Turkey fryer

Fried turkey has been a popular item in the Southern United States, and has become popular in other parts of the country because of the reduced time needed to cook a turkey in a deep fryer, versus other conventional methods such as an oven or a rotisserie grill.

[1] An early mention of deep-fried turkey appeared in a 1984 article in the New Orleans Times-Picayune[2] and in articles written for the Food sections of the Baton Rouge Advocate/States Times, which were attributed to Charlie Gant and two other Cajun friends.

[2] Gant said they were sitting around with their crawfish pots after a cochon de lait and wondered what to do with their excess pig lard that would spoil in the Louisiana heat.

A traditional turkey fryer kit consists of a burner, a large stock pot with lid, a basket and/or poultry holder, a lifter and a thermometer.

Current burner units are much lower than the original design so as to increase stability and help prevent tip-overs.

This consists of a valve that goes between the propane tank and the burner and a lead with a thermal sensor.

Although the electric fryer does not heat up as fast as with propane, it includes a thermostat with a timer and a thermal safety shut-off.