I won a turkey fryer!

[gspren]

  Friday night at the Viet Nam Vets Post I was playing the punch boards and won a 36 qt turkey fryer compleat with burner, regulator, thermometer, etc. I have looked at some words from the past but would like to hear any new tips before I try this thing. The only part of fryed tukey I have experienced is eating some leftovers someone brought to work, never around one being cooked.

[thecfarm]

Lucky you.I've only been to one. The hardest part was putting the turkey into the hot oil,SLOWLY. They had welding gloves on,but really need a long metal something to put it in. Keep it away from any buildings too. Think about the hot oil over flowing too.

[chevytaHOE5674]

Make sure the turkey is completely thawed and 100% dry. Water and oil turns out bad. Also before heating anything add the turkey to the pan then pour the oil in so that it is 3-5 inches below the top of the pan then remove the turkey and start heating the oil, this way you won't overfill the pot with oil.

[metalspinner]

When preparing the turkey for the pot, remove the flap of skin that is usually folded into the bird at its neck.  This will allow the oil to circulate freely through the bird during cooking, more evenly cooking the turkey.

Buy a smaller turkey in the 12-15 pound range.  If you need more, cook 2 birds.  They cook quickly enough to do this.

If you will be injecting the turkey with a syringe, don't let the juice get on the skin.  If it does wipe it clean with a paper towel.  Otherwise, the outside of the turkey will be very dark and look burned.  It won't be burned, but we all know how important presentation is. To combat this, I like to inject the turkey from the inside.

Do not leave your frying turkey unattended.  A careful eye has to be kept on the cooking temperature.  When you lower the bird in the fryer, the temp will drop quickly.  The newer fryers have several safty features. One is a regulator that limits the temperatures high range.  So you may not be able to get the oil back all the way up to 325-350. It will still cook, but you may need to leave it longer than the recommended 3-4 minutes a pound.

[beenthere]

For 'kicks', watch some of the many videos on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=473QNZss0PM

[TimRB]

For 'kicks', watch some of the many videos on YouTube.

These guys decided, correctly, that "outside" was the place to be.  Where?  On the wooden deck, of course.   Consumer Reports won't even test turkey friers any more, saying they're too dangerous.  Of course, CR thinks anything more complicated than Play-Dough is dangerous, so...

Tim

[gspren]

  Thanks for the tips. I have had a smaller version that I use for fish & taters for over 20 years so I have done a bunch of frying but never a turkey. I know there are a couple of ways to get the oil level right the day you are cooking but since I live near nothing how many gllons of oil should I have ready? I will wait til after the Thanksgiving Holiday to try this.

[WDH]

Now you get to buy $36 worth of oil to fry the turkey that costs $.69/pound  .

[chevytaHOE5674]

Now you get to buy $36 worth of oil to fry the turkey that costs $.69/pound  .

At least the oil is reusable, so you can spread that cost over many meals. ha

[WDH]

Yep, you have to fry several with a batch of oil to make it economical.  There is a very good episode of Good Eats on the Food Channel that tells you everything you need to know about frying the turkey, even how to build a bird-lowering-into-the-oil device.

[Chris Burchfield]

I go with thecfarm's most important recommendation, away from any buildings.  Second, if you look inside the cook pot, there are usually fill lines for different pound birds.  If cooked correctly, they do make for a moist bird.  Good luck.

[gspren]

  New question, do you use the lid while frying? I noticed the lid that came with the cooker has a hole for the thermometer. I now have a 12 Lb bird in the freezer waiting untill closer to Christmas to try.

[Magicman]

I have never used/seen one with a lid, but it is also a chore to keep the thermometer in the oil.  Mine clips on the side. 

The correct temperature will prevent a boil over, so I would use the lid.

[Nomad]

     I keep the lid on as far as possible to help hold the heat in.  You don't want it tight though; the steam needs to escape and not condense back into the oil.
     As stated, make sure the bird is completely thawed.  They cook fast.  If there's any ice still inside, that part will still be raw.
     I think all the newer fryers have a max fill line.  The bigger the bird, the less oil it takes.  The bird needs to be covered in oil, but not by much.
     Put the bird in with the body cavity up and the neck down!  Very important!  Doing it with the neck up means there's a large opening down below the oil and a small hole at the top.  You can get a geyser effect and you won't like what happens next.
     I prefer to do it on the lawn 'cuz any oil that splatters doesn't make a mess.
     As stated, keep a close eye on the oil temp.  At first it will drop quickly and you'll want to raise the flame to keep the temps up.  If you can keep it to 325 is good; even 300 isn't too bad.
     After the bird has been cooking awhile the temp will start to climb again as the excess moisture cooks out.  Eventually you'll be turning the gas down to keep the temp in range.  The bird will be almost done at that point.
     If you plan to reuse the oil, overheat it, or cook a whole flock of turkeys I'd spring for peanut oil.  If you're just doing one or two and don't let the oil get over 400, you can use any cheap veggie oil.  Peanut oil may taste a bit better.
     First time I tried fried turkey was about 20 years ago.  Next time I tried it I fried it myself.  Ain't cooked a turkey any other way since.