Like waffle, like doughnut

Inspiration can be found in many places. To some, it is the beauty of a particularly colorful sunset. Or perhaps a serene lake can be used to glean nuggets of realization as if they were plucked from the sky like stars. Others find inspiration in their fellow man, looking to community leaders and advocates of peace to draw upon. And then others find inspiration in a waffle iron.

One very famous example of a waffle iron forging inspiration is the story of how Nike got its start with the sole of its first prototype shoe being cast in a waffle iron. Another, as-yet-not-so-famous example might involve the inception of the Sunbeam FPSBFDM922 Flip Donut Maker. Taking its cue from popular flip waffle makers, the countertop gadget relies on gravity to get an assist in the baking process to result in sweet treats with a distinctive shape and fluffy interior. Never let it be said that doughnuts and running shoes have nothing in common.

With a sample unit ready to go on my countertop, I went looking for my own inspiration. The doughnut maker consists of a cruller-shaped housing that is mounted on a swivel. Upon opening the clamshell-type appliance, one finds six bite-size cruller-shaped indentations. Using one of the included recipes as a guide, I poured batter in, rotated the unit, and waited the 6 or so minutes it would take to cook.

It didn't take long to realize that doughnuts were just a starting point. Indeed, they did cook with an appealing texture, both thanks to the cruller shape as well as the fluffy interior. It being October, little packets of chocolate candies seem to be everywhere; soon one of them was poured in the batter. As well as a mashed banana. Closer examination of the included instruction booklet revealed that the manufacturer had indeed foreseen such revelations: an apple-filled doughnut recipe is included.

It is recommended to use a bit of cooking spray to assist in the removal of the little bites of deliciousness. When experimenting, it becomes even more evident as additional ingredients don't always play nicely with the crevices of the cruller molds, however a wet paper towel did the trick for cleanup. The fact that the machine is meant to rotate means that whatever creations you do decide upon will feature nicely distributed ingredients. Anybody who has eaten a blueberry muffin with all the blueberries collected at the bottom will understand this as a major benefit--and that gives me an idea.