The better half has given her official blessing for me to buy a turkey deep fryer. Having been in travel center and restaurant management I am all too well aware of how dangerous the oil type fryers are. With our infirmities I am was little reluctant to purchase one of these fryers until I came across this one:
By the time I buy the oil and fryer that I want I would end up with about $105.00 invested. This unit would cost a little more at the outset but I will not need the pump, filters and, of course, oil. In addition to the hazards of hot oil some of the folks I serve may well be allergic to peanut and cotton seed oil. From a health standpoint the fact that this fryer does not use oil is also a big plus for us.
What say you folks? Anybody have any experience with this unit? Any thoughts on the subject?
If it works as advertised! Which I supposed is what your question is all about.
I can cook a turkey in my oven to be as tasty and moist as the claims for this rig suggest.
I can think of five good reasons for buying this rig.
In summertime when you don’t want to over heat your house by turning on the oven. You could do a roast outside which would be a welcome break from the cold cuts, hot dogs and potato salads that are the usual summer fare.
It looks quite safe and looks like it would be great for family camping. You could roast almost anything in it without worrying about setting the forest aflame. ( we regularly get open campfire bans each summer )
It would be a lot cheaper than using all that oil
I have always thought that all that boiling oil near open flame is a really really bad idea.
I suppose it is healthier than deep fried food too.
And this is just me, but I don’t like the taste of deep fried turkey, dispite what my brother in law says , it just doesn’t do it for me.
I am eagerly looking forward to an unbiased review from someone other than the manufacturers video. Which is after all, always a bit suspect.
Ps. Nighthawk , thanks for the post. My better 3/4’s has given me the green light to get one if I can prove it works ok.
Norm,
You actually kind of hit things right on the head. We rent and the land lord’s oven is not in good shape. I have a choice of buying a new oven and then having that to move eventually, trying to get the land lord to buy something decent or get the turkey fryer. Since we already have the char broiler and electric oven I think it makes more sense for me to get the fryer. Completes the ensemble and is easier to move.
I agree 100%! We cook outdoors year round, heat, snow and cold does not matter. We also like capons, hams and turkey year round. Someone here is a turkey junkie but I won’t name any names, ahem, ahem. :roll: :mrgreen:
I think these will taste more like rotisserie than deep fried. YUM,YUM!!
Lowes has the best price so far. I am going to order mine shortly. That’s right, i am taking the plunge here. Perhaps I can get that gourmet of the salt water gills from Ohio to help me try it out. How about it, Mike?
Looks like a small gas oven, and should cook fine.
Things I would want to know are, how big of a turkey it could hold? It looks small to me, but that could just be the images. Also, I would think the skin is going to stick to the wire basket, so when you pull it out all that crispy “oh so tasty and bad for you at the same time” skin will be torn away (and hard to clean up). That always makes the bird look less appealing (though it still tastes great). Can you still do stuffing with this?
Unfortunatley, these are the sort of questions that can only be answered by someone who has used one!
If you’re only looking to get something for occasional use, it might be ok.
I am certain some Pam on the rack will cure any sticking problems along with a butter based rub ( butter ,lemon, garlic, salt and pepper). Char Broil claims it will do up to a 16 pound bird. Like the man in their video says you won’t have the oil so you can use rubs as well as marinades.
As with most deep fryers I would think you do the stuffing outside of the bird. However, unlike oil fryers, you can recover the juice stock from the drip pan to season your stuffing and make great gravy! Man, I am getting excited!
16 lbs bird is plenty big! And, if you can prevent the sticking pulling off the skin, then I would say go for it. Being able to make gravy as well is a bonus. I would be interested in hearing how it turns out.
Jeff,
You got it! I will post a review and some pictures soon as I get it done. Now, being from New Zealand I am betting that you could do one beautiful leg of lamb in that thing! It may not be real easily portable but like a great char broiler it will get used often.
Stuffing is always better prepared out of the bird. when your bird reaches the proper temperature the stuffing is still not hot enough to kill all the nasty germs. If you leave the bird in longer so the stuffing will reach its proper temp then the bird suffers , IMO.
I spent about $30 and bought an electric roaster for doing turkey (frees up the stove & oven when cooking for a crowd). I load it up and put it in the utility room and let it cook out of the way. IMHO, one of the best things about roasted food is the aroma that permeates the house while it’s cooking. I also do large hams, capons and other roasts in the unit, and because it’s in a pan, I can harvest the drippings for gravy.
I guess if you’re looking for an outdoor cooker, this one is much safer than an oil filled model, and it’s probably healthier for you as well. The price seems fair too. Does it come with a propane bottle or do you have to purchase that separately? Since we are now virtually empty nesters, we also bought a crock pot that is fantastic!!! ANything we can do in the over we can do in the crock pot, and it cooks unattended all day.
Quite right, Joe. We got one of the G.E. electric ovens, a new deep fryer (small), and two great crock pots. We like to vary our cooking and the oil less deep fryer will complete our outdoor ensemble. You have to buy a bottle for it but they are relatively inexpensive. We are going to use the large bottle we have for our Char - Broiler. I just love Amy. She does not let me buy appliances often but when she does she points me towards the home improvement store with orders to shop smartly, not cheaply! Also, she likes BIG appliances.
Joe,
If Mike comes down to fish for those February run warm water stripers in the Susquehanna you must come along!
Now THAT sounds like fun. I usually take a trip with my buddies in February. They do a winter hike, and I fish. No reason I couldn’t change venues. I’ll see if Mikey is planning on going. I talked to him tonight, and he was going to the old house to haul another load of “stuff” to the new place. He’s been a busy guy which is why we have not heard much from him lately.
Eric,
Were you possibly referring to me as the turkey junkie?..If so, you are right!!..Fried turkey, that is. Yep, boiled in oil, smothered in a great rub (which makes all the difference in the world). I fry a 14 pounder in 49 minutes & it is excellent. Only absorbs about 1/4 cup of oil…on the other hand, when I fried my leg several years ago, I think I absorbed about 1 full cup! LOL!! I’m still frying ‘em, just not bein’ stupid anymore!
Seriously, I can’t imagine turkey done any other way than deep frying. I’ll be frying 2 for Thanksgiving at my niece’s & 2 more for New Years at our annual family New Year’s picnic.
Joe…We may just have to descend upon Eric in Feb…hey, I’ll haul the fryer along. Your guy’s choice…turkey or my own buffalo wings. Name your poison!
Mike
For all you Turkey hounds out there . You NEED to go to the Lowell Idaho fish in. This bird and several others walked between Danbob, Kenbob, Dadbob and I at the 2006 FI. We hand fed them bread and pretzels.
I took this shot while sitting in my chair as the turkey walked between me and Danbob ( Dan Fink ) the shot is not cropped as the bird was only 4 feet from the camera.
A slice of bread , a 30# mono noose , a goalie helmut (they can be mean) and you could own this magnificent bird. For Idahoans Turkey tags are $10.00 bux each. For non-Idahoans it is $62.50 per tag plus. $82.50 for the licence. so a bit pricey. :?
Eric,
I’d consider it IF it didn’t boil away the drippings. My personal taste and that of those we invite for Thanksgiving, requires GRAVY with the turkey. I use the rendered drippings stretched with some home made chicken stock thickened with a flour/butter roux to make ,at least in my humble opinion, a most edible gravy. We also do a smaller bird in the fryer but even that one gets the benefit of the gravy from the roasted one.
I’ve got a Lowes at almost walking distance so I’ll have to check it out. Thanks for the suggestion.
