I am attempting to make donuts, but don't know how to fry something. Do you add 1/2 cup of oil and 1/2 water? Do you use a pot or frying pan?

Do NOT add water to your frying oil! Oil and water aren't friends at the best of time, and any water in hot oil will splatter and pop when the oil gets hot. If you have a large amount of water in your oil it could be a real safety hazard.

As for how to fry, the recipe linked by Emma L. has a great step by step description! A thermometer will definitely make things easier. Good luck!

Hi, yum! Here's a donut recipe I developed for my column, Big Little Recipes: https://food52.com/recipes/77817-simplest-sugared-doughnuts. They're super simple and the instructions walk you through each step—hope that helps!