You can fry doughnuts in any oil or solid shortening. Most important, the fat must be impeccably fresh and clean. Using a deep skillet, saucepan, or fryerΓÇöan electric deep fryer with a rotating basket is highly recommendedΓÇöheat about 3 inches of fat to a steady temperature of 360┬░ to 370┬░F, unless otherwise specified. To keep the fat at a constant temperature, fry no more than 2 or 3 doughnuts at a time, being careful not to crowd them. The easiest way to slip a doughnut into fat is to dip a metal spatula into the hot fat and then lift the doughnut with the spatula from the counter into the pan, once again immersing the spatula. It is hard to give exact cooking times. Color is a better indicator than the clock, so fry doughnuts until they are deeply golden on one side, then flip them over. When the doughnuts are done, remove them from the fryer with tongs or a long-tined fork and transfer them to a triple layer of paper towels to drain, patting off any excess fat. As soon as one doughnut comes out of the fryer, another should go in. If you want to sugar the doughnuts, shake them in a bag of granulated sugar while they are still warm or dust them with powdered sugar after they cool a bit. Doughnuts taste best while they are still warm or no more than an hour or two out of the fryer.
