SASKATOON – Spudnuts, those potato flour tasties with the deep fried aroma that permeates the air of community fairs, are becoming healthier thanks to canola.
Sold in vanilla glaze or chocolate, these summertime confections look as unique as they taste, right down to the cholesterol, or lack of it.
The Scouts Canada North Saskatchewan region acquired the Spudnut Hut at the Saskatoon Exhibition several years ago as a fund-raising method. It was then stocked with shortening to accomplish the deep frying of the oversized pastries. The group quickly moved to a canola based, hydrogenated oil because of its lower cholesterol properties and better frying qualities.
Read Also
Powerful solar storm lights up night time sky
Prairie skywatchers have been on high alert the last few nights as spectacular aurora displays have made the night time…
This year the hut has again changed its ways. A new canola plant has yielded a nonhydrogenated “very fine quality oil that we are really impressed with,” said hut co-ordinator Jeff Montgomery, as he fried Spudnuts at the Exhibition last week.
Improved frying and a healthier product means the Scouts have a “leg up on the competition for exhibition specialty foods … some people already come to the Ex just to get their fill of Spudnuts and this only makes the product better,” said Tim Spelliscy, executive director of the region for Scouts Canada.
Low in linoleic acid, the canola oil has improved the properties of potato pastries by lowering the levels of polyunsaturated fats and has eliminated the trans-fatty acids from the fried foods altogether.
The Spudnut Hut expected to produce over 43,000 of the fried dough snacks during the Saskatoon Exhibition, which ran July 6-13, and expected to raise $65,000 for Scout programs in the province.
