The 10 Best Turkey Fryers for Elevating Your Thanksgiving Meal to All-New Heights
The 10 Best Turkey Fryers for Elevating Your Thanksgiving Meal to All-New Heights
You can’t have a Thanksgiving meal without a turkey, and although there are dozens of delicious ways to cook one, I’d bet the majority of the time you roast it in the oven. That’s what my family has been doing for generations, too. I’m here to tell you that you haven’t lived life to the fullest until you’ve fried a turkey — and I’m not just saying that because plunging a massive bird into 400-degree oil is dangerous. Fried turkey is just unequivocally better. It’s juicier, tender, more flavorful, and has a nice, crispy exterior.
The concept of plunging your Thanksgiving turkey into a massive deep fryer might seem unnerving, but when you follow proper safety protocols and have the right tools, it's totally doable. If you’re ready to ditch the dried turkey from yesteryears, we’ve rounded up the best turkey fryers money can buy.
1) Bayou Classic 1118 32-Quart Stainless Steel Turkey Fryer Pot
Bayou Classic
Amazon
When it comes to fryer cookware, they’re typically made of either aluminum or stainless steel. We recommend you go with the latter, since stainless steel is more durable and easier to clean.
This commercial-grade kit from Bayou Classic includes the fryer pot, fryer basket, a vented lid, a perforated poultry rack, a grab hook, a thermometer, a trail seasoning injector, and a three-piece chicken skewer set.
With its 32-quart capacity, the pot is large enough to fry an 18-pound turkey, but it will also come in handy for crawfish boils, steaming foods, simmering soups, preserving or canning, and home-brewing. It’s worth mentioning that this kit does not include a gas-burner stove. It’s typically cheaper to buy the stockpot and the stove separately, but you can also buy a bundle.
2) GasOne Outdoor Patio Stove
Bayou Classic
We recommend pairing your pot with Bayou’s single burner stove, which gets up to 200,000 BTUs. It stands 12 inches tall on four welded legs (other burners have just three), so you can ensure it’ll keep stable — even when you have a heavy pot of oil resting atop it. The cast-iron double-ring fry burner spreads the flame nice and wide, meaning it should heat your oil up in under 30 minutes.
The 16-inch-by-16-inch cooking surface provides ample room for any stockpot, and the steel braided hose is plenty long enough to connect to a neighboring propane tank. Lastly, the stove comes with an adjustable 20 PSI regulator to regulate the flow of fuel.
3) Bayou Classic 3025 30-Quart Aluminum Turkey Fryer
Bayou Classic
amazon.com
The Bayou Classic 3025 30-Quart Aluminum Turkey Fryer is nearly identical to our best overall pick, the only difference being the stockpot is made of aluminum, instead of stainless steel. Not only that, it’s smaller by 2 quarts.
Although this kit isn’t as durable as the Bayou Classic 1118, it’s still an excellent choice, especially for folks who are looking to fry a turkey a budget. It includes a vented lid, the poultry rack, lift-hook, thermometer, and seasoning injector, but will save you at least $25. We don’t know about you, but we’d use that money to buy more Thanksgiving sides!
One more thing: Bayou Classic sells an even larger 42-quart aluminum turkey fryer that is designed to fry large turkeys up to 25-pounds. However, we think this 30-quart model should suffice for most families — it’s big enough for 18-pound turkeys.
4) Concord Banjo Burner Outdoor Stove
Concord
amazon.com
This heavy-duty burner can burn up to 200,000 BTU, making it much more powerful than the Bayou Classic stove we previously mentioned — which has an output of 55,000 BTU. What does that mean for you? Faster times for heating your oil, and shorter cooker times, of course! Higher temperatures do come with an added risk of overcooking your bird, so make sure you consistently check temperatures.
The Concord burner features a sturdy three-legged stand that supports a 200-quart pot. The legs are even detachable, so it’s a little easier to store. This option is made from heavy duty cast iron, it features a weatherproof coating, and includes a 20 PSI regulator hose.
5) Barton Aluminum Stock Pot
King Kooker
Trust us, emptying a bulky and heavy stock pot filled with oil is not an easy task — especially if you only have one set of hands. This 30-quart aluminum stock pot has everything you need for frying your turkey safely.
Since the stock pot is made from aluminum, it’s light and quick to heat the oil. This kit also includes a lid, lifting hook, a stock strainer and a poultry rack. Just make sure you let the oil cool completely before emptying it!
6) Masterbuilt MB20010118 Electric Fryer Boiler, Steamer
Masterbuilt
Whether you live in a colder climate, don’t have a yard, or just would prefer to cook everything inside, the Masterbuilt Electric Fryer is the easiest, most-convenient path to frying a delicious turkey. The appliance is quite versatile. It’s large enough to fry an average sized turkey, but also works as a steamer and boiler.
Rather than relying on a propane tank, this fryer is electric. It still requires oil, though, and features a removable pot, chrome-wire basket, and drain clips for resting the food above the oil. We like that it has an oil drain valve, removable lid, and dishwasher-safe parts to help ease the burden of cleanup.
7) Char-Broil Big Easy Oil-less Liquid Propane Turkey Fryer
Char-Broil
amazon.com
As much as we love the taste of fried … well, anything, frying food can be a bit of a hassle, and can even be dangerous if you’re not careful. The Char-Broil Big Easy doesn’t rely on large vats of oil like traditional fryers. Instead, it uses infrared heat, so it’s safer and healthier. You can think of it as an oversized, outdoor air fryer.
Like other fryers, this one connects to a propane tank, so you still have to use it outdoors. However, you don’t have to worry about buying a stockpot or a bunch of fryer oil. Even better, you won't have to deal with splatters and spills, either. Another upside to no oil: the ability to add a dry rub for some added flavor!
Just place the bird (up to 16 pounds) within the cooking basket, lower it, and put on the lid. It’s as simple as that. The Big Easy takes about 2.5 hours to cook a 16-pound turkey. It comes with the cooker, cooking basket, basket-lifting tool, meat thermometer, cool-to-the-touch handles, a rotary ignition, removable drip tray, and a cooking guide. The basket is dishwasher-safe and collapses for easy storage.
8) King Kooker 12RTF Aluminum Turkey Frying Cooker
King Kooker
amazon.com
This complete set includes everything you need for turkey frying and more. The 12-inch outdoor cooker has a 38,000 BTU cast burner that can handle turkeys up to 20 pounds with ease. The turkey rack and lifting hook will help you slowly lower the turkey into the oil and remove it when cooking is done. Though you won’t need the lid while cooking a turkey, it will come in handy while you’re preheating the oil or cooking other foods
This cooker also includes a battery-operated timer (which requires 2 AAA batteries, not included), so it will remind you when it’s time to check the food.
9) CreoleFeast TFS3010 Propane 30 Qt. Turkey Fryer
CreoleFeast
amazon.com
For a truly all-in-one turkey fryer kit, this set from CreoleFeast is budget-friendly and has a 4.7-star rating on Amazon. The lightweight aluminum, though less durable than stainless steel, makes for easy transport, while its 30-quart capacity easily holds large birds.
This set comes complete with a burner stand and LP hose and regulator, plus a perforated fryer steamer basket, a thermometer, a perforated turkey rack, a lifting hook, and a marinade injector.
10) Butterball XL Electric Fryer
Butterball
amazon.com
The Butterball XL Electric Fryer can handle turkeys as big as 20 pounds. The stainless unit features an aluminum basket to hold the bird and allow oil to drain after cooking. A magnetic break-free power cord reduces the chances of accidents. The electric element will heat oil fast and regulate temperature during the frying process.
If you want the crispiest, most tender turkey you've ever had, consider frying your bird this year. We've rounded up several top-rated turkey fryers for every budget.