Let's fry up that big bird.

• Position: What's New? Holiday Gift Guide

The Southern custom of deep frying turkey has gained in popularity across the U.S. in the past few years. Those of us who had never heard of this style of cooking couldn't imagine taking a beautiful Thanksgiving turkey out into the backyard and dropping it in a vat of hot oil in a traditional propane-fueled turkey cooker. Then we came across the Turk 'N' Surf Electric Turkey Fryer and Seafood Kettle from Masterbuilt, Columbus, Ga., and we were sold on the idea.

We love that the Turk 'N' Surf is electric and designed to be used indoors. It's simple enough to operate--just fill the oil to the line, wait for it to heat, and carefully lower the turkey in the perforated non-stick basket into the pot. Its clear cover allows you to watch the turkey change to a scrumptious golden brown. A 14-pound turkey cooks in just 47 minutes, though the oil takes about the same amount of time to reach the...