This is a comprehensive post on everything you’ve always wondered about how to deep fry a turkey. We’ve been doing it in our family for a number of years now and I often get questions about it, so I wanted to share everything about what we use, how we use it, and tons of tips so you can do it, too!
Until a handful of years ago, I had never encountered a turkey made any other way than roasted in the oven. It’s the only way my grandma or anyone else in my family had ever done it. I heard here or there about frying a turkey, but never gave it a second thought.
When I started dating my husband, he introduced me to the tradition of deep-frying a turkey at his aunt and uncle’s house. They had an outdoor fryer, and the guys would bundle up and stand outside of the garage while the turkey cooked. I had that deep fried turkey a time or two and it was amazing! However, never did I actually think about frying one MYSELF.
Deep frying turkey has become a popular cooking method for many families on Thanksgiving and other holidays. It produces a turkey with crispy skin and moist, flavorful meat in a short amount of time. But choosing the right oil is critical for safety and maximizing flavor.
In this comprehensive guide I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about selecting the best oil for deep frying turkey.
How Does Deep Frying a Turkey Work?
Deep frying involves fully submerging the turkey in hot oil to cook it. The high heat quickly sears the outside of the turkey, locking in moisture. The inside cooks from the steam created within the bird.
Compared to oven roasting, deep fried turkey cooks much faster – in as little as 3-4 minutes per pound. The skin comes out crispy brown and the meat is juicy and tender. It also frees up your oven for other sides and desserts.
Most cooks use a propane turkey fryer kit to deep fry turkeys. It includes a stainless steel pot, propane burner, thermometer, hook, and other accessories. You’ll need about 3-5 gallons of oil depending on the size of your turkey.
Choosing the Right Oil for Deep Frying Turkey
The most important factor in selecting deep frying oil is the smoke point The smoke point is the temperature at which oil starts burning and smoking.
For deep frying whole turkeys, you’ll need oil with a high smoke point between 400°F and 450°F. Heating oil past its smoke point gives food a burnt flavor and is dangerous.
You also want an oil with a neutral taste that won’t overpower the turkey flavor. The viscosity of the oil also affects how well it distributes heat. Here are the top oil options:
Peanut Oil
Refined peanut oil is the most popular choice for deep frying turkeys. It has a high smoke point around 450°F and a mild, nutty flavor. The taste complements turkey well. Peanut oil produces crispy, golden brown skin. It’s also relatively affordable.
Canola Oil
With a smoke point of 400°F, canola oil is another budget-friendly option. It has a neutral taste to maintain the turkey’s flavor. One downside is canola oil has more viscosity than peanut oil, so the temperature doesn’t distribute as evenly.
Sunflower and Safflower Oils
These oils have high smoke points of 450°F and neutral flavors. They are healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats. The drawback is they tend to be pricier than peanut or canola oils.
Corn Oil
Corn oil is affordable and has a 440°F smoke point. It does have more flavor than the previous oils, which could come through on the turkey skin. Overall, it gets the job done on a budget.
Soybean Oil
Soybean oil is another common, budget-friendly choice for deep frying with a smoke point of 450°F. It has a neutral taste. Make sure to use refined soybean oil.
Avoid Olive and Vegetable Oils
Don’t use olive oil or straight vegetable oil blends for deep frying turkey. They have much lower smoke points around 325-400°F. Using them risks burning the oil and turkey.
turkey Fryer Oil Frequently Asked Questions
Before deep frying your turkey, let’s go over some common questions about selecting oils.
How much oil do you need to deep fry a turkey?
You’ll need about 1 quart of oil per pound of turkey. So a 12 lb bird needs 3 gallons, and a 20 lb turkey needs 5 gallons. It’s better to have extra oil than not enough. Too little oil causes uneven cooking.
Can you reuse turkey fryer oil?
You can reuse oil a couple of times if stored properly. After each use, strain out food particles with a fine mesh strainer. Store used oil in an airtight container away from light and heat which speeds up rancidity.
Don’t mix new and used oil. Only reuse peanut, canola, corn, or soybean oils – not unstable oils like olive oil. Discard oil if it smells bad, foams, or smokes early.
Is peanut oil healthier than vegetable oil?
Peanut oil is healthier than vegetable oils like soybean and canola. It has high monounsaturated fat content, vitamin E, and phytosterols like beta-sitosterol that can lower cholesterol. Peanut oil doesn’t contain trans fats associated with heart disease.
However, peanut oil has slightly more saturated fat and calories than other vegetable oils. Moderation is key when deep frying.
Does peanut oil add flavor to fried turkey?
Yes, refined peanut oil adds a subtle nutty flavor to fried turkey. It complements poultry well. You’ll often see refined peanut oil used for deep frying at restaurants. Unrefined peanut oil has a much stronger peanut flavor.
Is olive oil safe for deep frying turkey?
No, you should never use olive oil for deep frying whole turkeys. Even refined olive oil has a low smoke point around 400°F. Heating it further produces toxic compounds and free radicals.
The taste of olive oil would also overwhelm the turkey flavor. Stick to high smoke point neutral oils. You can brush olive oil on the cooked turkey for flavor.
Can I use shortening to fry turkey?
Shortening like Crisco is not the best for deep frying whole turkeys. It can work in a pinch, but shortening doesn’t heat evenly. It also has a strong greasy flavor that would coat the turkey skin. Stick to oils with high smoke points.
Deep Frying a Turkey Safely
While deep fried turkey is delicious, you need to take safety precautions:
-
Deep fry the turkey outdoors away from your house and flammable objects.
-
Don’t overfill the pot with oil. Leave at least 4 inches of headspace.
-
Keep children and pets away from the hot oil. Have a fire extinguisher on hand.
-
Use welder’s gloves, long sleeves and closed toe shoes for protection.
-
Don’t drop the turkey in hot oil. Lower it slowly with the fryer hook.
-
Monitor the oil temperature carefully with a thermometer.
-
Let the used oil cool completely before disposing properly.
How Long Does It Take to Deep Fry a Turkey?
This is one of the biggest advantages of deep frying a turkey! It takes so much less time than roasting a turkey in the oven. You’ll want to follow the instructions of the fryer you use; ours recommends three to four minutes per pound. That means if you have a 20-pound turkey (that’s the size we’ve used the last two years), it will take approximately 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes to finish cooking (versus like 4 hours in the oven!). We sometimes pull the turkey out, check the temperature, then need to lower it back in for a little longer, but I always err on checking at the earliest time so as not to overcook it.
We kind of make it a little event on Thanksgiving… since it doesn’t take a long time to cook, once everyone arrives, we “drop the turkey!” into the fryer, then we munch on appetizers and visit while the turkey cooks. Another bonus of frying is that the oven is completely free for side dishes!
What is the Best Oil for Deep Frying a Turkey?
We did a lot of research on this the first time we fried the turkey, and found that peanut oil is pretty much the gold standard when it comes to turkey frying oil. (Spoiler Alert: It’s crazy expensive, but we found it semi-reasonably priced at Sam’s Club.) We used peanut oil up until two years ago when Joseph was diagnosed with his peanut allergy, and then we switched to canola oil.
Canola oil has worked well for us, and we haven’t noticed any negative effects from switching from peanut oil.