Time to make the doughnuts: What you need to whip them up at home (plus a recipe!)

If there’s nothing you love better than a cup of coffee paired with a doughnut, chef Richard Coppedge Jr., master baker and professor at the Culinary Institute of America, has a piece of advice for you.

Go to your favorite doughnut shop, whether that be Krispy Crème or a local hangout.

Because, seriously, people, it’s a pain in the rear to make the darn things.

“You have to ask yourself if your stove can create enough heat, and you want to keep water away from hot grease, as that’s a bad combination,” he notes.

That said, if you have a deep-fat fryer and a will, there’s a reward at the end.

“Yeah, your kitchen will be a mess, but they sure are good,” Coppedge says. “If you’re willing and able to get into it, go for it.”

First, you’ll have to decide whether to go for yeast-raised or cake doughnuts. It’s about as it sounds: The yeast raised means you have to let them rise, thus wait a bit longer for the reward. The cake doughnuts, like most cakes, rely on baking soda or powder to rise.

“My favorite is a yeast-raised doughnut, with a maple glaze,” Coppedge says. “There’s nothing much better.”

But they both need that special extra ingredient. The presence of very hot oil. For that, the pros suggest a deep-fat fryer. If you have no space for an enormous fryer (and who needs five dozen doughnuts?), we suggest a small model. Bella 3.5L deep fryer, $49.99 on sale, kohls.com

If you’re planning to pull out that fryer more than once or twice a year, it might be worth investing in a more powerful model. We suggest Krups High Performance deep fryer, $299.99 on sale, crateandbarrel.com.

Ready to cook? We went easy on you with a recipe from allrecipes.com:

SUPER EASY DOUGHNUTS

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons white vinegar 3/8 cup milk
  2 tablespoons shortening
• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 quart oil for frying
• 1 quart oil for deep frying
• ½ cup confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Directions

1. Stir the vinegar into the milk, and let stand for a few minutes until thick.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well blended. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the sugar mixture alternating with the vinegar and milk. Roll dough out on a floured surface to 1/3 inch thickness. Cut into doughnuts using a doughnut cutter. Let stand for about 10 minutes.
3. Heat the oil in a large deep skillet to 375 degrees. Fry doughnuts in the hot oil until golden, turning over once. Drain on paper towels. Dust with confectioners’ sugar while they are still warm, and serve immediately.