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AbleKitchen.com presents the key factors for successful donuts:
Always follow procedure and use quality donut screens, donut baskets, donut cutters and anything else that is part of the equation in producing successful donuts.
PROBLEM
Excess fat absorption
PROBABLE CAUSES
- Batter temperature too hot (or too cold)
- Frying temperature too low
- Batter too slack (or too stiff)
- Over expansion before turning
- Not enough mixing time
- Break down of fry fat
PROBLEM
Toughness
PROBABLE CAUSES
- Overmixed
- Batter too slack
PROBLEM
Spreading
PROBABLE CAUSES
- Batter too slack
- Frying temperatures too low
PROBLEM
Balling
PROBABLE CAUSES
- Batter too stiff
- Batter too cold
- Overmixed
- Donut turned in kettle (too soon)
- Cutter setting too large
PROBLEM
Misshaped
PROBABLE CAUSES
- Batter too slack (or too stiff)
- Frying fat too deep
- Faulty cutter-sleeve-plunger (nicks and worn spots will cause poorly formed donuts)
- Donut sticks to screen
- Cutter setting-doughut size
PROBLEM
Cracking
PROBABLE CAUSES
- Batter too stiff
- Undermixed
- Batter too cold
PROBLEM
Rough crust
PROBABLE CAUSES
- Batter too stiff
- Undermixed
- Batter temperature too cold
PROBLEM
Poor volume
PROBABLE CAUSES
- Batter temperature too hot (or too cold)
- Batter too slack (or too stiff)
- Not enough mixing time (or too much)
Donut Screen
What’s On Your Bulletin Board?
Getting the word out is one of the hardest things to do for any business owner. But when you’re running a busy and successful restaurant, it gets all the more difficult. In order to make sure your employees and your guests know what’s changing in your store, you might want to invest in a simple piece of communication technology – a bulletin board. Sounds too easy, right? You might be surprised at how useful this piece of cork really is.
Employees Know What’s Going On
When your menu changes, would you rather talk to each individual employee on their own or would you rather post up the changes in the employee timecard area and know that you’ve saved yourself time while also educating your crew? The answer seems pretty simple. You can hang calendars, schedules, and even menu changes on the bulletin board, helping everyone stay up to date on their jobs as well as on what’s expected of them. You can also allow employees to post notes to other employees on the board to help facilitate discussions about shift changes.
Customers Know What’s Going On
But a bulletin board in your entryway is a great way to help customers see if your restaurant is for them. By posting your menu, the prices, and your daily specials, people can easily look at this area, make a decision and either leave or get a table. Many restaurants now put a glass enclosed bulletin board on the exterior of their building to accomplish these tasks. Some people who are in the area might not be ready to eat just yet, but having the knowledge of the restaurant will help them make plans for later.
Fun Ways to Use a Bulletin Board
You can also use a bulletin board to highlight special employees or events at your restaurant. Perhaps you have a charity event that you want guests to come to or you might want to showcase a special guest or entertainment group that’s going to be coming to town. Try to make this board exciting and new each week to keep people coming back to see what else you can offer them. Make sure the items posted are colorful and also clearly legible. You can also use laminated pieces of paper to use again and again, instead of printing new signage.
Your bulletin board can do all the talking for you – and that’s a relief. It’s much easier that talking to everyone individually or trying to coerce employees into a long drawn out meeting.
Enclosed Bulletin Board
An Economy Chafer Can Hold All of Your Guests…and Their Food
How many times have you been to a party, only to arrive at the buffet that’s been picked over long before you got there? Heck, the serving utensils are already gone and the chefs are packing up. What kind of fun is that? Instead of throwing a shindig that runs out before your guests do, you need to start looking at an economy chafer to fit all of your serving needs. But what can you expect from an economy chafer?
Economy Chafing Dish
Space, Space, and More Space
Unlike the little serving platters that you put on your table, an economy chafer can hold an entire roast without breaking a sweat. Well, of course, it’s supposed to sweat a little because it’s also keeping your food warm. With a place for a solid fuel source, this chafer is going to not only hold an entire main course (and could easily fit some of your smaller guests – you can try this after the fuel can is out and you’ve all hit the bar a few times), but it will also make sure that you don’t run out of dinners for the back tables.
Hot Stuff Stays Hot
With a tightly sealed top, your economy chafer is also going to make sure that each bite is hot enough to pass inspection…by your discerning mother. Though people will be pulling off the top to serve themselves, the deep dish is going to keep meats hot and even your larger portions of side dishes bubbling. You might also want to try out some hot desserts in the chafer like a nice fruit crumble or even a chocolate fondue.
More Ways to Use a Chafer…Without Getting Burned
But you can also use that economy chafer for serving up salads and other cool dishes. Of course, you don’t want to use the fuel then, but when you put ice trays underneath the chafer, things can stay fresh and cold for hours.
You can also use the chafer for dry items that you simply want to present in a more decorative manner than using plastic plates (not that your decorative ones aren’t lovely, of course). Line up cookies and breads in the chafer to make an instant impression with your guests.
Finally, you can use the economy chafer as a backup ice cube tray if you’re serving drinks that need to be on the rocks. Just be sure to add an ice scoop or tongs to make sure you guests know that you’re not serving them ice chips as the main course.
If you plan to make some fried fish or a batch of crispy onion rings, give your food some added flavor by coating it with a tangy beer batter. As simple to make as stirring your favorite brew together with flour and a few spices, the mixture will create a golden crust with a satisfying crunch.
In addition to a bottle of your favorite beer, you’ll need a few basic ingredients and kitchen tools to whip up a batch of the batter. This recipe will make enough batter to coat 11/2 to two pounds of fish or assorted vegetables such as mushrooms, onions and zucchini.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces beer
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
AbleKitchen.com Mixing Bowl
Equipment
- Create beer batter with the correct consistency and texture by following these simple steps.
- Add the flour, pepper and paprika to a large bowl.
- Gradually stir the beer in with a whisk. Add more beer if you prefer a thinner batter.
- Beat the batter until it’s smooth.
- You can store the batter in the refrigerator for up to one week as long as you mix it occasionally.
Coating and Frying Tips
Use these suggestions to simplify the coating and frying process and achieve the perfect crust. Although most items can be fried in oil at about 365 degrees until golden brown, specific times will vary depending on the type of meat or vegetable you’ve coated and the type of fryer you’re using.
Coating
1. For a crispier crust and to help the batter adhere properly, dredge the item in plain flour before dipping into the beer batter.
2. Set up a “dredging station” with bowls of flour and beer batter on wax paper to simplify clean up.
Frying
- Consider frying with an oil that won’t break down at high temperatures. Try canola, peanut or sunflower oil.About.com: Deep Fat Frying Tips
- Keep the coating crispy by using a new batch of cooking oil once the oil becomes dark or thick, starts smoking excessively or gives the food an odd flavor.
- Fry the items a few pieces at a time to prevent the oil’s temperature from dropping.
- After each batch fries, drain it on paper towels.
- Transfer each batch to a cookie sheet in a 200-degree oven to keep it warm while the other batches fry.
We All Scream for Ice Scoops
If you’ve ever walked into a backyard picnic and looked for the ice chest, you already know that you’re taking your life into your hands. Not only has everyone used their hands to dig into the already melting chips of ice, but the family dog has decided that its bowl is much too far away to bother. Yes, that ice chest is a bucket of germs – but there is another way. While this party might be doomed, you can do better. By using ice scoops, you’re not only saving the ice, but you’re also saving your guests.
Winco Ice Scoop
When Alcohol is on Hand
Even if you’re not mixing drinks, a lot of people want to have ice in their wine or their beer to help cool things down – especially on hot days. To help your guests help themselves, you can fill up a number of (clean) containers with the ice they need and place them at various spots in the drink area. Colorful plastic tubs work great and they look bright and inviting, but when you put ice scoops into the tubs, it appears you’ve spared no expense. Have a number of scoops in the tubs so that no one has to wait around and either have a place for them to sit when they’re not in use, or you can have guests put them directly back into the ice.
Other Ways You Can Scoop Up Fun
But even ice scoops can be used for different kinds of parties – especially when the temperature outside starts to plummet. You might want to use these scoops to help serve various side dishes. These scoops will help everyone get a healthy sized portion, but without spilling a drop onto your freshly cleaned tablecloth. Sides like pastas, rice, and even potato salad are easy to put onto a plate when you scoop them up.
And those tiny ice cream scoops that you find at the store don’t really do the job when your ice cream is a bit too hard. With an ice scoop, you can push right into the creamy mix and get a serving without a sweat. Even a child can use this scoop to quickly serve up a sundae for themselves – no help needed from you.
When the party is over, ice scoops can be used in your baking tasks to scoop up flour and sugar into the correct measuring cups. Instead of pouring from the bags, you can scoop up what you need and then put the rest away for another tray of brownies to be made another day.
Able Kitchen has a huge variety of aluminum and plastic ice scoops in every size imaginable.
