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Kinnikinnick's Vanilla Glazed Donuts
I Paid: $6.99 for six doughnuts (prices may vary by region)
Nothing says "bummer" like a gluten-free doughnut—there's something downright mopey about the collision between health-based self-denial and what would otherwise be a moment of hedonistic abandon.
Kinnikinnick Foods, however, specializes in gluten-free foods, and it brings that expertise to bear on the project of creating a plausible gluten-free doughnut. It half succeeds. Its frozen Vanilla Glazed Donuts are only vaguely doughnutlike, starting with the fact that you've got to zap 'em in the microwave for about 20 seconds before you can eat them.
Made with white rice flour and tapioca starch, these doughnuts are much denser and weightier than their namesakes. I'd put even odds on their being able to break a window when frozen. However, if you think of them as miniature iced Bundt cakes, the whole situation evolves in a positive direction. Eating a superheavy, sort-of-grainy doughnut is unpleasant; forking away at a dense, sweetly iced, spiced miniature Bundt cake is kind of fun and indulgent. The nutmeggy spice flavor is good, the icing is sweet without being obnoxious, and the balance between cake and frosting is well calibrated.
So, those avoiding gluten—or dairy or soy, for that matter—be warned: These "doughnuts" are only vaguely evocative of the real deal and may irritate on that basis. But if you're just looking for a serious gluten-free dessert, they'll fit the bill nicely.
yes, there is a tendency in the US to latch on to any excuse for dietary restriction -- there is no, i repeat, no nutritional or medical benefit to not eating gluten for otherwise healthy people. Indeed, these food restricters make it more difficult for those of us with real, serious diet-related diseases -- they add fuel to the belief that dietary restrictions are a choice or a sign of a picky...+READ
yes, there is a tendency in the US to latch on to any excuse for dietary restriction -- there is no, i repeat, no nutritional or medical benefit to not eating gluten for otherwise healthy people. Indeed, these food restricters make it more difficult for those of us with real, serious diet-related diseases -- they add fuel to the belief that dietary restrictions are a choice or a sign of a picky eater, rather than a matter of health and often life or death. That said, in the case of gluten there is a condition separate from celiac, called "gluten intolerance" where gluten triggers the same sorts of digestive problems (but not the systemic symptoms) -- it is a facet of irritable bowel syndrome triggered by gluten. The point is, don't assume every non-celiac who avoids gluten is just a frivolous dieter or hypochondriac -- he or she may find real relief from eliminating gluten.-COLLAPSE
Great review - well-written, nicely described, well thought through. I like the author's point that letting go of one's expectations of what the dessert should be allows one to appreciate it as it is. Kindof Buddhist of him, actually.
This review is right - the donuts just aren't the same. I've made homemade jelly donuts that were good hot out of the oil but were not any better than these when they cooled. I think the rice four and xanthan gum make them harden. I'm going to try a different flour combo and use guar gum this year. There are a lot more celiacs around than there used to be - The Mayo Clinic did a study that found...+READ
This review is right - the donuts just aren't the same. I've made homemade jelly donuts that were good hot out of the oil but were not any better than these when they cooled. I think the rice four and xanthan gum make them harden. I'm going to try a different flour combo and use guar gum this year. There are a lot more celiacs around than there used to be - The Mayo Clinic did a study that found it was four times more common than in the 1950s. I agree that going gluten free won't fix all health problems but it can be a major help to some people who aren't diagnosed celiac.-COLLAPSE
MommaJ, partially it is legitimate celiac cases-- food makers/stores/etc are just becoming more cognizant of allergy-sufferers. But partially there are more people just going on wheat/gluten-free diets because for whatever reason they think it'll be good for them (or worse, putting their children on gluten-free diets because a while back some doctors advocated doing that to curb bad...+READ
MommaJ, partially it is legitimate celiac cases-- food makers/stores/etc are just becoming more cognizant of allergy-sufferers. But partially there are more people just going on wheat/gluten-free diets because for whatever reason they think it'll be good for them (or worse, putting their children on gluten-free diets because a while back some doctors advocated doing that to curb bad behavior/ADHD/autism and a thousand other things that are not correlated to wheat in any way.) It's wonderful that more GF products are becoming available for people with allergies, but unfortunately it's also just one of those "magical fix all health things" that lots of crazy people have latched onto lately, which is, frankly, an insult to people who actually have dietary restrictions.-COLLAPSE
What's with gluten free foods proliferating everywhere? Surely there aren't that many celiac cases around all of a sudden. Do people somehow think gluten is a bad thing?