Which turkey fryers are best?
Turkey day is rapidly approaching in the U.S. and with it comes the dreaded task of piecing together a Thanksgiving feast. If it’s your turn to take charge of the centerpiece bird, you have some cooking options. One of the most common methods is to use a giant deep fryer pot. It’s so commonly used for turkeys on Thanksgiving that the sets are typically called turkey fryers. These sets come in all sizes with all kinds of extras, so make sure you get one that will fit your turkey.
Turkey fryer benefits
Cooking a turkey in a specialized fryer has several benefits over roasting it in your oven. The biggest benefit is that it takes drastically less time. A 15-pound turkey can be cooked to perfection in a turkey fryer in about 45-75 minutes. The same size bird can take 3-5 hours in an oven.
Also, because of both the greatly reduced cooking time and being surrounded by liquid, your turkey should come out with an extra crispy and flavorful skin plus a wonderfully juicy interior.
Finally, using a turkey fryer frees up a huge amount of kitchen space for you to make the rest of the usual Thanksgiving dishes; or, at the very least, keep everyone else’s dishes warm.
Capacity
Capacity is important when shopping for turkey fryers because you want it to complement the size of the turkey you need. Otherwise, getting the turkey in and out can be made more difficult — if it even fits at all.
Turkey fryers come in all sizes, though they’re typically between 25 and 40 quarts. The size pot you need per pound of turkey is:
What’s included
The most minimalistic turkey fryer set isn’t a set at all, but just a single pot. However, this is uncommon.
Instead, most basic sets include a pot with a lid, a poultry rack and a grab hook. They may or may not include a burner.
The next level of sets includes all of that and especially a burner. It also tends to include a flavor injector and a thermometer. It might also throw in a small frying panlike shallow pot with or without a basket and a heat-resistant glove
Safety
Turkey fryers, and any other cooking gear full of boiling oil, need to be used safely. The number one rule is to never leave it cooking alone. If you need to step away, make sure someone else steps up. You should also have a fire extinguisher handy at all times. Never — never ever — try to put out an oil fire with water. It will explode.
Cost
Small sets such as those that only include a pot and potentially another item or two can cost as little as $30, though $50-$75 is more common. Larger sets typically cost $100-$150. The biggest sets can cost up to $200.
Best turkey fryers
[ Barton 95528-V Stove Turkey Bundle Set ]
This fryer set includes a 30-quart pot with a basket, a burner with protective rings to keep the pot from being knocked over, a grab hook, a thermometer and a flavor injector.
[ Bayou Classic 3025 30-quart Turkey Fryer Set ]
This set is perfect for those that already have a burner as it doesn’t include one. It does include a 30-quart fryer pot, a poultry rack, a grab hook, a flavor injector and a thermometer.
[ Bayou Classic 1118 32-quart Turkey Fryer Set ]
This set also doesn’t include a burner, but it does include a fryer pot with a basket, a poultry rack, a grab hook, a thermometer and a flavor injector.
[ Char-Broil Big Easy Oil-Less Turkey Fryer ]
This unique cooker simulates deep frying a turkey but doesn’t use any oil. Instead, it uses infrared cooking technology. It includes a cooking basket with a lifter and a thermometer.
[ CreoleFeast TFS3010 Turkey Fryer Set ]
This fryer set includes a 30-quart pot with a basket and burner, a frying pan with a basket, a flavor injector, a poultry rack and a grab hook. The burner can reach 50,000 Btu.
[ Enterprises Turkey Deep Fryer Kit ]
This fryer set includes a 44-quart pot with a basket, a vented lid, an insulated glove, a poultry rack, a grab hook, a flavor injector, a burner and a thermometer that goes up to 750 degrees.
[ GasOne B-5155-RED Turkey Fryer ]
This small 24-quart fryer with burner is perfect for cooking smaller turkeys and doing crawfish, crab and shrimp boils. The burner has an air controller to moderate the gas to maintain a blue flame.
This fryer kit includes a 30-quart pot with a matching basket and burner, a shallow pan with its own basket, a turkey rack, a lifting hook, a thermometer and a flavor injector. The burner is square for extra stability.
[ King Kooker 12RTF Turkey Fryer ]
This deep fryer pot with burner has a capacity of 29 quarts and comes with a thermometer, a turkey rack and a lifting hook. The burner can reach up to 38,000 Btu.
[ King Kooker Turkey Fryer Set ]
This set includes a 29-quart deep fryer pot with a lid, basket and burner, a lifting rack, a thermometer and a frying pan with a basket and heat-resistant handle. The burner can reach 33,000 Btu.
This kit includes a 30-quart deep fryer pot with a cooking basket and burner, a chromium-plated hanger, a flavor injector and a thermometer. Its base is stable and the burner has a maximum heat rating of 54,000 Btu.
Want to shop the best products at the best prices? Check out Daily Deals from BestReviews.
Sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter for useful advice on new products and noteworthy deals.
Jordan C. Woika writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. BestReviews and its newspaper partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
