was at Hoops Donuts, Mrs. Dolina showed me the difference between a fresh donut and one that had been preening behind the glass counter for a while. She took a knife and gently nudged the side of the fresher donut. It offered not a 
breath of resistance, its fluffy sides gently caved in toward the center. The not-so-fresh donut on the other hand, was sturdier and hardly gave in to the knife’s pressure.
To get that characteristic fluffiness, donut dough must be stiff enough to be shaped, with enough moisture to give it that pillowy texture once it’s cooked. When the dough hits the oil, the heat surges through them causing them to swell. The superheated steam puffs them up to lightness before the outside hardens. The presence of air and gas bubbles generated by yeast or other leaveners also helps the process. This is very different from the donuts of Dunkin’ and its ilk, which is another procedure and ingredients altogether.
Why such a hubbub over fried pieces of bread dough? Because they’re fried, and the taste of crisp, crusty, fried food is incomparable. The texture? Unforgettable. Just look at my daughter, Boo.
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Your daughter is so cute!
Those donuts look mighty fine
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Comment by Clare Eats — July 21, 2005 @ 10:00 pm
awww, lori, your boo is just precious!!!
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Comment by stef — July 22, 2005 @ 4:13 am
My goodness, she’s grown!
On the subject of donuts, I’ve never really uderstood why Krispy Kremes are so legendary. My sister brought home a box from the States, and I found them to be a little too much on the sweet side.
My addiction? Dunkin’ Donuts’ Boston Creams.
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Comment by Eric — July 22, 2005 @ 6:32 am
Oh, I almost forgot. Cello’s donuts are also pretty good.
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Comment by Eric — July 22, 2005 @ 6:34 am
Boo is so adorable! Okay, the donuts look good too. ; ) –K
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Comment by Anonymous — July 22, 2005 @ 12:48 pm
im such a donut person, its one of my comfort foods. ive had my first krispy kreme when it was relatively new in the states. i thought i had food orgasm back then, since it was the first time ive ever tasted a donut fresh from the fryer. it was warm, soft and divine. when i tasted gonut donuts naman, i also thought they were exactly the same, warm, soft and divine.
oh! do you guys remember those mini donuts in robinsons galleria? i think they have it at glorieta now.
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Comment by coconutalk — July 22, 2005 @ 4:35 pm
hi lori, she’s adorable! those donuts look pretty darn cute too
cheers,j
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Comment by J — July 24, 2005 @ 1:46 pm
That’s one happy little girl…lol
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Comment by J.T. — July 26, 2005 @ 1:26 pm
Hi Lori….great site.
anyways i dunno if you’ve chanced upon Donut Magic 10 years ago…it was an attempt by the jollibee group to try their hands at donuts…unfortunately they went puffft…
2 branches were hatched, one at cubao the other at glorietta and i tell you they have the best donuts that i’ve gotten my sweet tooth into so far…
the longjohns are to die for
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Comment by Anonymous — November 28, 2005 @ 3:47 am
have you tried cello’s donuts in katipunan? they have uber fluffy donuts that taste good even on their own
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Comment by angelica — April 16, 2006 @ 3:18 am
I love the Cheese flavor of Cello’s, especially the cocktail size (the smaller size makes it so much easier to gobble them up).
FYI, they have a 50% discount on all the remaining donuts an estimated 30 minutes before closing time at around 10pm (they close earlier if all the donuts are gone).
Although a sugar rush is great at any time, it might not be advisable just before sleeping. But there’s no need to worry about your late night purchase. I’ve found that zapping the Cello’s donuts in the microwave brings back that delectable texture and flavor.
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Comment by lorna — April 17, 2006 @ 5:13 am
ooh, I remember those mini donuts right outside Makati supermarket when it was still in Makati (across Landmark). A machine dropped the dough into a mini river of oil (with an automatic flipper!). Shaken in a bag of cinammon powder and sugar, yum! I don’t remember the name but I remember the astronaut mascot.
When that disappeared, I moved on to Dunkin Donut’s choco butternut and munchkins (hey, I was still a kid hehe). Now I’m into Cello’s (all flavors especially cheese!) and Country Style’s sour cream.
What do they put in GoNuts donuts to keep them “fresh” even when a day old or so (with a quick zap in the microwave)? I shudder at the thought of “preservatives” in my donuts
-chrissy
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Comment by Anonymous — June 6, 2006 @ 3:47 pm
i love dunkin’ donuts boston creams. they’re just the right amount of sweetness. i’ve tried gonuts and krispy kreme’s a LOT of times and i never really liked them; they’re too sweet for my liking.
although dunkin’ donuts’ donuts are not as soft as krispy kreme’s and gonuts’ even when fresh, i like them so much more because they’re not as sweet.
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Comment by cybelle — July 21, 2008 @ 11:31 am