18 replies to this topic

[nbbeerguy]

Im moving at the end of this month and Where I am moving they do not allow the use of propane soooooo I need to find an indoor solution to boil my wort HELP as i love beer Has anyone used one of these for making beer ?https://www.walmart.com/ip/Masterbuilt-Digital-Electric-Turkey-Fryer/7811421

[CaptRon]

Hhhm, I wonder how well one of these would work as an HLT? Dial up 170degrees and sparge away??

[djinkc]

I've read posts from people saying it works. I don't think I would want one - IIRC they are 1500 or 1800 watts. But if that's your only option.............Here's a caculator that will give you an idea how well it will work.

[CaptRon]

Wow, so like ~1hr to get to boil?? So people would need to have this thing going for a couple of hours with oil to get up to frying temps?

[nbbeerguy]

I believe oil heats up faster than water due to viscosity or something like that

[nbbeerguy]

This is a post from www.homebrewtalk.com I'm reading the responses, but who has used the exact model in question? To me, it seems there is a whole lot of unqualified comparison going on here.BBB, I built a custom all-grain brewing rig using two Masterbuilt electric turkey fryers about 6 months ago. Out of the box, the 1650 watt heating element will boil ~6.5 gallons of water (starting at 80F) in ~30 minutes with the lid on. With the lid off, it takes much longer. This is due to the lack of insulation on the walls of the unit. I then added R3 pipe insulation to the walls of the unit and it now boils ~6.5 gallons of water in ~15 minutes.Here are the facts: 1. Can easily boil 6.5 gallons of water/wort. 2. In factory form, requires the lid to be partially on to reach a rolling boil. With insulation, no lid is necessary. 3. Costs less than $0.50 in energy (at SA, TX rates) to mash/sparge/boil a 5.5 gallon batch. 4. Accepts 3/8" rigid tubing for easy pickup tube and/or filter connection. 5. Allows you to conduct a step mash with the digital temperature controller (limited to 25F steps). 6. Can be purchased for $110 - $130 (varies seasonally).With two fryers, I can mash/sparge/boil a 5.5 gallon batch (~80% efficiency) or use the "grain in a bag" method to do an 11 gallon batch (~70% efficiency). I use a pump for mash recirculation and to provide positive pressure through the counterflow chiller, so it's just a matter of turning a few valves to change the configuration from a 5.5 to an 11 gallon setup.So, I guess I'm trying to say - don't let the negative comments discourage you. The fryers do what they advertise and work well (with slight modification) for brewing. I'm quite happy with my brewing rig and the guys at my local homebrew club definitely aren't complaining about the quality of my brews.lamarguy is online now Reply With Quote

[CaptRon]

Cool, so this might actually be a good HLT solution rather than another propane burner.

[nbbeerguy]

https://www.ohiobrew...3800.aspxrather pricy but totally cool as youhook it up to your PC VIA USB

[AGrandDesign]

Cool, so this might actually be a good HLT solution rather than another propane burner.

I have this exact same fryer that I bought with idea of being my boil kettle. And, as a prior post noted, boiling is slow (and a little problematic). I could never get a boil without the lid and with the lid on not a very vigorous boil. I have since gone to doing exactly as you're talking about here - using as my HLT. And it works like a champ..with a few caveats:- I wrapped the aluminum pot with water heater insulation to help with efficiency (pot slides inside the black plastic outer shell shown in the Wally World link). Even with that patience is required to get water where you want it.- My readout on the heating element reads about 20 dF off where it actually is. Verify the temp with a trusted thermometer.- Temp adjustment goes in 25 dF increments starting at 150, so if you're anticipating setting it in one or five degree increments, you can't.Now having said all this, I'm very happy with how this works with my setup. I fly sparge so set it for 200 (actual 180) and it holds within just a few degrees. I've taken to heating strike water in my boil kettle for the sake of time and convenience (I don't have to refill the electric fryer and then worry about if it's going to hit temp by the time I need it).Hope this helps.

[CaptRon]

I have this exact same fryer that I bought with idea of being my boil kettle. And, as a prior post noted, boiling is slow (and a little problematic). I could never get a boil without the lid and with the lid on not a very vigorous boil. I have since gone to doing exactly as you're talking about here - using as my HLT. And it works like a champ..with a few caveats:- I wrapped the aluminum pot with water heater insulation to help with efficiency (pot slides inside the black plastic outer shell shown in the Wally World link). Even with that patience is required to get water where you want it.- My readout on the heating element reads about 20 dF off where it actually is. Verify the temp with a trusted thermometer.- Temp adjustment goes in 25 dF increments starting at 150, so if you're anticipating setting it in one or five degree increments, you can't.Now having said all this, I'm very happy with how this works with my setup. I fly sparge so set it for 200 (actual 180) and it holds within just a few degrees. I've taken to heating strike water in my boil kettle for the sake of time and convenience (I don't have to refill the electric fryer and then worry about if it's going to hit temp by the time I need it).Hope this helps.

Wow dude.. Thanks. I might forgo this and convert a keggle that I'm not using right now into an electric HLT then. I really need to sit down and figure out what I want to do with my brewery. I talked to the wife the other day and told her that I wanted to make a brew stand with a pump and she said "I don't care what you do. As long as you clean up the garage a little bit and build me a pantry, you get the rest and can do whatever you want" I'm sure it is some kind of trap, but I can still work her on it I think as she knows I hold her to her words.

[Deerslyr]

Wow dude.. Thanks. I might forgo this and convert a keggle that I'm not using right now into an electric HLT then. I really need to sit down and figure out what I want to do with my brewery. I talked to the wife the other day and told her that I wanted to make a brew stand with a pump and she said "I don't care what you do. As long as you clean up the garage a little bit and build me a pantry, you get the rest and can do whatever you want" I'm sure it is some kind of trap, but I can still work her on it I think as she knows I hold her to her words.

Have her call my wife, yo!I really want a new setup, but stuff needs to be cleared out of the garage first.

[AGrandDesign]

Wow dude.. Thanks. I might forgo this and convert a keggle that I'm not using right now into an electric HLT then. I really need to sit down and figure out what I want to do with my brewery. I talked to the wife the other day and told her that I wanted to make a brew stand with a pump and she said "I don't care what you do. As long as you clean up the garage a little bit and build me a pantry, you get the rest and can do whatever you want" I'm sure it is some kind of trap, but I can still work her on it I think as she knows I hold her to her words.

Ha! Yes, there's no free lunch....when I got into brewing and told my wife I needed a fridge/kegerator she told me our kitchen fridge would be perfect - and it was! Then all I needed to do was help her pick out a mongo French door model to replace it.

[walloon]

I have this exact model from Walmart and have brewed about seven times with it. As mentioned by others, add pipe insulation to inside of unit (surrounding the removable pot) and the performance is greatly improved. I make smaller batches with it (3.5-4 gallons)- the boil times are quicker. This morning I made an APA and got about 5gal from sparge temp to boiling in about 30 minutes. I leave the pot partially covered for the boil.The thing I love about it is that I can brew regardless of weather - just plug this in in the garage, by the open door. I can still go about the house doing other things and not worry about tending to the open flame of a propane burner.

[nbbeerguy]

Are these still available at walmart in the US as I cant seem to find them anywhere.

[MakeMeHoppy]

what kind of stove do you have? I use two burners to get the wort up to boil and once there a single burner can maintain the boil fine. I started doing this last winter and never looked back. I do 7 gallon wort boils for 5.5 gallon batches.

[AGrandDesign]

Are these still available at walmart in the US as I cant seem to find them anywhere.

Seems like they've dried up at the big box stores (at least for the time being). But I did a quick check on ebay (how I got mine) - typed in "electric turkey fryer" and saw 2 or 3 current auctions (saw one listed for a buy-it-now for $295.... ). Completed auctions looks like they're going for $60-ish plus shipping. These don't have the digital readout, which actually might be a good thing. My readout is uber sensitive to light. If it's a sunny day I have to keep it covered with a towel or it becomes unreadable.Good luck!

[davelew]

I use an all-electric brew kettle for the same reason as you: no open flames allowed on porches in my town. I use 4800 watts to heat 6 gallons to boiling, and then use 3200 watts to maintain the boil.I have a Polarwar brew kettle, with three 16000 watt electric barrel heaters that happened to fit (two of the heaters are surplus bought for $25 each, one is the identical version from McMaster-Carr that cost something like $75). Here's a photo of my setup taken before I finished it. I've since added some teflon insulation to the ends of the wires and a grounding cord screwed into one of the polarware handles:

[nbbeerguy]

https://www.turkey-f...r_kits.htmTHESE GUYS BOUGHT OUT MASTERBUILT FOR THAT FRYER

[ChicagoWaterGuy]

I use an all-electric brew kettle for the same reason as you: no open flames allowed on porches in my town. I use 4800 watts to heat 6 gallons to boiling, and then use 3200 watts to maintain the boil.I have a Polarwar brew kettle, with three 16000 watt electric barrel heaters that happened to fit (two of the heaters are surplus bought for $25 each, one is the identical version from McMaster-Carr that cost something like $75). Here's a photo of my setup taken before I finished it. I've since added some teflon insulation to the ends of the wires and a grounding cord screwed into one of the polarware handles:

How long does it take to boil with that?