Every year there are over 4,300 house fires on Thanksgiving. These fires claim 15 lives and cause $21,000,000 in damage. According to the U.S. Fire Administration many of those fires are caused by people frying turkeys. The old school method of frying turkeys with 3 gallons of oil and an open flame has always been 
ripe for a dangerous ending. This Thanksgiving Masterbuilt has introduced a new product that should take most of the danger out of frying a turkey.
The fryer is housed in a stainless steel and measures 16-2/7 by 14-4/5 by 14-3/5 inches so although it’s a little large for kitchen counter use it is designed to be an indoor fryer.
The self-contained, electric fryer can handle up to a 14 pound turkey and uses only 2 gallons of oil. At $12.00+ a gallon for the recommended peanut oil this is a significant savings advantage.
The control panel is user friendly with a thermostat up to 375 degrees, a red power light and a green “ready” light. The digital counter counts down and is easy to read and most importantly is easy to set.
Although the fryer specifications state a turkey up to 14 pounds can be cooked, the 12 pound turkey I used was a very tight fit in the fryer basket and I can’t see how another 2 pounds of turkey could fit in the basket.
I started by injecting the Butterball turkey in an attempt to get as much moisture into the bird as possible. At this stage it is time to make sure the turkey is 100% thawed out. It is imperative you don’t attempt to fry a frozen turkey or one with ice crystals in the cavity. (Thaw your turkey in the refrigerator allowing 4 hours for each pound)
Turkey Injection Recipe
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Plowboy’s Yardbird rub
Heat all ingredients until the rub is dissolved and the butter is melted. Allow ample time for the injection to cool and for the bird to be injection a couple of hours before cooking.
The oil takes 35 to 40 minutes to heat to 375 degrees. Using the open flame method most house fires are caused during the heating of the oil. Having a self contained unit without an open flame takes this danger out of frying your turkey. The unit also comes with a magnetized power cord that will release with even the slightest amount of pressure. This safety feature makes it even safter to use in the home. If by some chance you were to snag something on the cord you run little to no risk of pulling the unit off your kitchen counter.
The turkey is then dried inside and outside and placed in the frying basket. It’s important to make sure all moisture is removed from inside the cavity. The second most dangerous time of a traditional turkey frying process is when the turkey is placed in the hot oil. The bird must be dry.
Using a “hanger” along with the handles on the fryer basket the turkey is lowered into the hot oil
If your turkey is completely thawed and dry you can lower the turkey into the oil without any splatter. It is an extremely safe process if you follow the instructions.
A turkey takes 31/2 to 4 minutes per pound to cook. Set your timer and start preparing your side dishes. Remember to allow 30 minutes of resting time before carving the bird.
After the turkey is cooked I removed it from the oil using the hanger. There is a hook for hanging the fryer basket in the fryer while it drains. One problem I noticed is when you hang the basket the bottom of the turkey still rests in the oil slightly. This made my turkey skin on the bottom just a little soggy. It would have been nicer to be able to rest the turkey there, but it’s not possible.
The turkey came out a perfect golden brown color. Having the ability to cook a 12 pound turkey in 45 minutes gives everyone the chance to have a turkey dinner anytime they want.
Dinner consisted of fried turkey, mash potatoes and grilled acorn squash. It was a fantastic meal in about 90 minutes.
Next up after eating out dinner was clean-up. This was the part of the whole meal that I was dreading. It seems that no matter how great an appliance is or how easy it makes preparing the meal the clean-up makes it so I don’t want to even get it out of the pantry. The prospect of cleaning up an electric fryer that contains 2 gallons of oil is not something I wanted to think about. But…
The clean-up of the Masterbuilt Butterball Indoor Turkey Fryer was a breeze. I couldn’t believe how easy it was. The turkey fryer has an easy to use drain tube that enables you to drain the oil in a couple of minutes. \
The whole unit comes apart and can be wiped down with a damp cloth and a mild soap. Some of the pieces are even dishwasher safe.
I love mine, I have moved on to chicken wings.
After a dozen turkeys I have a couple of observations.
3 1/2 min per pound is the right time. after 30 min of rest the temp is perfect.
Peanut oil is best but my Grandson is allergic to peanuts, not wanting to take a chance when he comes over I use canola oil it’s very good also.
I use a throw away aluminum turkey pan to rest in, lift, drain. have a paper towel between the fryer and the pan. Move the turkey.
Enjoy
[...] This year my oldest daughter was the first to request this years cooking technique and chose a fried turkey. So fried it was. This meant getting out the Masterbuilt Indoor Turkey Fryer. (You can read my full review of this fryer from last year by clicking here.) [...]
I always outdoors anyway I tend to fry anything i can think to fry . Now I’m thinking about getting a Butterball/Masterbuilt turkey fryer I like the fact
it uses less oil and cleanup looks easier than my gas rig i haven.t seen one in person yet so is this a fryer that will last or is it just another nice looking product that won’t last also Alan try frying patato wedges before draining your oil it will help remove odor from the oil and every one loves them
Not working. Doesn’t heat up. Keeps resetting itself. Worst turkey fryer ever!!!! Don’t waste your money!
So, you’ve never purchased anything before that didn’t work out of the box? How lucky you are? That’s why there is a return policy. I’ve been using mine almost non-stop and it works great as have 1,000s of others.
I saw the Butterball Indoor Turkey Fryer in a store today, and it looks very interesting. But I have a question, please. After you have cooked the turkey and drained the oil, what do you do with the oil? Is it used only one time or can you store it? If you can store it, do you need to strain it before storing, and about how long can you store used oil?
Thanks,
Alan
Alan, great question. The oil should be strained. It’s actually the food particles that cause oil to go bad. I strain the oil, put it back into the containers I bought the oil in and store it in the refrigerator. The oil will last quite a long time that time. If you are going to fry something like fish you are pretty much going to make that oil “fish frying” oil though.
We bought this unit from our local Lowes for 99 bucks last week! Used it on Thanksgiving day and our turkey came out perfect! Now trying whole chickens with it…
My 12 lb turkey just barely fit into the basket. The temp instruction was wrong. It says to check the breast for 165 degrees but then the rest of the bird wasn’t done yet. Better to check it at the thigh for about 170 to 175. The cleanup of the fryer was a breeze. Though this appliance doen’t have a UL seal I feel it is very safe to use if you follow the instructions carefully. Overall I’m satified with the fryer and recommend it.
Big Mikey, I’ve done a couple of cooks now on the fryer and think the best rule of thumb is 4 minutes per pound. The first time I cooked to temp and it was a little under-done in the thigh area. My turkey for thanksgiving was 13.5 pounds and fit right in the basket. I think the difference in size is the turkey. The first time I purchased an 11 pound “frozen” turkey and it was a tight fit. This time a purchased a more expensive all natural, free range turkey and the bigger bird fit better. The natural bird had huge breasts and that doesn’t take up the space as well.
I know what my Son Kyle is getting for Christmas now
How about ordering it through the link on the blog?
My fryer came on Tuesday and my Wednesday became fry-day!
I did turkey wings, catfish and a whole chicken.
Unbelievably good! The catfish was the best we’ve ever eaten, anywhere! The whole chicken was juicy and very tender! The wings needed to be done at 375* and not the 350* I had used previously in another smaller fryer.
I am thrilled with my new Electric Indoor Butterball Turkey Fryer and recommend it heartily to anyone interested.
I’ve been frying Turkeys for years the conventional way. I’m optimistic about trying this product.
On a side note, I had the idea years ago to try frying a fresh Cornish hen in a large Fry Daddy, using the same injection principles as the Turkey. The result was wonderful! This product could probably handle 3 to 4 Hens at one time.
Thank you for this great review!
I bought the ButterBall No-Oil Fryer only to learn it is really just a “glorified roaster” and it is going back to the store tomorrow!
I followed your link and have purchased this fryer because after eating a fried turkey, I have to sample a fried chicken (whole).
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