Stainless Steel Turkey Fryers
As November approaches turkeys began to become part of many conversations and grandmothers, mothers, stay at home dads and professional chefs will began to decide just how they will prepare turkeys for the next few months. Oven baking has for years been the method of choice. But times they are a changing. The turkey of course has long been a Thanksgiving and Christmas day dish but now with the development of turkey fryers, this bird is apt to find itself in hot water, er, hot oil year round.
The turkey fryer now finds itself on many patios and backyard decks close by the ever present grill whenever the weather permits outdoor cooking. There are a number of choices available by different manufacturers and as with any appliance some care should be taken to choose the one best suited to your lifestyle and cooking preferences.
While at first glance it would be easy to assume that these fryers are simplicity itself and in many ways that is true. But ask any experienced user of one of these fryers and you will soon discover that there are many features not easily visible with a quick once over.
Basically the system includes a stainless steel deep pot which mounts over a stand and is heated with a gas or electric burner. Simple enough. But the real development becomes evident as you look over the construction. Some of the stainless steel pots are wider than others. While this feature allows the frying of larger birds it also requires more oil. Some models have a drain valve which eliminates the need to tip the pot to drain the oil.
Models are available with raised poultry racks which allow the cooking oil to properly circulate around the bird. Grab hooks offer a safe way to insert and remove a bird from the hot oil. Of course no fryer whould be complete without a long, about 12 inch, stainless steel deep fry thermometer to keep everything under control.
Cooks love these turkey fryers because it allows the turkey to be fried whole and at once. The frying times are very short. Whole turkeys take only about 45 minutes and 3 chickens can be fried at once in about 20 minutes. Another convenience is the ability to fry whole birds and then part them for later meals.
As with many other appliances these turkey fryers have found themselves involved in other tasks not planned by their designers. Home beer brewers have made use of the large deep pots to cook their mash over an electric burner. If you decided to put your fryer to this additional task consider the difficulty in supporting the raised bottom over the stove burner.
Everyone who has tried these turkey fryers appear to be quite happy with them. This appreciation for year around fowl on the menu may not be shared by the much more in demand turkey. Be sure to investigate the various models of stainless steel turkey fryers before making your choice.
