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See why.Turkey Fryers
By Published May 28, 2021
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What You Need To Know
The best turkey fryers are durable and powerful and make great turkey. We prefer outdoor cookers to countertop models, which can be used inside. Our favorite is the Bayou Classic Stainless Steel 32-Quart Turkey Fryer and Gas One High Pressure Burner. This kit produced great crispy-skinned turkey in its large stainless-steel pot, thanks to a powerful burner that heated oil quickly and maintained temperatures well. It comes with a large steamer basket for boiling seafood and steaming tamales.
What You Need to Know
There are three good reasons to fry your turkey. First: the results. At its best, a fried turkey is spectacular, with bronzed, crackling-like skin and tender, juicy meat. Second: It frees up your oven. Without the turkey hogging the oven for hours, you can rotate in your sides and desserts more efficiently. Finally, it’s fast. Budgeting 3 to 4 minutes per pound, a 12-pound bird will be done in 48 minutes, tops. You could fry two turkeys—some folks do—in the time it takes you to finish making your sides. There are two types of fryers: outdoor and countertop. Outdoor cookers are pretty simple—just a large stockpot and a burner that you hook up to a propane tank. Countertop fryers are powered by electricity and are essentially extra-large deep fryers.
Regardless of type, turkey fryers usually come with a steamer basket so that you can also do seafood boils or steam tamales. Most outdoor cookers also include a rack for holding the turkey, a hook for lowering the rack, and a thermometer for monitoring oil temperature.
What to Look For
- An Outdoor Cooker: Outdoor cookers are more expensive than countertop models, require the additional investment of propane, are a little more work to set up and maintain, and must be used outside (although this can also be a plus—while the weather has to be dry and calm for you to fry, any frying odors dissipate quickly outside). They’re still the best option for home cooks because they make the best fried turkeys. The two we tested had pots that were roomy, safely accommodating birds up to 18 pounds and plenty of oil for frying them. Their powerful propane burners heated the oil quickly and maintained proper frying temperatures, ensuring that the turkey cooked evenly, with crispy skin.
- A Stainless-Steel Pot: Outdoor cookers come with either stainless-steel or aluminum pots. Stainless steel takes a touch longer to heat, but it’s far more durable than aluminum. Aluminum will get the job done, too. But it’s also softer and more vulnerable to damage; our aluminum pot dented when we accidentally dropped it while cleaning it, though it was still functional. And as our science rese...
Everything We Tested
Recommended
- Performance: 3 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 2 stars out of 3.
With a powerful propane burner and a large stockpot that held plenty of oil, this turkey fryer kit made great fried turkey in record time—evenly cooked and crisp on the outside. The stainless steel pot is durable, capable of holding up to many repeat uses. The burner itself arrives preassembled and is easy to light and regulate. The kit comes with a big steamer basket and a sturdy rack with a perforated base that holds the turkey securely. While it does take quite a bit of attention and care to fry a turkey in any outdoor cooker, we think this one is more than worth that effort.
Recommended with reservations
- Performance: 3 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 1 stars out of 3.
This outdoor cooker turned out good fried turkey, thanks to a powerful burner that heated plenty of oil quickly in the set’s large stockpot. But the unit was a pain to use, as it had a fussy control panel that made the burner hard to light and automatically turned off the gas every 15 minutes. In addition, the stockpot is made of less durable aluminum that dented easily. Its biggest steamer basket is smaller than our winner’s, and its hooked rack holds turkey a touch less securely.
Not Recommended
- Performance: 1.5 stars out of 3.
- Ease of Use: 2 stars out of 3.
This countertop fryer promises true convenience. You can use it inside, and you don’t need to buy propane, as with an outdoor cooker. A built-in thermostat regulates the temperature of the oil or water; when we checked, the temperature was accurate once set. And the fryer did cook the turkey evenly and thoroughly. But with less power and a smaller volume of oil to keep the temperature stable, it failed to evaporate much of the moisture thrown off by the turkey during cooking. As a result, the turkey’s skin was soggy and steamy. Worse, the unit sent cascades of water running down into built-in reservoirs—and, more dangerously, into the hot oil—whenever we lifted the lid to check on the bird. If you just want an extra-large fryer for chicken or smaller foods, we think this model might work fine. But for turkeys weighing 15 pounds or more, stick with an outdoor cooker.
Reviews you can trust
Reviews you can trust
The mission of America’s Test Kitchen Reviews is to find the best equipment and ingredients for the home cook through rigorous, hands-on testing. We stand behind our winners so much that we even put our seal of approval on them.
Miye Bromberg
Miye is a senior editor for ATK Reviews. She covers booze, blades, and gadgets of questionable value.
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