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Food

Start the morning with a sweet touch

By KATHY SAUNDERS
Published September 13, 2006

One of my favorite childhood memories was riding with my father to the bakery on weekend mornings to buy fresh glazed doughnuts. Today, I still get the same comfort from those sugared treats, and they are everywhere, from the local gas stations and convenience store counters to the grocery aisles.

Taster's Choice panelists spent a recent morning driving from store to station to find the freshest doughnuts available. We tried six varieties of glazed yeast doughnuts and found more than a couple of winners.

The glazed doughnuts from Kash n' Karry's bakery $1.65 for six scored 88 out of a possible 100 points.

"These are puffy, not too chewy and there's a nice hint of nutmeg," one judge said. "It's a good thing."

The Kash n' Karry variety also had a nice golden color that appealed to all of our panelists. All four said they would buy these in the future.

"Wow," another judge said of the store brand. "These are a nice size, light and fluffy with a great homemade flavor."

The glazed doughnuts from Publix (65 cents each) were the second choice with 60 total points. Judges liked the moist texture of the Publix doughnuts and the sweet flavor.

"These are sticky with plenty of icing," said one. "Wonderful."

Another panelist described the Publix brand as "angel-like" and said he wanted to eat a dozen. "These may require a 12-step recovery program to get over," he added.

When asked if they would buy the Publix store brand, panelists said, "absolutely," "yes, yes, yes" and "definitely."

Only one judge was not a fan of the Publix doughnut. He preferred more glaze on the bottom of the doughnuts and said they were a bit gummy.

Another store brand, Albertsons (59 cents), was ranked third by our judges, receiving 52 points.

"These are light, fluffy and airy," one judge said. "They are nice, sweet, full-figured doughnuts."

Two of the four judges said they would buy the doughnuts from the Albertsons bakery. The other two were craving more glaze.

"These are like unsweetened cotton balls," one said. "They look good but there's no glaze on the bottom - sneaky!"

Also sampled were glazed doughnuts from Dunkin' Donuts (85 cents); Krispy Kreme (69 cents) and Country Treats ($2.99 for six).

Panelists were Nan Jensen, registered dietitian with Pinellas County Cooperative Extension; Bob Devin Jones, artistic director of Studio@620 personal chef Julie Overton; and Jim Yockey, aesthetician at Indulgence Medical Day Spa in St. Petersburg. All foods were tasted blind.

Send suggestions for product testing to Taste, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731, or e-mail them to krieta@sptimes.com Please put TEST SUGGESTION in the subject line. To read past Taster's Choice columns, go to www.sptimes.com/food.

RANKINGS

1. Kash n' Karry

2. Publix

3. Albertsons

[Last modified September 12, 2006, 11:06:09]