10 Things to Cook in a Turkey Fryer Besides Turkey

A turkey fryer is a lot of equipment for something you use once a year.

Luckily, turkey is far from the only thing you can cook in it. That oversized pot can handle everything from a seafood boil for a crowd to fish, fries, corn, and even doughnuts. Some setups can boil and steam as well as fry, which opens up even more possibilities.

So before you pack yours away until next Thanksgiving, here are 10 other foods worth making.

A quick note: Turkey fryers aren't all designed for the same cooking methods. Check your model's instructions before boiling or steaming, and always follow its requirements for outdoor use, oil levels, and maximum capacity.

1. Seafood Boil

If there's one meal that makes a turkey fryer feel completely unrelated to turkey, it's a seafood boil.

The oversized pot gives you enough room for potatoes, corn, sausage, shrimp, crab, and plenty of seasoned water. Instead of cooking several pots inside, you can make most of the meal in one outdoor cooker.

Just don't add everything together.

Start with ingredients that take longest, such as potatoes. Sausage and corn can follow, while quick-cooking seafood goes in toward the end. Shrimp need only a short time, so adding them too early can leave them rubbery by the time the potatoes are ready.

When it's done, drain the pot and spread the whole lot across a large tray or paper-covered table. Few meals make better use of that giant fryer pot.

2. Fish

A backyard fish fry is another good reason to drag the fryer out of storage.

Battered cod, catfish, tilapia, or other firm fish can be cooked in batches without filling your kitchen with the smell of frying oil. Pair the fish with fries and hush puppies and you can make almost the entire meal outside.

The important part is keeping the oil temperature reasonably steady. Add too much fish at once and the temperature can drop, leaving the coating heavier and greasier instead of crisp.

USDA lists 145°F as the safe minimum internal temperature for fish. Cooking time varies with the thickness of the pieces and the coating, so temperature is a better final check than the clock.

3. French Fries

A big fryer deserves a big batch of fries.

You can keep things simple with classic shoestrings or thicker steak fries, or use the extra space for enough fries to feed a backyard crowd.

For particularly crisp fries, cook them twice. The first fry cooks the potato through; after a short rest, a second fry at a higher temperature develops that golden, crunchy exterior.

Whatever method you use, dry the cut potatoes thoroughly before they meet the oil. And don't mistake a huge pot for permission to fill the basket to the top. Smaller batches help the oil recover its temperature and give the fries room to cook evenly.

4. Fried Shrimp

Shrimp make much better use of a turkey fryer than their size might suggest.

They're quick to cook, easy to serve to a crowd, and work with everything from a light breading to a thicker beer batter. You can turn them into po' boys, serve them with cocktail sauce, or add them to a larger outdoor fish fry.

Because shrimp cook quickly, this is one of those times when preparation matters more than the actual frying. Have your breading, draining rack, and serving dish ready before the first batch hits the oil.

Fish and shellfish should reach 145°F, according to USDA guidance.

And if fish is also on the menu, cook the shrimp while the oil is already hot rather than firing up an entire turkey fryer just for twelve of them.

5. Onion Rings

Onion rings are exactly the kind of food that makes sense once you already have several gallons of oil hot.

Thick-cut onions give you a sweet, tender center, while a batter or breading adds the crunch. They're an easy side for burgers, fried fish, or just about anything else coming off an outdoor cooker.

The trick is giving them space. Toss too many rings into the basket and they can stick together, lose coating, and drag down the oil temperature.

Fry manageable batches, let the excess oil drain, and season them while they're still hot.

6. Corn on the Cob

You don't need frying oil every time the turkey fryer comes out.

If your model is approved for boiling, that big pot can handle a serious amount of corn on the cob. It's especially useful for cookouts where a normal kitchen saucepan would mean cooking several rounds.

Boil the corn until tender, then keep it classic with butter and salt or add Cajun seasoning, chili and lime, herbs, or Parmesan.

It's simple, but that's the point. Not every alternative use for a turkey fryer needs to become a project.

And when the meal is over, you don't have gallons of used frying oil to filter and store.

7. Doughnuts

This is where the fryer starts earning its cabinet space.

Doughnuts float as they cook, so the wide surface of a large fryer gives them plenty of room. Fry a few at a time, turn them as needed, and finish with cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, or glaze.

If you're planning both savory and sweet foods on the same day, however, think about the order.

Fresh or relatively neutral oil is a much better home for doughnuts than oil that has just spent the afternoon frying heavily seasoned fish. Frying dessert first, or keeping separate oil for it, can save you from discovering a flavor combination nobody asked for.

8. Hush Puppies

Once you've made fried fish, stopping before the hush puppies feels almost irresponsible.

These small cornmeal fritters cook quickly and make an easy side for fish or shrimp. Onion is classic, but scallions, jalapeños, corn, or a little spice can change them up without making the batter complicated.

Their small size also means they brown fast. Keep an eye on each batch and remove them once they're deeply golden rather than relying on one fixed cooking time.

They're particularly useful near the end of a fish fry because you can cook them in oil that's already hot instead of setting up another appliance.

9. Fried Pickles

A turkey fryer might look absurdly oversized for pickles, but at a party, the math starts making sense.

Use pickle chips for bite-size snacks or spears for something more substantial. Pat them dry before breading so the coating has a better chance of staying where it belongs.

Then fry until crisp and serve immediately with ranch, spicy mayo, or another dipping sauce.

Fried pickles are also a good reminder that you don't have to fill a giant fryer with a giant ingredient. Sometimes its advantage is simply being able to make more of a small food at once.

10. Boiled Peanuts

For a complete change of pace, skip the frying basket.

If your turkey fryer is designed for boiling, its large pot is well suited to boiled peanuts. Raw or green peanuts are simmered in salted, seasoned water until the shells soften and the peanuts inside become tender.

They're not a quick snack. Depending on the peanuts and method, cooking can take hours.

But that's also why the outdoor setup works so well. You can make a large batch without tying up a burner in the kitchen all afternoon.

Season them simply with salt or take them in a Cajun direction with spices, garlic, and hot peppers.

One Fryer, Several Ways to Use It

The best way to get more from a turkey fryer isn't to find ten different things to deep-fry. It's to use the size and power of the cooker for jobs your normal kitchen equipment doesn't handle as easily.

That could mean frying enough fish and fries for a party, boiling corn for a cookout, or making an entire seafood boil in one pot.

There is one limitation: your fryer decides what's possible.

Some turkey-fryer setups are designed for frying only, while multipurpose outdoor cookers may also support boiling or steaming. Don't assume that a cooking method is safe simply because the pot is large enough to do it. Follow the instructions for your specific model.

If you're deep-frying, keep the fryer outdoors where required, start with dry food, monitor the oil temperature, and never leave hot oil unattended. USDA also warns never to use water on a grease fire.

The Bottom Line

A turkey fryer doesn't have to spend eleven months gathering dust.

Use it for a seafood boil in summer, fish and fries on the weekend, corn at a cookout, or doughnuts when you're in the mood for something completely different. Once you stop thinking of it as a turkey-only appliance, that enormous pot starts to make a lot more sense.