LINCOLN – Donuts are a giant part of our dietary culture, and for good reason, I have yet to meet someone who doesn’t like donuts.

They’re tasty, they’re easy to find, cheap, and can last a day or two after being freshly baked.

However, where to get the best donut is a very broad question because you then run into the issues of what kind of donut, what flavor and what topping.

I thought that the best donut for this trial would be the classic glazed donut.

A glazed donut is the original donut; it is also the most common one.

And the fact that a glazed donut is so simple and a base for other donuts means that every donut shop should know how to make a good one.

I went and got two glazed donuts from seven different donut shops in Lincoln, two big chain grocery stores, and a big chain gas station in Lincoln for a total of ten different places.

I went to Krispy Kreme’s, Dunkin Donuts, Winchell’s, Hurts Donuts, Conroy’s Family Bakery, Lamar’s Donuts, The Donut Hole, Casey’s Gas Station, Hy-Vee and Russ’s Market trying a donut from each and comparing them to a set of criteria.

A good donut will look appetizing and the donuts will be consistent in size look and taste.

Furthermore, the glaze will crack and break when held; this is good sign because it means the glaze is thick and fully developed.

The dough will be light, not chewy, and a good compliment to the glaze, as it will not be to dry or bland and overwhelming.

A good donut will also be very sweet; if they weren’t sweet, they would just be sad bagels.

I’ll began with four donuts that were on an equal level, Russ’s, Hy-Vee, Winchell’s and Casey’s. All these donuts were disappointing, with Russ’s and Hy-Vee’s tasting more like glazed bread.

I could go into detail of what makes them all tie for last, but to sum it up, they all shared a common trend of sticky and wet glaze; inconsistent size; and thick, chewy and bland dough; and Casey’s donuts left a chemical taste in my mouth with a wax coated feeling.

Hurt’s Donuts and the Donut Hole are also two that I can bunch together.

Their donuts aren’t horrible, but they would not be my top choice. These donuts didn’t have anything to ruin them, with both having a few good attributes, but they do not go to the same level as my top four choices.

My No. 4 choice is Conroy’s Family Bakery.

This donut was not like any in the list.  They did have a different look, being smaller but taller and a darker brown look to them compared to the top three.

The glaze was not wet, but had a good firm glaze that would break and crack when held. The glaze also had a taste of vanilla, and the dough was somewhat light.

But Conroy’s donuts were heavy overall.  This was most likely tied into another problem: an oily taste reminding me of carnival sweets, making me think too much oil was used.

It was also not sweet enough, and while the glaze had a good taste, it needed more of it.

No. 3 came to Lamar’s Donuts.  Their donuts were a light color and consistent in size.

The glaze had a sweet flavor with a taste of vanilla, and the dough was light and complimented the glaze as it was able to soak up the flavor of the glaze.

However, the donuts did have a few short comings, the glaze being the biggest one.  While it tasted good, it was wet and had an artificial aftertaste to it, but that was my only gripe with it.

No. 2 was Dunkin’ Donuts, and it was a close second.

Their glaze was thick enough to crack and had a very sweet flavor with a good amount of vanilla to back it up. They looked appetizing and were consistent in their size and look. It was overall a very good donut.

No. 1 goes to Krispy Kreme, the perfect glazed donut.

To begin, all of their donuts are almost identical, and their look is astounding, with a light brown dough and white glaze that is thick enough to almost be translucent.

And with the donut being hot when the glaze is added, the glaze melts to the bottom, leaving a small circle of glaze when the donut is lifted.

And while their donuts are smaller than most, their flavor is massive.

The glaze is incredibly sweet, with a wonderful and natural tasting vanilla acting as a sidekick to the taste of the glaze.

The dough was very light, and when you pick the donut up, it starts to droop almost immediately; the weight of the glaze pulls it down.

In addition, the dough has a good fried taste to it and is able to soak up the flavor of the glaze of the vanilla without a problem.

If you want a consistently good glazed donut that almost everyone will enjoy, then Krispy Kreme is the place to go.