I bought the turkey fryer as a kit and it had the strainer in the kit, it looks kind of like a collander but it has a finer screen and a handle, I can't remember how long the oil will last because we usually fry up a couple turkeys in deer and elk camp then come home and take it duck hunting, and do a couple ducks or a goose, so the oil is used in a couple weeks. My brother frys them for the guys in his Fire Dept. and he saves the oil for a month or so with no ill effects.As far as using anything but peanut oil, you can but the manufacture of my fryer says the oil will burn ( start to turn dark brown and taste bad )and that it also spatters more, which is a BAD!! thing, if you have any moisture on the turkey at all the oil will spatter everywhere and burn the crap out of you! anyways I think cabelas sells the strainer, Good Eats!!!
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