72 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Neatness Doesn't Necessarily Count, January 25, 2002
This review is from: Eastman Outdoors 38071Kit Aluminum Turkey Fry Pot, Fish Basket and Burner (Lawn & Patio)
This is the ultimate collection of outdoor frying equipment. The core is the burner and stand, which is well-built and stable. The burner will heat 4 gallons of oil for a turkey fry in about 15 minutes - even in winter.
The smaller pot is meant for fish frys, cut chicken and "small" pots of soup. It has a fry basket to contain chicken wings, catfish chunks or whatever else you want to cook.
The large pot is for turkey frying, "large" batches of chowder or boiling lobsters. Lobsters are rather scarce where I live, so it sees more turkey than anything else. A 15 lb. turkey will cook in less than an hour - you can't stuff it, just the carcass. I wire the wings together with stainless steel safety wire, available at auto or aircraft parts stores. The turkey is slipped over the post, neck down, and the apparatus is slowly lowered into the hot oil, using the supplied hook. I use peanut oil. The big thermometer doubles to measure oil temperature and to check meat temperature for doneness.
The marinade injector works well, but you cannot use "chunky" marinades. I have found that combining the dry ingredients in a blender and pulverizing them before adding liquid works best. This will minimize, but not entirely prevent, annoying clogs as you try to inject your turkey. I generally use my secret blend of herbs and spices, carried by a wine/ water/ oil mixture, finished in the blender. Fresh herbs, onions and vegetables don't work as well as dried - they tend to form a paste which will not pass through the syringe. I let the marinated bird rest in the refrigerator overnight before frying. Never try to fry a frozen bird; it will be burned on the outside and raw in the middle at the recommended cooking times.
One thing about this whole apparatus: try not to put too much oil in the pots before you put in the food. The oil foams heavily and overflows when the food is first put in, so it is best setup on dirt. If you use it on a paved surface, it will stain the concrete or asphalt, even if you use kitty litter or "oil-dri" under it.
All the mess is worth it though - I have always had compliments about anything I have cooked, especially the turkeys. The skin is crispy and the meat is tender, juicy and flavorful, thanks to the marinating process. We use ours year-round. How else can you start cooking turkey at 10 a.m. for noon dinner on Thanksgiving Day?
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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best one we seen so far for the $$$, August 5, 2002
This review is from: Eastman Outdoors 38071Kit Aluminum Turkey Fry Pot, Fish Basket and Burner (Lawn & Patio)
We looked around for many months before decidingon getting this Turkey Fryer. We liked all the extras you got for the same price as ones we seen that only came with a pot, burner and injector.
We have tried this with Turkey's, French Fries, Chicken cordon blu'e many times both camping and at home.
I highly reccommend it.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good food enthuiast!, January 5, 2003
This review is from: Eastman Outdoors 38071Kit Aluminum Turkey Fry Pot, Fish Basket and Burner (Lawn & Patio)
We bought this as a gift for someone, then aranged a visit on the first use to sample the food! We cooked a turkey on Christmas day in 5" of snow and sub zero wind chill! It took longer to heat up the oil than to cook the bird. Our biggest mistake was the bird was sitting outside and thus got cold while the oil was heating up, so when we put it in it dropped the oil temp about 95 degrees! Thus the skin did not get that crsip high heat cooking and I think that in turn led to the meat getting a little dry. Next time we'll know better!
We all used common sense and guess what we did not burn the house down, or scald anyone! I think we'll be buying one for ourselves soon as we love outdoor cooking.
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