“Want to Cook Your Turkey in Less Than 1 Hour This Thanksgiving?”
“Read why the Masterbuilt Butterball Turkey Fryer beats oven cooking hands down”
Ever since I can remember my family have always cooked turkey in an oven. In fact it was only recently that I even came across the concept of fried turkey – chicken yes, but not turkey (I know I know, I must be living in the Dark Ages right?).
Last year I volunteered to cook Thanksgiving dinner for the first time (it’s always been my mother’s thing), and having never cooked a turkey myself before I took to the Internet to look for tips and recipes to make the job easier. That’s when I came across turkey frying.
I was sceptical to say the least – it seemed like a rather greasy, messy way to cook the bird. Still, I decided to look into it (who wouldn’t be tempted by the promise of a whole turkey cooked in less than an hour!).
So where did my research take me…
Well I found out that deep fried turkey is anything BUT greasy. In fact the right fryer can produce a moist, tender, perfectly cooked turkey. When I checked out some of the top rated turkey fryers on sites such as Amazon I found people raving about how great they were, and to be honest I was impressed. Not only that but the price for a fryer is pretty reasonable, so I decided I had to try one out for myself.
Things I was looking for in a Turkey Fryer
- One that can safely be used indoors
- Easy to use and easy to clean
- A fryer that can cook a 10-14lb turkey
So which Turkey Fryer made the grade?
After careful consideration I finally chose the Masterbuilt 20010109 Butterball Professional Series Indoor Electric Turkey Fryer (quite a mouthful!)
– mainly because it had all the features I wanted and so many 5 star reviews on sites like Amazon, but also because it was affordable and would look good in my kitchen. Of course I was also looking forward to (hopefully) impressing my family on Thanksgiving with my new found culinary skills!
I was so excited when my Butterball Turkey Fryer arrived and couldn’t wait to start using it. I didn’t have anything on hand at that particular time to fry, so I went out and bought a chicken especially to give it a test run!
Butterball Turkey Fryer features
- Electric indoor turkey fryer
- Oil heats in less than 30 minutes with the powerful 1650 watt electric heating element
- Built in drain clip on fry basket
- Measures approx. 16 x 14 x 14 inches
- Uses 1/3 less oil than traditional turkey fryers
- 90 day warranty
What is it made of?
The fryer itself is made from stainless steel (which actually looks quite attractive in the modern kitchen), and it has a porcelain coated inner pot that keeps the oil safely contained.
How much should you pay?
The average price seems to be about $160. However I’ve seen it range from $112 to $179.95 and you often have to pay a shipping cost on top. I found the best price at Amazon (and they also give you FREE shipping).
What makes the Butterball Turkey Fryer so great?
- Suitable even for the culinary challenged
The main thing I love about this product is that it’s so darn easy to use. Unfortunately I haven’t been blessed with great cooking skills, but you can produce a really professional looking and tasting turkey using this turkey fryer. The white meat is moister and more tender than any I’ve ever tested from an oven cooked turkey.
- Clean up is a snap!
Electrical items covered in grease are usually a pain in the proverbial ‘you know what’ to clean, but really this is quite straightforward.
- It’s fast, fast, fast!
If like me you hate waiting around for your turkey to cook in an oven (it normally takes 4+ hours depending on the size) then this is a big timesaver. It takes about 45-50 minutes to fully cook a turkey, and less than 20 for a chicken. That’s a big plus in my book!
What I don’t like
Honestly there’s nothing NOT to like about the Butterball electric turkey fryer. It’s easy to use, easy to clean and produces delicious turkey – what more could you want? I’ve used it for frying everything from chicken to shrimp and can honestly say it’s well worth the price.
The main downside for me is that you can’t stuff the turkey (which is what we normally do). Instead though we seasoned using an injectable marinade, which actually worked out even better!
What others are saying
This is very highly rated, and out of 328 reviews on Amazon has an average rating of 4.5 (223 people gave it 5 out of 5) which is pretty impressive.
The following are just a few comments we found:
“Easy to use even for a beginner”
“Huge timesaver”
“Produces a ‘magazine like’ turkey”
“Easy to clean”
“Very little spatter when we placed the turkey inside”
“Hands down one of the best kitchen appliances you could ever own!”
“Finished turkey is moist, tender and non-greasy”
“Best turkey we have ever eaten!”
As you can see, I’m not the only fans of this turkey fryer!”
No, I didn’t make them up! The above comments are some excerpts from reviews on Amazon (written by people who have purchased and used the Butterball Turkey Fryer). You can read the full reviews for yourself here
Where can I get the best price?
I checked out many of the major retailers and found the best price at Amazon as well as free shipping. You shouldn’t be paying more than $120 for this turkey fryer. I would expect it to sell out quickly coming up to Thanksgiving though, so if you want one, grab yours today.
New To The World Of Frying Turkeys!!
How do Turkey Fryers work?
The oil needs to be heated for at least 30 minutes to reach the correct temperature before frying. You must use an oil with a high smoke point so that you can heat it to a high temperature without it breaking down (oil that breaks down can go rancid and ruin the flavour of your turkey or whatever you’re frying). The most commonly used oils for turkey frying are peanut oil, canola oil, sunflower oil and safflower oil.
Once the oil has reached the optimum temperature the turkey needs to be lowered into the oil (the wire basket has a heatproof handle but it is still advisable to use oven gloves in case of splattering). The turkey should be completely submerged and most fryers, including the Butterball turkey fryer, won’t fry a turkey bigger than 14lbs. Any bigger and it might lower the temperature of the oil too much resulting in slower cooking and substandard quality of the cooked food.
Here’s a video showing how it works:
Are Turkey Fryers safe?
Yes, as long as you use them properly. Remember to read the manual carefully though before you attempt to use your new appliance (don’t worry, it’s only a few pages long). The following are a few tips to remember:
- Make sure you use it on a flat surface to avoid the possibility of it tipping over, or sliding off the surface.
- Never leave the turkey fryer unattended.
- Keep children and pets away from the fryer, even when not in use – the oil can stay dangerously hot for many hours after cooking.
- Do not overfill the fry with oil (or food) to avoid spillover.
- Use gloves when lowering the food basket into the fryer to avoid splattering.
- Make sure the turkey is thawed completely before frying it. The National Turkey Federation advises thawing the turkey in the refrigerator approximately 24 hours for every 5lbs in weight.
- Always keep a fire extinguisher close at hand – you should have one in your kitchen anyway, but it’s particularly important when using a deep fryer of any kind. Water should never be used to extinguish a grease fire.
Butterball Turkey Fryer: Not just for Christmas!
In case you’re worried about splashing out on a kitchen appliance that will only be used once or twice a year, don’t be! Many people do purchase to fry a turkey at Thanksgiving or Christmas, but you’ll find there are actually lots of other things you can fry in this too.
We regularly use the Butterball for frying chicken, fish, potato chips, shrimp and lots more. You can also fill it with water to boil or steam your favourite dish, and although I haven’t tried this, you can also fry desserts such as apple turnovers, doughnuts and fried ice cream.
What do YOU Think?
Have you tried the Butterball Turkey Fryer? Did you get good results? I’d love to hear your feedback! Feel free to leave a reply to let others know what you think about this turkey fryer…