The Simple Trick To Rescue A Stale Doughnut

Fresh, warm doughnuts are a great treat for just about any day of the week, and they make a good office breakfast because they are easy to transport and they come in all sorts of flavors, like glazed, chocolate, apple butter, and even ghost pepper. Doughnuts have exploded in popularity, according to CBS, who reported that a study from Postmates and NationalToday found that 96% of Americans like doughnuts. There are doughnut-making competitions, and even donut wedding cakes.

While you may not eat just one doughnut for Friday morning breakfast, you probably don't sit and eat a whole dozen at once. Unfortunately, a lot of doughnuts, especially those with fillings like cream or jam, can go bad and get stale very fast. So, what is the best way to store them, and how do you reheat them so that they're not stale when you want to leftover doughnuts the next day?

How many times have you come into the office and someone has left a box of doughnuts on the counter for people to grab? How long has that box been there? How many times has it been opened? If you find that the doughnuts have gone stale, don't despair — you can revive them! According to Southern Living, the fastest way to make a stale doughnut more edible is to pop it into the microwave– that appliance no dorm room or office can do without — for 15 seconds until it softens up some. It won't be as perfect as a fresh doughnut, but it will still be delicious.

You don't want to keep the doughnut in the microwave for too long, though, because that can have the opposite effect. NewScientist says that heating bread in a microwave will dry it out, and if it stays in the microwave too long it can "burn," or become tough. That will defeat the purpose of heating it to begin with.

Woman's Day suggests that you use a paper towel, dipped in water, to keep bread products moist when microwaving them. Wrap the damp paper towel around the doughnut, place it on a microwavable plate, then heat it for 15 seconds. This helps keep it moisturized as it warms. 

It's important to remember that glaze will melt in the microwave, and that means that it can be very hot when you remove the doughnut from the appliance. Likewise, fillings, like cream and jam, or toppings, like sprinkles, can melt after even just a few seconds in the microwave and they can be very hot to the touch. According to Medical Express, to prevent burns from food products that you have removed from a microwave, you should let the food sit for at least two minutes before eating it. You may also want to use a fork or cooking tongs to pick up the doughnut, particularly if it is glazed, to protect your fingers.