Mrs. Dunster's Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Your donuts always taste so good. What's your secret?
A. Mrs. Dunster's donut products are made using the same family recipe created by Ingrid Dunster, who began baking Dunster's Donuts in 1968. Her recipe includes a special ‘spice mix' which gives each Mrs. Dunster's donut its uniquely home-style flavor. This spice mix is still prepared with great care in relative secrecy, and only by the most trusted Mrs. Dunster's employees. And just like Ingrid, we use only the finest ingredients in all our products, including pure lard.

Q. Why do you use pure lard to bake your donuts?
A. Any baker will tell you that, for superior texture and taste, only pure lard will do. Ingrid Dunster knew this, and we're carrying on her tradition. It may cost more than using vegetable oils, but we have a reputation for taste and mouth-feel to maintain. And vegetable oil just can't match the feel and flavor of a donut prepared with pure lard.

Q. How do you mange to keep your donuts from getting gooey like other products?
A. All Mrs. Dunster's donut products are made using our own double-sugaring process. Typically, bakeries coat donuts with sugar after they have come off the donut fryer and cooled. We cool our donuts to a specific temperature, apply sugar, cool them again and apply more sugar. We also use different types of sugar at each stage of cooling. This creates a thick sugar coating that doesn't melt or become gooey like other donut products on the market.

Q. Does Mrs. Dunster's use artificial preservatives to extend shelf life?
A. Mrs. Dunster's does not use any artificial preservatives or other means (gas flushing) to extend the shelf life of our donut products. We make them just as you would, but on a larger, more mechanized scale. And our basic recipe has not changed in more than 30 years!

Q. Are Mrs. Dunster's products expensive?
A. Mrs. Dunster's do cost a little more than competing donuts available in your local grocery store. But our donuts also deliver a greater degree of quality and flavor than other donuts. And our customers consistently tell us they appreciate our commitment to baking ‘Homemade taste in every bite.'

Q. What's a Crescent?
A. Mrs. Dunster's Crescents are small, croissant-shaped donuts that are packed in a Baker's dozen (13). Perfect with a cup of tea or at snack time, Mrs. Dunster's Crescents are a favorite among our customers.

Q. Why do your donuts have such a unique shape?
A. We believe that the extraordinary taste of a Mrs. Dunster's donut deserves an extraordinary shape. So we prepare them in an apple-shape with no hole. How we do it is a closely guarded secret here at Mrs. Dunster's. But that unique shape is one reason why they taste so good because it keeps our donuts most and fresh for a very long time.

Q. A whole-wheat donut? What's up with that?
A. That's right. Mrs. Dunster's produces a 100% whole-wheat donut that ranks among our most popular flavors in Canada. These donuts are coated with a tasty cinnamon-sugar coating. Mrs. Dunster's also produces a 100% whole wheat Nugget (donut hole). Try them today. They're a family-favorite!

Q. Can I freeze your donuts?
A. Absolutely. Many customers freeze our donuts. We recommend placing them in the fridge overnight to thaw.

Q. How many donuts do you produce?
A. Mrs. Dunster's produces over 1,300,000 packages of donut products each year.

Q. We moved away from Maine a few years ago. Can I buy your donuts in Massachusetts?
A. Currently we do not have distribution outside of eastern Canada and Maine. Keep checking for updates!

Q. Do you freeze your donuts before you send them to the store?
A. Never! Mrs. Dunster's donut products are delivered fresh - just the way Ingrid Dunster would have wanted.

Q. What's your most popular donut flavor?
A. In Canada, our Sugar donuts are the most popular; in Maine, Chocolate Sugar donuts are our biggest seller.

Q. Do your donut products contain any trans fats?
A. Our donuts contain very little trans fats. For example, our most popular Canadian donut, Sugar, contains only 0.3 grams per serving. And our most popular donut flavor in Maine, Chocolate Sugar, contains only 0.5 grams per serving.