Potatoes....no recipe.....cut them into thick slices and lower into 375 degree oil.....also veggies....breaded....onion rings, dipped into a beer batter, hush puppies....and large fish fillets.
But....anything breaded or strong flavored will sully the oil....bits of breading come off and burn in the bottom and the strong veggies and fish flavor the oil too.
Linda C

Yah. I hear they're really good for home-sweet-home flambé. I wouldn't have one of those latent Molotov coctails anywhere near my house.

Not smart enough to read directions, eh? But I'll bet you eat at a restraunt with a deep fat fryer and even stay at a hotel in a room above one, which is used by highschool drop outs.
Don't use it in the house, nor the garage, nor on the deck....don't over fill the pot nor leave it unattended.
Yep....a pot of hot bubbling oil with a propane burner beneath could burn the place down....that's why you read and follow the directions.
Linda C

A deep-fat fryer is a very different device from the turkey fryers I've seen for sale at Costco. My comment comes from hearing a news report in the last few days about a house that had just burned to the ground in a very short period of time from a fire started and fueled by one of those contraptions.

I don't put candles on my Christmas tree, either.

There are some things that are disasters waiting to happen. These are two of them.

Sorry if I've insulted anyone who has and loves a turkey fryer. Just my (not so) humble opinion.

Yes, every year some newbie burns his house down. Didn't do the research and follow directions. We've been frying for 15 years and never had a problem, but my husband is a very intelligent guy.

Deep frying a turkey makes for a wonderful Thanksgiving. I have been deep frying since 2001, and even then it was unusual to do here in NJ. When I built a BBQ island I installed a large side burner suitable for a turkey fryer, and the island is ceramic tile so minimal fire risk.
I see some of these things they sell at various big box stores and am amazed that people will use these dangerous looking contraptions. If you are going to fry a turkey make sure the vat holding the oil is as stable as can be. It is worth it to spend the extra $30 - $60 and get the better qaulity unit.
The OP asked about what else to use it for and these would include Crab fest, lobster boil, or a heck of a lot of corn on the cobb. We also will fry an oven stuffer chicken sometimes.

There are some huge upsides to frying the turkey, not the least of which is that they come out delicious. Guests kindly ask for leftovers, and there are some so many marinade, brine, and injection variations that you can get very creative. Additional upsides include freeing up oven space so we could use one oven for warming while baking in the second.
This year I tried smoking a turkey in addition to the fryer and it too came out wonderful. We had a vigerous discussion on which people liked better (I think I liked the smoked better myself). And we have never had a leftover dinner as anticipated as the friday after this year. Everyone came back for a second meal this year even though we skipped the fine china.

I wonder about these things every year. Mostly, as brucedelta says, because it would free up the oven. Wound up doing the corn pudding this year on the stovetop in a Le Creuset. Came out great.

I wouldn't run a Tfryer in the house or garage and counting on doing it outside in Nov in Ohio is problematic at best. I doubt I will ever try one but history teaches us to never say never ;-)

Glad you all enjoy them though.

Ken

Any idiot can make just about any device dangerous by not following the directions or exercising prudent caution.

Try this...

Batter dip ears of sweet corn and fry until golden brown.

Interestingly enough once you buy the oil you feel obliged to use it several times to justfy the investment. I am doing a turkey next week for an office party and next weekend we are having some friends over who want to try fried turkey.

I did an extra on Thanksgiving for a local friend. I will probably do at least 1 more turkey for Chanukah and a oven stuffer just because they are so easy and good.

I am not sure what to make of the advice to
Batter dip ears of sweet corn and fry until golden brown.

Is this serious? What type of batter, light tempura, cornmeal, pancake? Can I use frozen corn since I can not get fresh here htis time of year?

has anyone got some good recipes for this appliance, other than turkey

Perfect for shrimp, crab, or crawfish boils!

A good point to remember is to turn off the fire when adding the turkey. The hot oil may boil over when the cold turkey is lowered into the pan, and hot oil running down on to the flame is inviting disaster.

We love deep fried corn on the cob sprinkled with brown sugar. I don't batter it, just deep fry until golden brown to bring out the sweetness of the corn.

OT: I found an electric turkey fryer of $88. I debated and didn't get it but I'm having second thoughts.

I've heard folks talk for years about these turkeys. Then this past weekend we were out looking at houses with our real estate agents, a husband & wife team. Well, their neighbor had convinced them to try a fried turkey and they went on and on about it.

Can anyone recommend a good quality fryer if we were to give it a go?

I use my electric turkey fryer as a boiling water bath canner for fruits & jams. Have yet to fry a turkey in it.