How to Choose the Best Turkey Fryer?
Table of Contents
Top Best Turkey Fryers Based on Reviews and Price
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Why You Need a Turkey Fryer?
Food is an essential thing in our lives. Everything depends on what you eat, how you eat, what have you even last and questions like these. The United States is mostly famous for its staple food like different types of bread and various accompaniments or fillings. The fillings are mostly made out of vegetables which are half cooked or full boiled and multiple types of meat.
One of the most eaten and famous dishes of the Southern United States is fried turkey. Turkey is a bird whose meat is used in food items widely. It can also be deep-fried. Even an oven or a rotisserie grill could be used for this purpose. But, a better option than these is a turkey fryer.
How to Choose a Turkey Fryer?
A regular turkey fryer has many components like a burner, a storage tank, a poultry holder, a lifter and a thermometer.
A standard propane tank is used to provide fuel supply to the burners which are placed lower these days. The reason behind this is the avoidance of a tip-over of the poultry. A standard 15-pound turkey requires almost an hour to get deep-fried.
Deep-frying is a technique by which any food item is cooked within the smoke point of any oil like sunflower oil, canola oil, peanut oil, etc. The turkey which is to be fried can be seasoned with the help of marinade since fried turkeys can neither be stuffed nor be served with gravy or a broth.
The taste of a fried turkey solely depends on the marinade and the quality of deep-frying. If the frying is not of good quality, the food lacks proper crunch and taste.
That’s why it is very crucial to decide the right turkey fryer and use it correctly. There are several types of turkey fryers categorized based on some critical features.
10 Features to Consider When Buying a Turkey Fryer
10. Type of Fuel
A turkey fryer needs to get hot to deep fry a whole turkey. So, it requires the best fuel which can raise the temperature of the oil rapidly but safely. There are two options for the choice of fuel, viz. wood and propane.
Propane Turkey Fryer VS Wood Turkey Fryer
A standard propane tank is used to supply fuel to heat the oil in a propane turkey fryer. In the case of a wood turkey fryer, logs of dried wood are burnt, and that heat is used to raise the temperature of the oil used to deep fry the turkey.
For propane fuel, one needs lesser time to heat the oil and start frying while in wood fuel, the woods take more time to catch fire and start the process.
Also, the heating done by propane can be easily moderated. One can control it by a button or a knob placed by the cylinder. The flames can be adjusted, and heating consistency can be maintained.
The chopping of woods into the required shape, monitoring the flames and maintaining their flexibility can be a bit tedious. But, if you have a hobby of it, then it is fun. The propane fuel tank can be refilled easily.
9. Pressure
The pressure delivered by the propane burner is a crucial factor to be considered. The low-pressure propane burners are generally used for closed space equipment like boilers. But, for stuff like turkey fryers, there are powerful propane burners used.
High-pressure propane burners work in a way to provide a maximum pressure of the fuel from a small space. The small size of the burner gives comparatively more fuel under higher pressure, and that helps in better heating.
Also, some turkey fryers have a pressure valve to adjust the pressure of the burner. The pressure can be adjusted from around 10psi to 20psi. More the pressure, the better and faster is the heating. Better the heat, quicker is the deep frying.
8. Number of Burners
The number of burners in a turkey fryer is an important feature. It determines its efficiency and quality. Generally, there is one or maximum two burners in a turkey fryer. The turkey fryer with only one burner can be used for lesser cooking. They work slower than the one with two burners. If one has to cook for many people and fry many turkeys, faster operations are required.
Then, turkey fryers with two burners can be used. Two burners can heat the oil faster and speed the frying up. It can be used if cooking is done on a larger scale or needs to get faster. But, two burners consume more fuel than one burner. If one is okay with that, two burners can be the choice.
7. Material of Turkey Fryers
The turkey fryer comes from various materials. But, you can choose the material you want on the basis of your usage. The most common materials are stainless steel, cast iron, aluminum, and steel.
Cast Iron Turkey Fryer
Cast iron is made up of iron mixed with carbon. This material is generally used to make those turkey fryers that work on solid fuels like wood. The mass of cast iron is more, and it builds up heat and then distributes it. It is precisely concurrent with the functioning of a wood-fuelled turkey fryer. But, in the worst cases, the cast iron is susceptible to rusting. Hence, timely cleaning is advised.
Steel Turkey Fryer
The steel stoves heat up quicker than cast iron. That helps propane fuelled turkey fryers. Since the heating is quick, there is less wastage of fuel as compared to cast iron. But, it has some disadvantages like weak resistance against extreme heat. If exposed to heat continuously for long periods, the steel surface may show discoloration.
Aluminum Turkey Fryer
Aluminum turkey fryers can be used by those who have the least usage of it. The reason behind this is that if aluminum pot wears out, its aluminum content melts and dissolves in the food. If that happens extensively, that is dangerous to health. But, on the other hand, aluminum turkey fryers are light in weight and quite cheap as in contrast with other materials.
Stainless Steel Turkey Fryer
Stainless steel is reported to be the best option among all of them. It doesn’t rust. It has no health hazard. Though it is cumbersome, it is easy to clean. That makes it user-friendly.
6. Hose and Regulator Included
The hose and regular are necessary components when it comes to safety while cooking with a turkey fryer. The regulator helps one regulate the supply of fuel to the turkey fryer. It can be used instead of raising or lowering the turkey.
Raising or lowering is risky since the turkey may overturn. That might lead to severe burns or accidents. The hose should be of the right material and superior quality.
5. Inclusion of Heat Thermometer
As we all know, thermometers are used to measure heat. In a turkey fryer, the temperature is of the utmost importance. If that is not controlled, the turkey may remain raw or may burn due to over-frying.
Hence, the inclusion of a thermometer in a turkey fryer helps the user keep a watch on the temperature and adjust it. Temperature can be adjusted by controlling the fuel supply. That makes the inclusion of a thermometer necessary.
4. Oil-less Fryer
Health needs to be taken care of daily. That should become an integral part of our food routine as well. Deep-fried turkey contains a lot of oil. Excessive consumption of oil is hazardous to health. That paves the way for oil-less frying technology.
In this method, the air near the item to be fried is heated to about 200 degrees Celsius. The frying is done on the least amount of oil, and the maximally used frying agent is heated air. That is an excellent option for health-conscious people who can’t stay away from a fried turkey.
3. Physical Attributes
One must always know all the physical characteristics of all the equipment one wishes to buy. The dimensions are to be considered along with the weight. Too heavy equipment is hard to carry around and place according to one’s convenience.
The finish of the product and the guidelines to product-care should be read carefully. The safety instructions are the most essential when it comes to hazard-free cooking.
Also, one must be aware of the warranty and guarantee conditions applied. Last but not least, one must look around in the market for better options concerning the price as well. It is unfair to pay more for the same product.
Hence, all these aspects should be considered minutely while comparing the price.
2. Accessories
Accessories are those components that aren’t necessary for the usage of a device, but they enhance it effectively. In the case of a turkey fryer, there are several accessories that make its applications more comfortable and safer.
The first one is heat resistant gloves. Since the whole setup is extremely hot, one can’t function without these insulated gloves; else it may lead to burns.
Sometimes, turkey fryer seasoning packs are also offered. The next accessory is deep-frying seasoning injections which can help one inject the marinade into the turkey for better flavors. Some other complementary accessories may include more baskets for frying and a book with recipes of fried turkeys.
1. Multiple Usages
There are more than 100+ uses of a turkey fryer as stated in most of the user manuals. When one is not in the mood for a fried turkey, there can be several other ways to use a turkey fryer.
Thus, It can flash-cook different Asian vegetables, crisp and tender, and taco fillings. A good shrimp boil can also be done with a turkey fryer. One can also boil maple syrup, cook prime rib roasts and lobster boils or make a Camper’s fish fry with onion rings and egg rolls with a turkey fryer. Thus, choose a multi-functional turkey fryer is more convenient.
Wrapping It Up
A turkey fryer is one of the most widely used cooking equipment. It is used to not only deep fry a turkey but also for various other uses. One must have a thorough survey and research of any turkey fryer before buying based on many parameters, as stated in the article.
The material, accessories, safety measures and user guidelines should be studied keenly before its usage. That is indeed the most perfect and tastiest recipe for buying a good turkey fryer!
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