Taste Test: Entenmann's Popettes versus Hostess Donettes

On Fridays, I sometimes post non-technology-preview-related items to give my blog some character. My wife went to the grocery store on last Saturday. Knowing that I like donuts and that I like experiments even more, she bought two different types of chocolate donuts. So this past Sunday, I conducted this experiment and wrote this up, even though I am posting this today. The post is under the Humor category. It's just for fun. In the tradition of Taste Test: Sugared Hot Chocolate versus No Sugar Added Hot Chocolate, here is how I spent my Sunday morning. It was an Entenmann's versus Hostess taste-off.

First, here are the facts:

	Entenmann's Popettes	Hostess Donettes
Package Weight	14 ounces	11.25 ounces
Donut Count	18.5 (not sure why that extra half was in there)	18
Serving Size	3	3
Calories	320	240
Saturated Fat	15 grams	15 grams
Sodium	170 milligrams	150 milligrams
Sugars	14 grams	15 grams

Now here are the ingredients in the order that they appear on the packaging (items common to both are in black):

Entenmann's Popettes	Hostess Donettes
PALM OIL SUGAR ENRICHED FLOUR [WHEAT FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, REDUCED IRON, NIACIN, THIAMIN MONONITRATE (B1), RIBOFLAVIN (B2), FOLIC ACID] WATER HYDROGENATED PALM OIL COCOA (PROCESSED WITH ALKALI) SOYBEAN OIL LEAVENING (BAKING SODA, SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, SODIUM ALUMINUM PHOSPHATE, SODIUM ALUMINUM SULFATE) GLYCERIN NONFAT MILK SOY FLOUR EGG YOLK CORN SYRUP SOLIDS SOY LECITHIN WHEAT STARCH SALT WHEY DEXTROSE NATURAL & ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS XANTHAN GUM MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES POLYSORBATE 60 SORBITAN TRISTEARATE POTASSIUM SORBATE (PRESERVATIVE) GUAR GUM CELLULOSE GUM WHEAT GERM NUTMEG OIL BETA CAROTENE (COLOR)	SUGAR ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR [WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, IRON (FERROUS SULFATE), THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID] WATER PALM OIL PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED OILS (PALM KERNAL, COCONUT, AND PALM) COCOA POWDER (PROCESSED WITH ALKALI) SOYBEAN OIL CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF EACH OF THE FOLLOWING: DISTILLED MONOGLYCERIDES SOY LECITHIN WHEY POWDER NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR NONFAT MILK DEFATTED SOY FLOUR SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE BAKING SODA SODIUM ALUMINUM PHOSPHATE EGG YOLKS SALT WHEAT STARCH SORBIC ACID AND SODIUM PROPIONATE AND POTASSIUM SORBATE (TO RETAIN FRESHNESS) MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES DEXTROSE DEXTRIN GUAR GUM CELLULOSE GUM KARAYA GUM ANNATTO AND TURMERIC (COLOR) WHEAT FLOUR ENZYMES GLYCERIN CITRIC ACID
"Everyone's favorite cake-style donut with a rich frosting."	"Who says you can’t have a treat for breakfast? That’s the brilliance behind these sweet rings of beauty."

As an aside, I took a picture of the ingredients with my iPhone and used ONLINE OCR image to text conversion software to save me some typing.

Here are my findings. Since both products have so many ingredients in common, it's not surprising that they taste very similar; however, there are some slight differences:

• Entenmann's Popettes are softer in texture and darker in color. There is a hint of cinnamon in the taste, but since there is none, it must be the nutmeg oil.
• Hostess Donettes have a thicker chocolate covering, and as a milkier chocolate, have a sweeter taste.

My preference is Hostess because it has a better mouthfeel, as in seeming like there is more to chew, and although I am normally a dark chocolate lover, I prefer their sweeter taste. Saddened by the loss, the Entenmann's donut just stood there with a glazed expression. ^{source: nicartoons.com}

Donuts are alive in the lab.