When Cooking with a Turkey Deep Fryer Defrost the Turkey in the Refrigerator It is extremely important to completely defrost a turkey that is to be fried. Otherwise there can be water retained inside the bird that could cause it to explode because of the high temperature that it cooks at in the deep fryer. Therefore, place the turkey in the refrigerator for a few days and be sure it is COMPLETELY DEFROSTED. Even when cooking a turkey in a conventional oven, it is extremely important to defrost a turkey in the refrigerator rather than at room temperature. This helps prevent illness producing bacteria from growing in the turkey.
Remove the giblets and neck that are found within the carcass. These are not to be left in the turkey during cooking. Also be sure all wrapping for these items is completely removed.
Further prepare the bird by removing the pop up temperature gauge which will pop up, when a turkey is cooked in a conventional oven. When frying your bird these can melt, especially if made of plastic. Also remove any plastic coverings or leg bindings. Rinse the bird well inside and out with warm water. Tie the legs together with butchers string to keep them away from the edge of the pan. Be sure to dry the bird well.
When using a Turkey Deep Fryer DO NOT Stuff the turkey Do not stuff a deep fried turkey. The stuffing and gravy must be made separately. One way is to create stuffing as directed on the package and then lay the giblets and neck on top cooking slowly, but make sure the oven is at least 250 degrees F. Also grease the cooking pan first.
Additional Items Needed When Using a Deep Fryer You are cooking with oil and at a much higher temperature than you use in a conventional oven. Therefore, protecting yourself from burning is essential. Use safety glasses over your eyes and thick long mitts. Also, avoid loose or dangling clothing.
Selecting the right turkey Limit the weight of your turkey to no more than 14 or 15 pounds. This is partly because the turkey fryer works best, when a turkey is not too large. Also, turkeys in a deep turkey fryer are heavy in the position in which they are placed, and because of the extremely high temperature they are cooked at are hard to lift if heavier than this. However they are cooked for a much shorter period of time, about 3 1/2 minutes per pound. Depending on the exact weight this cooking method only takes about 45-55 minutes to cook, after the oil is ho. This is a much shorter period of time than is required for the oven method. Therefore, if you have a large group you might decide to cook two or even three turkeys.
Placing the turkey in the cooker When the oil is ready and you are about to actually start cooking, be sure to turn off the heat supply to the fryer until the bird is safely put in place and the oil splattering stops. Also, be absolutely sure the turkey is dry and fully thawed.
Be sure you have an adequate supply of fuel Usually propane in a tank attached to the cooker is the fuel source. Be sure you have an adequate fuel supply, so that you do not run out during the cooking process.
In summary, this article provides some of the important considerations in cooking a turkey this way. This is an outside cooking method, just like grilling is an outdoors way of cooking. Cooking a turkey in a turkey deep fryer is a great way to cook a holiday met, but requires careful knowledge about the method.