Donuts are a delicious and filling snack or breakfast. A fresh, warm, donut is one of life’s simple delicacies. But when you leave them out for too long, they can go stale. Once donuts cool, the fat becomes the controlling flavor and the donuts are no longer desirable. Luckily, if you don’t want your donuts to go to waste there are a few easy fixes to restore them.
To give donuts the texture they had when they were first made, you can microwave them, put them in the oven, even cook them on the stove. All of these solutions only take a few minutes to help you get the most out of your donuts.
Using a microwave to soften your donuts is probably the quickest method. The results are very pleasant and you can do this for as many donuts as you like.
Place a Damp Paper Towel Over the Donuts
If your donuts have only been left out for an hour or so, you can skip this step. But if they’ve been sitting on the counter overnight, you’ll want to put a slightly damp paper towel over them before heating. This will help restore the moisture and get them as close in freshness as they were when you got them.
Heat in Short Intervals
Donuts aren’t very good then they’re too soft or hot, so to avoid this you will want to microwave them in very short intervals. Make sure the microwave is at a medium intensity instead of the strongest. Heat for about 20 seconds and check the status of the donuts. Continue heating for ten second intervals if necessary.
Softening and reheating donuts in the oven is a bit more time consuming than using a microwave, but the results are just as good. It may even be a better solution if you’re trying to reheat many donuts, as an oven is more spacious than a microwave.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. While the oven is preheating, you can start prepping the donuts.
Wrap each individual donut in aluminum foil. One layer of foil will suffice, but it’s important to wrap each donut separately. Then, place them on a baking sheet.
Bake for five minutes. Unwrap a donut and see if it’s softened enough. If it isn’t, reheat for another one or two minutes.
Softening Donuts on the Stove
Along with microwaving or reheating donuts in the oven, you can also soften and reheat them with a frying pan. It has the smallest surface area so this option is good if you’re only planning on eating one or two donuts.
Lightly grease your pan with butter or oil and use medium heat.
Fry the donut for a minute on each side. If donuts are stale, add a bit of water at the end and cover the pan. Then, heat for an additional minute.
Remove the pan from heat and serve your donuts immediately.
Final Thoughts
If you purchased or made more donuts than you could eat in one sitting, they’ve likely gone stale since you first ate them. There are multiple ways you can restore the softness of donuts and enjoy them just as much as you did the first time. Using a microwave, stove, or oven are all great options to get the most out of your donuts and not let them go to waste.
