Masterbuilt Turk-'N'-Surf's Electric Turkey Fryer

Pros: Drain Valve, built in timer..
Cons: I still have no clue what fried turkey taste like.

Yesterday was Thanksgiving and our family was excited to finally try a deep fried turkey. My mother purchased a new Masterbuilt Turk N’ Surf Electric Fryer from QVC so we were all ready to go…. So at least we thought… We had a ...

Pros: Can deep-fry up to a 14-lb. whole turkey. Also steams & boils!
Cons: Small drain valve cap can be misplaced. Peanut oil is very expensive! Space demanding.

WHY MASTERBUILT? I already knew that there were gas-powered turkey fryers out there. My very first exposure to this craze or fad, if you will, was when I went to Columbia, SC to visit my brother & his wife for the first time in '02. It was Memorial ...

Pros: can use for more than frying turkey, drain valve, safety features
Cons: maximum of 14 lb turkey, however.....(read review for more)

We got this for Thanksgiving this year and used it to fry one of the best turkeys we've ever had. It's even rated highly by Consumer Reports, which no one can say about gas turkey fryers. And it is even certified by UL, as the others aren't. This ...

Pros: Quick to set up, stable, bypasses the shortcomings of electric smoothops.
Cons: Rubber feet stick to countertops & come out. Don't lose them!

When I renovated my kitchen, I replace the old coil cooktop with an electric ceramic smoothtop. Unfortunately, oversized pots or pots with rippled bottoms can damage the smoothtop, so my regular water bath canner could not be used. I bought the ...

Pros: Just read the review
Cons: Absolutely NO cons about this fryer, the did it right the first time

First of all, I am a true cajun, born and raised in South Louisiana. I first bought a Propane Turkey fryer a few years ago, and not only is it a pain in the.... to use and setup, but it is also very dangerous. Well a few months ago, I saw this fryer ...

Pros: Potential to be a great unit, especially draining it. Electric safer than propane .
Cons: Second unit also defective. How long will a working one last?

We ordered the Masterbuilt from QVC. It never performed self test. Went to 200 degrees and stayed there. It ruined our Thanksgiving. QVC took back. Bought identical unit at Fry's Electronics. It was defective in exactly the same way. I couldn't contact Masterbuilt over Thanksgiving. This time hit a weekend. I will contact them monday to verify units are defective. No info on this problem on website or manual. If I am doing something wrong and can get it operating I will keep. Otherwise I will return and go back to propane. I will upgrade or downgrade rating depending on what I find out.

Update: Michelle at Masterbuilt Customer service sent new control unit UPS second day air which fixed the problem. Unit functions very well. Am very pleased with the unit and service from Masterbuilt. I highly recommend it.

Pros: Don't have to cook in the rain. Easy to clean. Fun to use.
Cons: Takes 45 minutes to heat the oil to cooking temp. Not really a con.

Been wanting to try deep fried turkey for years, but put off buying a propane fryer. They look unsafe but mostly I didn't want to cook Thanksgiving dinner outside, the whether is usually terrible on Thanksgiving in the northeast. Purchased the Masterbuilt electric turkey fryer as soon as I saw one. Simple design and well built. The digital temp and timer control are easy to use. Tried it out with a whole chicken and took all my fears away about deep frying a turkey inside. The chicken was delicious, very moist and not at greasy and done in 20 minutes. Plenty of room in the pot for the oil and turkey. Drain valve makes it easy to empty without lifting 2 to 3 gallons of used oil. Unit is easier to clean than my small plastic deep fryer. I can now deep fry my Thanksgiving turkey and watch the football game at the same time.

Pros: It would be great if it worked.
Cons: It does not work!

Same story as others. All dressed up and no where to go!
The power unit is faulty. Will not heat up. Now I have a big mess to clean and no fried turkey.
This is an unreliable product. Never again will I buy this brand. It will be going out to the trash!

Pros: honestly very easy to do
Cons: Our sink isn't deep enough to wash the insides easily but we managed.

We got the Turk 'N Surf Electric Deep Fryer last year for Christmas and just love it. Our first adventure was to fill it with water and seasonings and boil lobster. It was perfect and delicious. Then, due to our small family, we did not use it again until this Thanksgiving wherein we deep fried a 12 pound turkey and it was FABULOUS! We did brine the turkey for 4 hours in water and 2 cups of salt, then we rinsed it well, patted it dry and let it sit in the empty bucket to completely dry. It was good, moist and fast. I highly recommend it to everyone. Thanks and Happy Holidays to all!

PS - It does take almost an hour to preheat the oil so plan for that.

Pros: Digital control and temperature display, drain valve, basket drain support, removable liner.
Cons: Internal circuit breaker faulty?

We bought the stainless model of the Turk-and-Surf. Just like another customer's experience, Our unit turned off completely at 395 degrees. Could not reset it at the time, so we cooked the bird another way.

Later I tried the reset and it came on OK and heated to 400 degrees like it should. I then called customer service and was told to try it again. If it happened again, they could exchange the heating/control unit. Maybe we will at a later date when I feel up to dealing with the oil and cleanup again.

Other than that, it looks like a well made unit with excellent features such as the digital control and read out, drain valve, etc. as listed in the other reviews.

Pros: Easy if is works.
Cons: The fragility of the unit, lack of info and the expense if it fails.

Ruined our Sunday dinner, shut off when it reached 400 degrees. Never powered back up, happened the second time we used it. Had no problem the first time. Had to throw turkey in garbage, do dinner, beside expense of oil, seasonings and disappointment after I had promised Fried Turkey! Their customer service (Master Built) was arrogant insisting it something to with the way it was stored and must have a hairline crack! Ammazed at the fragility of the control if this true (ours is not cracked) and we stored all the components correctly. The manual (there are 4 different versions for our Model)is vague and does not mention this problem. Ours is not getting any power at all, now.