Do’s and Don’ts for Deep Frying a Turkey this Thanksgiving

Deep frying, as opposed to baking a turkey for the family on Thanksgiving has become very popular in recent years – however you really need to know what you’re doing or things can go really bad, really fast.

On Thanksgiving Day there are more residential fires than any other day of the year – with most taking place between 10:00am and 4:00pm – prime meal preparation time.

The Springfield Fire Department put on a demonstration for al.com – which we’ve posted below, so you can see first-hand, what can happen when you do things the WRONG way.

The demonstration includes dropping a partially frozen turkey into a turkey fryer which is filled with too much oil; oil which is also 25 degrees too hot.

The result is a huge flash fire as the oil overflows and is ignited by the propane flame.

Do: Defrost the turkey completely making sure the giblets are removed along with any ice or slush.

Don’t: Use too much peanut oil in the pot. Check out this link: How to fry a turkey safely. There is a video that will show how to correctly measure the oil needed for your bird.

Do: Wear long sleeves, long pants and heat proof gloves when lowering and removing the turkey from the pot.

Don’t: Fry a turkey on a deck, in the garage, porch or under any overhanging structure.

Do: Fry a turkey in an open area away from any combustible items.

Don’t: Allow children or pets (or adults for that matter) to run or play near the cooking area.

Do: Lower and remove the turkey SLOWLY from the pot. The oil will be over 325 degrees or hotter at all times. Any splash will cause burns or a fire.

Don’t: Use water if a fire occurs. Chief Harvey recommends a CO2 fire extinguisher or call 911 and let the professionals put it out.

Don’t: Allow the oil to exceed the recommended temperature of 350-375 degrees.

Follow these guidelines and fry your Thanksgiving turkey safely.

(al.com/www.al.com)

 

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