Deep Fryer Oil: What’s the Best Oil for Frying Turkey? | Deep Frying Oils

If you’re going to be doing some deep frying, including turkeys, then you’ll need to know what kind of oil to use. Not to worry, we’re here for you and will give you the complete rundown on turkey frying oils to help you make the best choice. Or, just have a look here at our #1 pick for the best oil to fry a turkey: Turkey Fry Oil 3 Gallon 

Let’s get into the best oil for frying turkey. Keep on reading!

Top 7 Oils for Frying Turkey

If you’re looking for the best frying oil, you’ve come to the right place. Here are our top picks, taking into consideration smoke point, and what kind of fat it contains:

• Peanut Oil
• Sunflower Oil
• Avocado Oil
• Rice Bran Oil
• Safflower Oil
• Corn Oil
• Soybean Oil

Read more to find out all the information you need to fry your next turkey, or just about anything for that matter. Or, just check out one of our top picks right here:

Deep Fryer Oil: What you Need to Know

If you’re looking for deep fryer oil, you’ve come to the right place! We’re going to give you the straight facts on deep frying-the healthiest, the most delicious, and the most economical oils. Keep on reading for all the tips you need to get you started with deep frying turkey, and a whole host of other delicious things.

Things to Consider When Choosing a Deep Fryer Oil

First thing first. What are the various factors to consider when choosing a deep fryer oil? There are a few important ones. We’ll talk about them in more detail here.

#1: Smoke Point

Smoke point is the temperature at which the oil starts to break down. When oil breaks down, it produces harmful compounds, which should be avoided. If you choose an oil with a high smoke point, you can fry foods at a higher temperature. This means that foods will absorb less oil and you’ll have a healthier final product.

Oils with the highest smoke points (all at 450 F or above) include the following: refined corn oil (450), palm oil (450), refined sunflower oil (450), refined soy oil (450), semi-refined sunflower oil (450), extra light olive oil (468), rice bran oil (490), refined safflower oil (510), and avocado oil (520).

If you’re looking for a healthier deep fryer oil, the ones in the list above are all good choices. Most recipes call for frying foods at between 350 and 400 F, so it’s safest to choose an oil from the above list in order to be on the safe side.

#2: The Right Kind of Fat

You’ve probably heard the words saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. Saturated fats are unhealthy for you because they can increase your cholesterol levels. The American Heart Association’s official recommendation is that saturated fat be no more than 7% of your daily caloric intake.

However, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats can improve your cholesterol levels. You should intake some of these healthier fats every day. Some deep fryer oils that contain these kinds of fats include canola, sunflower, safflower, peanut and olive oils.

#3: Price

Of course, price is a major factor when deciding which turkey frying oils to use. This is mostly because you need such a large quantity of it. And while it’s ideal to use something like olive oil, or avocado oil, this is going to cost you a ton of money and it’s certainly not worth it when there are many other good options available.

In terms of price, some of the best ones to consider are peanut oil, or soybean oil.

Our Top Picks for Deep Fryer Oil

Now that we’ve laid out the various factors to consider when choosing a deep frying oil, we’ll give you the specifics on which oils we personally use for deep frying.

#1 Deep Frying Oil: Peanut Oil

You can consistently find peanut oil at the top of many lists of deep frying oils. This is for good reason! Peanut oil has a lot of benefits including a smoke point of 450 F, a mild taste, and a good dose of the healthy kind of fat. It’s also extremely affordable. This makes it our top option for the best oil for frying turkey.

Plus, many people have excellent results reusing peanut oil from a turkey fryer. Because of the high smoke point, it’s less likely to degrade than some other options. If you’re planning to reuse your peanut oil, just be sure to strain it after use to remove any impurities.

Check out this 2L jug of peanut oil on Amazon to see for yourself. Many people name peanut oil as the best oil to fry turkey.

#2 Best Frying Oil: SunFlower

Sunflower oil is another good pick for many of the same reasons as peanut oil. It has a high smoke point of 450 F, and good doses of healthy fat. It also has a neutral taste and is affordable to purchase in large quantities.

Check out this large jug of organic sunflower oil on Amazon today:

#3: Avocado Oil

Avocado oil can make a good choice. It’s rich in healthy fats, as well as having one of the highest smoke points. Avocado oil can add a rich, buttery taste to your deep-fried food as well.

However, avocado oil is quite expensive. You may be tempted to just pay the cash for this expensive oil and then just reuse it. But, a word of warning! Oil breaks down with use and over time, you’ll be leaching more and more harmful compounds into your foods. While you can reuse oil a couple of times, it’s not recommended any more than this. And if you do, store it in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight.

Check out this 1L jug of avocado oil on Amazon today:

#4 Best Oil for Deep Fryers: Rice Bran

Another top pick for oil to deep fry a turkey (or anything for that matter) is rice bran oil. It has a high smoke point of 415 degrees (sometimes even listed higher at up to 490+ degrees). This is certainly high enough to deep fry a turkey.

Besides that, it has a mild taste so that your food flavours can shine through and not be overpowered by the rice bran oil. It’s light, clean and many backyard chefs swear by it!

Finally, it has a low amount of saturated fat, making it a healthier choice than some of the alternatives. It’s also high in antioxidants!

You can shop now online and get a 1 gallon jug for a reasonable price:

#5 Turkey Deep Frying Oil: Safflower

Another top choice is safflower oil. According to Martha Stewart (who certainly knows here deep frying), it’s ideal because it’s mild-tasting, has a high smoke point, and is high in monounsaturated fat. The smoke point is one of the highest at over 500 degrees.

Be sure to check the expiry date on it before buying, and be sure to keep it away from heat and sunlight for the longest shelf life. You can buy it online easily in a one gallon jug:

#6 Best Oil for Deep Frying: Corn Oil

A common question that people have is whether or not they can use corn oil to deep fry a turkey. The good news is that this is certainly possible, so keep on reading to learn more about it.

If you’re looking for a reasonably priced oil for deep frying a turkey, then you also might want to consider corn oil. With a smoke point of 450 degrees, it’s not the highest among our choices, but it’s certainly enough to get the job done.

Plus, we love the neutral light taste that’ll really let the flavour of the food shine through. One of the small negatives is that it can retain the flavour of the food it’s cooked in, meaning that you can’t reuse it as many times as say canola oil. Can you use corn oil to deep fry a turkey? The resounding answer is yes!

Sounds like the best pick for you? It’s certainly one of the top turkey frying oils. You can check out this 1 gallon jug on Amazon:

#7: Soybean Oil

Another top pick or deep frying a turkey is soybean oil. It has a high smoke point of 450 degrees, which is certainly high enough for your needs.

Combine that with the inexpensive price, easy availability, neutral taste, and low saturated fat, and you have an excellent choice in soy oil for deep frying!

You can get this 1-quart jug of soybean oil on Amazon. It’s a nice type of oil to fry turkey:

Learn more about the Best Deep Fryer Oil

Oil for Frying Turkey FAQs

There are a number of common questions that people have about deep frying turkey. Here are the answers to some of the most popular ones.

Can I use Olive Oil for a Deep Fry Oil?

You probably already have olive oil in your kitchen cupboard and are wondering if it’s a good choice for your deep fried turkey.

Unfortunately, it’s not for a number of different reasons:

• The smoke point is quite low for extra virgin at 320 degrees. The more refined olive oil might be fine because it’s close to 400 degrees.
• It has a very strong taste, and will not let the flavour of the food shine through.
• It can be quite expensive, especially if used for deep frying a turkey.

Is Canola Oil Ideal for Deep Frying? 

Because canola oil is cheaper and has a mild taste, you might think it’d make a great pick for deep frying. However, it comes with a smoke point of 400 degrees, which can be quite easy to exceed when deep frying a turkey. We prefer to recommend oils with smoke points closer to 450 to be on the safe side.

Remember that oil breaks down at high temperatures, making your food less delicious, and it also can’t be reused when this happens.

Which Oil is the Best for Deep Frying?

The best oil for deep frying is commonly thought to be peanut oil. That’s because it has a high smoke point, has a healthier fat profile, is neutral in flavour and is also very affordably priced.

Can you Mix Peanut Oil and Vegetable Oil When Deep Frying?

It’s certainly possible to mix peanut oil and vegetable oil when deep frying. They easily dissolve into each other and also have similar smoke points.

Do you Have to Refrigerate Used Frying Oil?

Used frying oil should be refrigerated in a sealed, dark container that doesn’t allow light to pass through. You can store it for up to 3 months but don’t use it if it’s clouded or has a foul odour, taste or smell to it.

Can you Reuse Turkey Frying Oil?

This is a very important question because unlike deep frying a small batch of fries or fish, a turkey takes up a ton of oil to deep fry it. Think gallons of it. That’s why it’s important to consider whether or not you can reuse it.

Can I Pour Oil Down the Sink?

Cooking oils should never be poured down the sink because they can congeal and solidify, potentially forming solids and and blocking the drain. Instead, dispose of in the trash once it cools.

Can I Reuse Deep Frying Oil? 

It’s possible to use deep frying oil again. Here are a few tips for reusing it:

#1: Choose your Oil Carefully

Make sure to choose oils with a high smoke point (above 450) and then don’t let the oil get hotter than that because this is the point at which it begins to break down. Stay at least 10 degrees below this just to be safe, if you’re serious about reusing your oil.

#2: Filter After Use

Let your oil cool down in a pot overnight, and then strain it in the morning. You can use a large coffee filter or a cheesecloth. This will improve the quality of your oil for the next frying.

You can also buy some commercial deep frying oils which will help to speed up the process. Here is one of our top picks from King Kooker:

#3: Oil Storage

It’s best to put the oil into an enclosed container and then store it in the fridge (or cold, unheated garage in a cool climate for example). It sometimes thickens and becomes cloudy, but not to worry, it’ll return to normal when heated up again.

One word of caution about this: bring the oil to room temperature before putting it into a hot pan or pot. Not doing so may cause an explosion.

Deep fryer oil storage isn’t actually so difficult as long as you keep the original container that the oil came in. This is an often-overlooked step in this whole process!

Have your say about the Best Frying Oil!

What’s your top pick for the best deep fryer oil? Is it one of the options from this list or do you have another that you’d like to recommend? Leave a comment below and let us know. We’d love to hear from you.

And, don’t forget to share this article on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. It’ll help other deep frying enthusiasts, like yourself find this useful resource.

Last update on 2021-08-05 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API