Author Topic: Deep Fried Turkey  (Read 2143 times)

Davnasty

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Deep Fried Turkey
« on: November 28, 2017, 07:45:32 AM »
Has anyone ever deep fried a turkey?

I was familiar with the cooking method and have tasted the result but I've never participated in deep frying a turkey so I hadn't considered how much oil it would take to fill one of those fryers. Heard someone mention that they used 6 gallons at $10/gallon of oil to cook a single turkey.

Is that normal? You can get cheaper oil but even buying vegetable oil in a 5 gallon jug will run $20+

A Definite Beta Guy

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Re: Deep Fried Turkey
« Reply #1 on: November 28, 2017, 08:52:10 AM »
Guess it depends on how you buy it. Wal-Mart lists 48 oz of Crisco vegetable oil at $3.50. That comes out to $9.33 a gallon.

GardenBaker

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Re: Deep Fried Turkey
« Reply #2 on: November 28, 2017, 09:09:18 AM »
We have a Butterball Electric Turkey Fryer, it fits up to a 14 lb turkey and only uses about 2 gallons of oil. You can strain the oil and store in a climate controlled area and re-use it for frying another turkey, chicken, fish, etc. After I fry fish, I generally use it only for more future fish frying though.

Just Joe

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Re: Deep Fried Turkey
« Reply #3 on: November 28, 2017, 11:18:55 AM »
Don't do it in your garage. Its replacement is another cost... ;)

(Drove by a country place the other day and there were people sitting around an open fire on a covered front porch...)

nereo

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Re: Deep Fried Turkey
« Reply #4 on: November 28, 2017, 11:48:35 AM »
Yes, the initial (upfront) cost of oil can be considerable, though 6 gallons seems like an awful lot.  IIR the last time we did it we used closer to 3 gallons for a bird that was ~15lbs.  If you're using 6 gallons you're either frying one enormous turkey or (more likely) your pot is too big for your bird.  Our CostCo sells gallon-jugs of oil for $7.

Speaking of which, a few important details
1) know how much oil you need for your sized bird and pot BEFORE you lower a cold bird into 350ºf oil.  Most fires occur when the oil spills over onto the burner, the lawn, the turkey-frying-person....  Check first by submerging the turkey in water, then make sure the turkey is DRY again before deepfrying (or else it will splatter like crazy, another common mistake)

2) You can (and should!) re-use the oil.  Post frying and cool-down, strain it with a fine-mesh strainer and/or several layers of cheesecloth.  Filtered oil is good for several months.

3) Don't be a frying-idiot-statistic.  Do it outside, with nothing flammable within a 6'+ radius.  Wear heat-resistant gauntlet gloves, cover exposed skin and wear an apron.  Turn the gas OFF before lifting the turkey out (so you don't get oil dripping onto a flame).

nereo

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Re: Deep Fried Turkey
« Reply #5 on: November 28, 2017, 02:57:13 PM »
Plenty of idiots get a rude awakening when they insert or remove the turkey from the fryer. Don't be one of them.
;)

https://youtu.be/pb_qExtN084

Oh FFS - never, ever, ever use a hose on a grease fire.
And use the correct fire extinguisher.
And don't set up so damn close to your house.

Bourbon

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Re: Deep Fried Turkey
« Reply #6 on: November 28, 2017, 03:03:11 PM »
Guess it depends on how you buy it. Wal-Mart lists 48 oz of Crisco vegetable oil at $3.50. That comes out to $9.33 a gallon.

Generally for frying you want a high smoke oil, usually peanut or a peanut blend.

I've done it before and still have the equipment, but last time I did it I fried 4 turkeys for a large gathering of friends.  You can save and strain the oil for re-use, but I never did.  Instead just put forth the effort when I could do multiples.

jorjor

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Re: Deep Fried Turkey
« Reply #7 on: November 28, 2017, 03:14:58 PM »
We fried turkeys for Thanksgiving the last couple of years. I don't remember the oil cost being terrible. We ended up getting a peanut oil just from Costco. You can re-use the oil.

I heard a lot of horror stories, but it was pretty easy at the end of the day. We did it on the driveway away from everything to avoid fire. The biggest pain was that the oil splatter left a stain on our driveway, but no big deal. It cooks really quickly so it was much simpler than getting up to get a big bird in the roaster to get done in time. It tasted good, but it wasn't life changing or anything.

A Definite Beta Guy

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Re: Deep Fried Turkey
« Reply #8 on: November 28, 2017, 03:54:26 PM »
Guess it depends on how you buy it. Wal-Mart lists 48 oz of Crisco vegetable oil at $3.50. That comes out to $9.33 a gallon.

Generally for frying you want a high smoke oil, usually peanut or a peanut blend.

I've done it before and still have the equipment, but last time I did it I fried 4 turkeys for a large gathering of friends.  You can save and strain the oil for re-use, but I never did.  Instead just put forth the effort when I could do multiples.

Generally agree, and was going to post that...but I did some research and apparently most vegetable oils are soybean oil (which has a very high smoke point, suitable for deep frying).

Agree/Disagree?
I mostly fry chicken, so I just canola oil.

nereo

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Re: Deep Fried Turkey
« Reply #9 on: November 28, 2017, 03:59:06 PM »
Canoila, peanut, safflower, sunflower etc. oils all have smoke points well above 350ºF, which is around the absolute max you want to deep fry a large bird in (I aim to keep the oil temp between 325-330 myself.)
Even seen people use shortening (brand name: Crisco) - you just need to be a bit more careful not to go too high.

Use any of these oils to your liking - some will impart more taste than others, which could be good or bad depending.

 

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