Product Name: Masterbuilt Butterball Indoor Gen III Electric Fryer
Website: www.masterbuilt.com/fryers
Price: Best Price $129 on Amazon
Owners: Masterbuilt Manufacturing, Inc.
Verdict: Best Rated Electric Turkey Fryer
America’s obsession with frying turkeys around the holidays continues to grow. Whether it’s the increased fascination with southern cooking traditions or the fact that it’s just more fun than basting an oven roasted turkey for hours on end, frying the holiday bird is becoming a new tradition.
To that end, we’re highlighting the best electric turkey fryer based on value, construction quality, and customer reviews.
#1 Masterbuilt 23011114 Butterball Indoor Gen III Electric Fryer Cooker Extra Large Capacity
We’ve reviewed Masterbuilt Electric Smokers in the past and found them to be a very good manufacturer of various styles of cookers and the Butterball Indoor Gen III is no exception.
Advantages Of Electric Turkey Fryers
- You’re indoors in the comfort of your kitchen! No more standing out
in the weather or worrying whether it is going to rain or not. - Safety. No open flame or propane makes electric turkey fryers safer than their gas-powered cousins.
- Easier Clean Up.
- Cook time. Cook a 14lb turkey in under an hour vs. the hours is takes in the oven.
- Use Less Oil. Electric turkey fryers use about 30% less oil than propane fryers.
- Save oven space for the rest of the fixings.
Disadvantages
- Reduced temperatures. Electric turkey fryers achieve about 375 degrees vs. 400 degrees from propane models.
- Longer warm up time. It takes about 50 minutes to heat the oil.
Masterbuilt Butterball Indoor Gen III Electric Fryer Cooker Features
- 20lb turkey capacity
- Heavy duty stainless-steel outer body with a porcelain-coated inner pot make this the best-constructed electric model on the market. The porcelain inner pot can be pulled out of the body for easy cleaning.
- 1650 Watts will heat up the oil to optimal temperatures in about 50 minutes.
- The thermostat lets you set temps from 125 – 375 degrees safely without worrying whether to oil will get too hot.
- The digital timer can be set up to 99 minutes and lets you know when the turkey is done or at least when to check on it.
- The heavy duty aluminum cooking basket allows for easy removal of the food.
Perhaps our favorite feature is the drain valve which lets you easily dispose of the oil without out making a mess. It also comes with a spout attachment to make draining even easier. If you’ve used other fryers you know how messy it can be!
The Butterball Indoor Gen III’s Dimensions are 18.5 x 21.5 x 18 inches and it weighs about 27 pounds.
Cooking Process
We filled the fryer with 2 gallons of peanut oil and set the temperature to 375. An hour later we put in a 14lb turkey. The oil temperature recovered faster than expected after putting in the turkey which was a pleasant surprise.
After 40 minutes, the turkey came out a crispy brown on the outside and remained juicy on the inside all while we stayed warm indoors. There was no oily smell during or after cooking. The unit was taller than expected so it might not fit on countertops with low-hanging cabinets.
Check Out Our Favorite Propane Turkey Fryer
What’s Good…
Beefy construction adds to the safety features of the Masterbuilt Butterball Indoor Gen III Electric Fryer. It’s very well priced among electric turkey fryers making it a very good value. The drain valve makes for very easy clean up which is important in any fryer.
What’s Not So Good…
The fryer is a bit taller than some so fitting under a cabinet can be tricky in some kitchens but with 20lb capacity that is to be expected. The base model fryer doesn’t come with any accessories like meat pencil thermometer or basket divider. Those can be added at an additional cost.
Bottom Line
Based on price, construction, safety features, and customer reviews (4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon) we’ve rated the Masterbuilt Butterball Indoor Gen III Electric Fryer the best electric turkey fryer. Pick this up for the next Sunday night gathering, th big game, tailgating, the Thanksgiving meal, the Butterball Indoor Electric Turkey Fryer won’t disappoint.
Thanks for sharing this info. I have never fried a turkey before but I’ve heard that it’s very good and have been thinking about trying it this year. This electric fryer looks like a good option – but can you tell me what is the advantage/disadvantage of this over and outdoor propane fryer? Which type would you use to make a thanksgiving turkey?
Thanks for stopping by the site. In general Electric Turkey Fryers are probably a bit safer as there is no open flame and this model you can use indoors. Propane heated turkey fryers have an open flame and must be used outdoors. They tend to get a bit hotter for even faster cook times.
Hey there, I’m not a big fan of Turkey but my family is. I definitely liked your review and now I’m considering buying an electric turkey fryer haha, I like the fact that they cook a turkey in just one hour (even if it takes some time for them to heat up). If I ever decide to buy a turkey fryer I’ll have you to thank 🙂
Thanks for stopping by to check out the electric turkey fryers. Glad we were a help!
Hi,
This is pretty awesome and made my mouth water thinking about it. Sounds like a good alternative to the more traditional slaving over a hot oven. I like the idea of freeing up oven space for other things, because that’s something I always seem to struggle with. Especially if it’s my turn to host the relatives and it turns into a large family affair. I found the video really good for showing how it all works. Perhaps this will start a new turkey-cooking revolution!
Glad you like it. Thanks for stopping by the site.
Thanks that is really interesting reading about a turkey fryer.
Since I am not from the US this is something I never heard about and its is also pretty funny but there most be a big market for it since you can buy it everywhere I noticed. That is good thing about the internet you can learn form all kinds of cultures. Thanks for sharing the info with me.
Cees