Which metal is better for a turkey fryer – stainless steel or aluminum?
Classic propane turkey fryers come in 2 different metals – stainless steel or aluminum. Both have their good points, and both have their not so good points.
First and foremost, stainless steel is easier to clean than aluminum. Aluminum should be cleaned immediately. It will crumble and leave a sticky layer of residue that is hard to get rid of. Stainless pots and indoor stoves are usually cleaned with soap, water and a sponge. The bottom of aluminum pots is also much more difficult to remove the black soot from LP gas. When it comes to aluminum turkey fryers, there is a lot more fat involved. There is an oxidation factor over time that will cause aluminum to turn gray. That won’t happen with steel.
Second, an aluminum pot is a better conductor of heat than stainless. This means your frying oil will heat up faster. There’s a reason some stainless steel pots are made with copper bottoms. Copper is a better conductor of heat than many other metals. It helps distribute heat more evenly in a stainless steel pan. Copper’s conductivity is among the highest, stainless steel is one of the lowest, and aluminum is somewhere in between. (Aluminum pan will also cool faster after cooking).
Last but not least. Price is a factor. Stainless steel is much more expensive than aluminum. (This is probably why they don’t make stainless steel fryers with copper bottoms). It’s also heavier than aluminum, so if you’re shipping it, cost may again be a factor. If it’s your first time using a turkey fryer, the price of aluminum may be the best decision. You may not like the process.
You may decide it’s not for you. If that’s the case, you won’t lose much money, and you can probably resell it pretty easily. On the other hand, you might like it and decide to fry everything in the house. Then you can go on to use your crockpot for other things, like searing clams in a New England backyard or chili for a tailgate party. If this is the case, you may want to have an aluminum fryer as your starter fryer and eventually move on to a healthy relationship with a beautiful, shiny stainless steel fryer.
So, stainless steel or aluminum? No matter which metal you decide to use for your outdoor propane air fryer, as long as you take care of them properly, both will last you a lifetime.
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