How much oil do I need for a 14 pound turkey?
Fill the pot with peanut or canola oil up to the mark you made earlier—you'll need 4 to 5 gallons to fry a 12- to 14-pound turkey in a 30-quart pot. Turn the burner on, adjust the heat to moderately high, and heat the oil until the thermometer registers 375°F.
A 24 quart pot will hold up to a 14 lb. turkey, a 26 quart pot will hold up to a 16 lb. turkey, and a 30 quart pot will hold up to a 20 lb.
Place the basket in the Oil-Less Deep Fryer. Turn on the cooker to medium high cooking and cook for about 10 minutes per pound (14lbs. = approx. 140 minutes or 2 hrs 20 minutes).
When working with large amounts of hot oil, select a cooking vessel large enough to completely submerge the turkey without it spilling over. The oil should cover the turkey by 1 to 2 inches.
You'll need enough oil to cover your entire turkey, but not so much that it spills over. A general guideline is to use 3 gallons of oil for a 30 qt. pot and 3 1/3 gallons of oil for a 32 qt. pot.
- 4 to 8 pounds (breast only): 1 1/2 to 3 1/4 hours.
- 8 to 12 pounds: 2 3/4 to 3 hours.
- 12 to 14 pounds: 3 to 3 3/4 hours.
- 14 to 18 pounds: 3 3/4 to 4 1/4 hours.
- 18 to 20 pounds: 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 hours.
- 20 to 24 pounds: 4 1/2 to 5 hours.
- Bake at 350°F for any turkey that's less than 14 pounds (5.9kg)
- Bake at 325°F for bigger turkeys over 14 pounds.
Assuming you are roasting your turkey in a 325°F oven, plan on 15 to 17 minutes of cooking time for each pound of an unstuffed turkey. Plan on 20 to 22 minutes per pound for a stuffed turkey. 8-12 lb. 12-14 lb.
Immediately check the oil temperature and increase the flame so the oil temperature is maintained at 350 degrees. If the temperature drops to 340 degrees or below, oil will begin to seep into the turkey. Fry about 3-4 minutes per pound, or about 35-42 minutes for a 10-12 pound turkey.
( Heat oil to 325 degrees. Depending on the amount of oil used, it may take from 15 to 20 minutes for the oil to reach 325 degrees. CAUTION: When turkey is lowered into the hot oil, it will cause the oil to splatter.
How hot should the oil be to fry a whole turkey?
Preheat oil in the fryer to 375° F. While the oil is heating, prepare your turkey with any seasonings, marinades, or injected flavor that you desire. When the oil is hot, turn the burner off and slowly lower the turkey into the hot oil. Slowly lowering the basket helps prevent the oil from bubbling over.
Picking the pan or pot
You'll need at least 3 inches (4 to 6 cups) of oil to deep fry most items, so your pan should be able to accommodate that much oil and have plenty of room for the food you will add without spilling over. Deep 1.5 to 2 gallon (6 to 8 quart) pots or pans are ideal.

1 (7 pound) turkey breast. 2 gallons canola oil for frying.
Keep an eye on the bird for the duration of the frying time, and make sure the temperature is at 350 during cooking. Leave it uncovered. You should fry your turkey for 3-4 minutes per pound.
If crispy turkey skin is your goal then use olive oil on turkey instead of butter. Using olive oil on turkey skin will yield a much crispier skin than butter. It's simply the best oil for roasting turkey.
"Often consumers will inquire about adding water to the bottom of their roasting pans. We do not recommend adding water to the bottom of the pan. Cooking a turkey with steam is a moist heat-cook method and is acceptable, sure, but is not the preferred method for cooking your turkey."
Don't butter your bird
Placing butter under the skin won't make the meat juicier, though it might help the skin brown faster. However, butter is about 17 percent water, and it will make your bird splotchy, says López-Alt. Instead, rub the skin with vegetable oil before you roast.
This is optional, but I like to rub some butter over the skin of the turkey before beginning the roasting. Vegetable oil may also be used, but I like the taste of real butter. This helps the skin brown. I also like to add 1 cup chicken broth/stock to the bottom of the turkey pan before beginning the cooking.
Place chopped onions, celery, and carrots in the bottom of the roasting pan. Pick a few herbs off the stalks and add to the vegetables. Set aside. Pat dry the turkey with paper towels.
We've found that covering a turkey in foil yields much moister results than roasting it without foil, and we favor simply covering up the breast to even out cooking time. Some people swear that roasting a turkey breast-side down and flipping it halfway through achieves the same results as a foil covered breast.
Do you cook a 14 lb turkey at 325 or 350?
turkey (weight with giblets): Bake in a 350° oven for 1 1/2-2 1/4 hr. For a 14-23 lb. turkey (weight with giblets): Bake in a 325° oven for 2-3 hr.
Roast the turkey uncovered at a temperature ranging from 325°F to 350°F. Higher temperatures may cause the meat to dry out, but this is preferable to temperatures that are too low which may not allow the interior of the turkey to cook to a safe temperature.
Lift turkey onto platter and let stand for 15 minutes before carving. 7-9 lbs. / 4-4 1/2 hrs. 9-12 lbs. / 4 1/2-5 hrs. 12-14 lbs. / 5-6 hrs.
How Often to Baste a Turkey. Most recipes will tell you to baste your turkey every thirty minutes. But our rule of thumb is actually every forty minutes, and here's why. You don't want to open the oven too many times, or else the whole bird will take much long to cook, and that's a huge inconvenience.
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Pull it out as soon as the temperature hits 165, or even a little lower. The amount of resting time depends on the size of the bird, but at least 20 minutes is needed. A large bird can wait up to 40 minutes or longer, depending on the temperature of the room.