Turkey Fryers: What to Buy and How to Use It Safely

Every turkey fryer on the market is one of three things, and picking between them is most of the decision.

Indoor electric is a sealed countertop pot with a thermostat. About 2.75 gallons of oil, no flame, no tank, no wind, and it holds 350F on its own. The ceiling is 20 pounds of bird. For a first-time host this is almost always the right answer.

Outdoor propane is the classic rig: a tall pot on a burner stand fed by a tank. Four to five gallons of oil, complete control of the heat, and complete responsibility for it. It handles birds an electric fryer cannot, and it is the configuration behind nearly every fryer fire you have ever seen on the news.

Oil-less infrared uses radiant heat in a vertical chamber and no oil at all. Crisp browned skin rather than a true fried crust, roughly 10 minutes per pound, and a 16-pound ceiling — but nothing to buy by the gallon and nothing to dispose of.

If you are torn, our propane versus electric comparison settles it attribute by attribute.

They start the thaw too late. A refrigerator thaw takes roughly 24 hours for every four to five pounds, so a 20-pound bird needs four to five full days. A partly frozen turkey in hot oil is the single most common cause of a flare-up.

They guess the oil. The bird displaces oil, so the level you pour is not the level you cook at. Measuring with water first takes five minutes and prevents the overflow — here is the method.

They buy too much fryer. A 44-quart pot seems like sensible headroom until you are storing it in March. Buy for the bird you actually cook, and remember that two 12-pound turkeys beat one 24-pound turkey on almost every measure.

They rely on one thermometer. The gauge on the pot reads oil. It tells you nothing about whether the meat has reached 165F. You need both.

Fryer kits leave out the same three things every time, and all three matter more than anything they include. Elbow-length heat gloves, because oven mitts end at the wrist and that is where the splash lands. A grease-rated fire extinguisher, because water on an oil fire makes it dramatically worse. And an accurate instant-read thermometer for the bird.

Then there is the oil itself — three to five gallons of it, which is a real line item and which disappears from shelves in the week before the holiday. Buy it in early November. Our accessories guide ranks all of this by how much it actually changes the day, and the oil guide covers smoke points, quantities and the peanut allergy question.