Masterbuilt 10L XL Electric Fryer Review: It Fries Indoors, and Only Indoors

Masterbuilt 10L XL Electric Fryer, Boiler and Steamer seen from the front on a white studio background: a brushed stainless steel pot with the MASTERBUILT name and a circled M mark printed on its face, under a brushed stainless steel lid with a row of vent slots on top and a black band around its rim, standing on a black base; the black control tower on the right carries a red lens beside a printed lightning-bolt mark above a clear green-tinted lens beside a printed check-mark mark, over a knob ringed 0, 125, 175, 225, 275, 325, 375 with the Celsius figures 51 to 190 beneath them and a thermometer glyph marked F over C

Product image supplied by the brand

In this guide

THE SHORT VERSION

Masterbuilt's 10L XL Electric Fryer, Boiler and Steamer, model MB20012420, carries the same $149.99 in the maker's shop and on Amazon. On 2026-10-02 Masterbuilt's page, rendered in a browser, showed that price above a live Add to cart, though orders there under $200 pay for shipping, while the Amazon listing, where Amazon.com is both shipper and seller, showed In Stock with free delivery and printed "FREE 30-day refund/replacement" under its returns heading. The price matches; Amazon's terms are the easier ones.

The documents settle where the frying can happen. The warning list in the manual keeps the appliance inside the house, and the shop's FAQ reply to the outdoor question is "No." So the fry happens indoors, on a level, stable surface with 18 inches clear at rear and sides and 40 inches above to combustible material, heating from a wall outlet. Once it is indoors, the bill for running it turns out to be the oil rather than the electricity.

Our verdict

Buy the $149.99 MB20012420 when the fry has to happen indoors and the bird fits the manual's 20 lb ceiling; skip it for the driveway, where a propane kit is cheaper and is the documented outdoor option.

A good fit for: A household that cannot use an open flame outside, with a floor 18 inches clear at rear and sides, 40 inches of headroom to combustible material, and a bird inside the manual's 20 lb ceiling.
We would skip it if: A kitchen planning to fry in a driveway or under a pergola — both maker documents rule out outdoor use — or one with no spare circuit for an element that may trip the breaker.

Reasons to consider it

The FAQ's reply to the outdoor question is "No" and "Do not use outside", so this is the fryer for a household where an open flame has no venue at all
A 125-375°F dial with a green ready light that cycles with the set temperature, a drain valve with a spout, and basket drain clips, so hot liquid leaves by gravity instead of by lifting a pot of burning oil
Boiling and steaming are documented modes with a printed chart — 12 short ears of corn, 5 lb of shrimp, 5 lb of king crab legs — so the pot has jobs outside the one holiday

The compromises

Preheating "may take up to 45 minutes" and the cool-down before cleaning is 5 hours after an oil fry, so one bird occupies most of a day
What a fry costs to run is the oil, not the power: 2.75 to 3 gallons, $54.24 at the three one-gallon jugs read on the anchor channel the same day
The manual's cover page reads "FOR COMMERCIAL USE ONLY / NOT INTENDED FOR HOUSEHOLD USE" while the warranty text says coverage "does not apply to commercial use of any kind"

What we have not verified: Every timing and temperature quoted is a Masterbuilt figure, unverified by any measurement. Two numbers belong to Amazon rather than to the maker's documents: the 1,650 W draw and the 20.5 lb weight. The gap that matters most is the cover-page line — no Masterbuilt document says whether a home-fry claim is honored, and the warranty page only excludes commercial use.

The things in this guide

A closer look at the products, who they may suit, and what to check before buying.

The 20 lb electric fryer for kitchens, because a driveway is not a venue the manual allows

10L XL Electric Fryer, Boiler and Steamer

A 125-375°F dial, a green ready light, a MAX fill line printed at 2.75 gallons, a drain valve with a spout, basket drain clips, and a printed chart covering frying, boiling and steaming — $149.99 in an offer Amazon.com ships and sells, read 2026-10-02, the same price Masterbuilt's own shop showed, where orders under $200 pay for shipping.

Before you buy: The manual keeps it out of doors, calls it an ATTENDED appliance that must not be left during use, wants up to 45 minutes of preheating plus 5 hours of cooling before cleaning, rules out an extension cord, and its cover page says the appliance is not intended for household use while the warranty voids coverage for commercial use.

$149.99 at Masterbuilt

Price checked October 2, 2026. Retailer prices can change.

Indoor use is written into the warnings

The warning list in the manual is blunt: "Do NOT use outdoors. Appliance is for indoor use only." The shop's FAQ repeats the rule as an answer to a customer question about using this model outside, and its reply ends "Do not use outside." The manual draws the comparison itself — "Remember this is an ELECTRIC appliance and has different characteristics than a gas appliance" — and the difference that decides a purchase is the venue: the propane alternative on the same shopping channel is titled an outdoor cooker, while this appliance is barred from that driveway.

Inside has dimensions attached. The specifications block gives the pot as 18.4 inches wide, 16.5 long and 14.8 high, and Amazon's technical table puts the empty weight at 20.5 pounds. The manual then asks for "a minimum distance of 18 inches from rear and sides and 40 inches from top of appliance to combustible material", so the first combustible surface overhead has to be at least 54.8 inches up from whatever the fryer stands on (14.8 + 40).

Two further warnings shape the room. "This is an ATTENDED appliance. Do NOT leave this appliance unattended during use", with the manual's reason that the heated liquid "remains dangerously HOT for a period of time after use". And the warnings that keep the appliance indoors also fix where indoors: "Place appliance on a level and stable surface to prevent tipping", and not "on or near a HOT gas or electric burner, or in a heated oven".

The bird the manual specifies, and the four and a half days before it

"A 16-18 lb. (7.26-8.16 kgs.) turkey is recommended. However, you can deep fry up to a 20 lb. (9.07 kgs.) turkey. DO NOT EXCEED 20 lbs. (9.07 kgs.)." The same ceiling appears in the shop's own bullet, "FIT UP TO A 20LB TURKEY", and Amazon's bullet gives the pot as 10.6 quart beside the same 20-pound figure. A recommended bird is therefore a specific size of bird, and the rule attached to it arrives unannounced: "Allow approximately 24 hours for every 4 lbs. (1.8 kgs.) of turkey thawed in the refrigerator" — 108 hours, four and a half days, for an 18 lb turkey.

The cook itself is a formula rather than a guess. Set the dial to 375°F and preheat with the lid closed, which "may take up to 45 minutes"; the green ready light comes on at the set temperature. Then "fry turkey 3.5-4 minutes per pound (0.45 kg.)", checking the breast with a meat thermometer for 165°-170°F, and with no thermometer, "fry turkey 4 minutes per pound". The FAQ sets a thigh target the manual does not print: 165°F in the breast, 180°F in the thigh. At 4 minutes a pound, an 18 lb bird is 72 minutes of cooking.

Getting the bird into the oil is where the wording matters most. "Wearing protective gloves or mitts, hook the basket handle with the lifting hook ... and VERY SLOWLY lower the basket into the hot oil. Once the basket is in place, close the lid." Before that it has to be dry: defrosted to 35°-40°F, "rinsed thoroughly or soaked in a warm water bath for no more than 30 minutes to remove any possibility of remaining ice crystals and then dried thoroughly with paper towels", because water carried into hot oil splatters. The FAQ puts that soak at no more than 20 minutes and the manual at 30; both numbers are quoted rather than averaged.

Three gallons of oil, 59 cents of power

Oil is a purchase that comes with every fry. "If cooking with oil, always fill pot to the MAX fill line", and the manual's FAQ gives that line as approximately 2.75 gallons (11 qts.), while its turkey chapter says the appliance "uses slightly less than 3 gallons (12 qts.) of oil, but make sure you have at least 2.75 gallons (11 qts.) of oil on hand". The shop FAQ gives the same figure as a range, 2.75-3 gallons. Amazon's own-brand peanut oil, 128 fl oz, stood at $18.08 on 2026-10-02, in an offer Amazon.com ships and sells; three jugs is $54.24. The warnings add "Do NOT mix different types of oil at the same time."

Power barely moves the total beside it. Amazon's technical table prints 1,650 W. Take the manual's worst documented case — 45 minutes to preheat, then 4 minutes a pound on an 18 lb bird, 117 minutes of element time — and running the element flat out throughout is 1.65 kW × 1.95 hours = 3.2 kWh, which at the July 2026 residential average published by the Energy Information Administration, 18.31 cents per kilowatthour, is 59 cents. The element does not run flat out: the green ready light "will turn on and off to reflect set temperature", so 59 cents is a ceiling rather than an estimate.

The oil comes back. The shop FAQ's line is "Peanut oil can be used 6-8 times if properly maintained and filtered after each use", which spreads that $54.24 across six to eight fries — $6.78 to $9.04 a bird — if the oil is strained and stored somewhere other than in the machine. Storage is not a nicety: "We do not recommend storing your oil in the unit as this will cause build up and will cause the electrical element to burn out." Both FAQ pages rule out olive, grapeseed "or any oil with a low flashpoint"; the manual, by contrast, says "any cooking oil may be used".

Five hours of cooling, and a dishwasher claim wider than the manual

The product page sells cleanup in one bullet: "DISHWASHER SAFE – This 10L XL Fryer, Boiler and Steamer is dishwasher safe", and its description says to "place your fryer in the dishwasher". The manual is narrower. It lists lid, inner pot, valve spout, lifting hook and basket for "a damp cloth or sponge using a mild detergent", then lists outer shell, cord, control panel and element with "NEVER put these parts in a dishwasher or submerge in water", plus the manual's warning that immersing the panel and cord "can cause electrocution". The FAQ splits the difference and names the parts: "Pot and lid: dishwasher safe". So: pot and lid in the dishwasher, the electrical half never.

Cool-down time is the rest of the job. "Turn appliance off, unplug and let cool for 2 hours if using water or 5 hours if using oil before cleaning and storing." Five hours after a bird that took 45 minutes to preheat and 72 minutes to cook is the real schedule of the day. Draining is why the pot has a valve: with the valve OFF, remove the safety cap, screw the spout on without overtightening — "This could damage the threads and cause leakage" — set it over a container and open the valve. Used oil goes back into oil containers, not the sink.

Boiling and steaming carry their own trap. Water tops out at 212°F, so the manual runs the dial at 375°F "to ensure the appliance will not cycle and water will continue boiling", and never lets the water evaporate, because "This will cause the element to overheat and damage the appliance". After a water job, the cavities that catch grease and condensation get wiped out, and they may fill before cooking is finished — the manual's caution on that step is one line: the water will be hot. Do not store water in the appliance.

A short cord, a breaker, and a cover page that points at the warranty page

The cord is a safety part, not an accessory. "A short cord is provided to prevent the possibility of entanglement or tripping", the manual says, and its own answer on extension cords is a flat "No", with two reasons attached: current loss that lengthens cooking and hurts performance, and a trip hazard. The shop's FAQ is softer — "We do not recommend using an extension cord", and if one must be used it has to be heavy-duty and grounded — so each is quoted on its own terms rather than merged. The cord is a breakaway type, and the replacement is named: "Replace only with manufacturer's cord set, part number 9001180035."

Heat is the second electrical fact. "This is a powerful heating element and may cause a circuit breaker to trip. This can be minimized by operating any additional appliances on a separate circuit. Tripping a circuit breaker will NOT damage the appliance or your electrical system." The FAQ repeats the same advice in an answer about a tripped fuse: keep other appliances off the outlet or circuit. And the manual's fault table treats a slow heat-up as a symptom, with longer than 1 hour 15 minutes pointing at an extension cord or an open lid.

The cover page of that manual reads "FOR COMMERCIAL USE ONLY / NOT INTENDED FOR HOUSEHOLD USE", while the warranty text says "Commercial use is not recommended with the use of Masterbuilt products, and this warranty does not apply to commercial use of any kind". Neither document reconciles the two. What is documented: 1 year from the date of original retail purchase, for the original purchaser only, proof of purchase required, registration required, in the warranty's words, "For the warranty to apply, you must register your grill", paint finish, rust and labor excluded, and Masterbuilt "will pay all shipping charges on warranty parts". Claims usually get a response in 3-5 business days.

What the other answers cost on the channel where this one is buyable

The comparison prices were all read on Amazon on 2026-10-02, the channel where the Masterbuilt is actually buyable. A Cuisinart CDF-200P1 4-quart countertop fryer sits at $129.95 in an offer Amazon.com ships and sells, at 1800 W with a 3.8-liter oil well and "cooks up to 2.3-pounds of food" — the same job family, no bird. The propane route, a Barton kit of a 30 Qt turkey pot plus a 10 Qt fish fryer on a 37,000 BTU burner with hose and regulator, is $99.95, listed In Stock, and Amazon ships it while the storefront ihubdeal sells it. That is $50.04 less than this fryer, and the kit's own title calls it an outdoor cooker.

The bird is a purchase of its own, and its label weight needs checking against the pot. One frozen listing opened on this channel on 2026-10-02 was sold as an 18-22 lb bird, and a 22 lb turkey is over the ceiling: the manual's word is DO NOT EXCEED 20 lbs.

Masterbuilt's catalog feed lists exactly one product of type Fryer, and its manuals index names only this electric model beside a propane fryer that the feed does not carry, so the propane comparison has to be another brand's kit. Buying direct costs the same $149.99, behind a working cart button on 2026-10-02, but the shop's free shipping starts at $200, which this item alone does not reach, and its return policy covers only orders placed on masterbuilt.com. The Find a Retailer page lists Amazon among the online shops it points buyers to.

Who should walk away, and what to check before ordering

Pass on this if the plan is a driveway fry: the manual and the FAQ both keep the appliance indoors, and the propane kit read the same day costs $50 less for a job its own title puts outdoors. Skip it where the kitchen has one circuit and a run of appliances on it, since the element may trip a breaker and the advice in the documents is a separate circuit. Walk away when a 4.5-day thaw, a 45-minute preheat, an hour of cooking and a 5-hour cool-down before cleanup fit Thanksgiving worse than the oven does.

Buy against specific conditions: a floor with the 18-inch and 40-inch clearances, a bird between 16 and 20 lb, three gallons of peanut, canola or vegetable oil budgeted at about $54, and somewhere to keep strained oil that is not inside the machine. The Amazon offer that day was $149.99, sold by Amazon.com, and Amazon is on Masterbuilt's own list of online retailers, and that counts, since the warranty voids on a purchase through an unauthorized dealer and asks for proof of purchase and registration.

One more check before the oil goes in. The panel slides onto a bracket and will not heat unless it is seated — "A built-in safety switch on the control panel will prevent the element from heating if not mounted correctly" — and the element has to stay submerged during use. The first run can be water rather than oil: the MIN 1.5 gallons and MAX 2.75 gallons lines are printed for water, and the chart boils a dozen eggs in 10 minutes at 375°F. If that water is allowed to evaporate, the overheat switch trips and is reset with a toothpick on the controller. The $54.24 of oil can wait for a second run.

How we put this together

Built from the product pages and listings below, without test scores or results we have not measured. Specifications and prices change, so check the original page for the exact model, current price, delivery, and returns.

About our shopping links