My Donut Business.com

Our third taste test did not go as well as the first two. We repeated the process for the specific purpose of filming everything for the blog thinking that what we had done previously would replicate. But it did not, and we were unsure why. When mixed according to the directions the batter was too runny and formed strings in the grease. Our solution was to add more mix to thicken the batter which worked. But did this change the texture or amount of grease absorbed? Unknown.
The donuts were easier to make in round shapes and actually looked donut-like today, but otherwise were inferior to what we'd made before. This was the third time the grease from Lil Orbits was used, and as expected after repeated use it turned darker. All grease does this so it was not unexpected, but we were unsure how the quality of the product would be affected. I also noted that when cooled, it took longer for the substance to solidify from a liquid back to its solid, partially hydrogenated state. Chemically, there had to have been a change between the three tests. The donuts that were produced were excessively greasy with a less fluffy interior.
Another change that could have affected the outcome was in the water content. The house where the donuts were made had a water softener installed between the first and second taste test. A change in water quality was noted by the owners in other areas.
Overall, we just were not as happy with what we made. If we'd gotten these donuts on our first taste test we might have just quit as it's doubtful that customers would have liked them after they bought them. One thing we had not done from the start was control exactly for the temperature of the grease. We failed to purchase a cooking thermometer and relied on the fry daddy temperature gauge which went in 50 degree increments. The directions called for a cooking temperature of 375 so we set the fry daddy wheel halfway between 350 and 400—logical yes but not necessarily accurate.
After the conslusion of the third test, we purchased more dry mix from Lil Orbits for further experimentation as well as some dry mix from a competing company. We'll also use the soy bean oil purchased from Sam's. I believe we can draw the same conclusions about how may time grease can be reused with donuts whether we use the Lil Orbits product or the Sam's product.
I am going to contact Lil Orbits to ask them some very specific questions about their product and the recommended process. My questions will be: Does is matter if soft water is used in the mixing of the batter? How often can the Lil Orbits grease be used before taste is affected and it needs to be discarded? How long can the batter sit before the consistency is affected and how can we keep this from happening without compromising the taste and texture? How critical is the cooking temperature? Are there any other variables that could affect the taste, texture, and absorption of grease? I will post the answers to my questions on this blog.