Safely deep fry a turkey

11/16/2016 (Permalink)

Properly deep frying a turkey can prevent dangerous fires.

It is almost thanksgiving. Time for friend’s family and food. Many believe that turkey is the best thing to serve and while many have their own methods for preparing it deep frying it has really caught on in recent years. What else has caught on are the fires from doing it improperly. This is not the way to start the holiday season. So let us really take a look at the dos and don’ts of this time honored tradition. 

Key things to know before you start even attempting to fry it. Oil is flammable. It requires a lot of oil to deep fry a turkey 3 gallons or more. Do not do it in your home or on the leaves you did not bother to rake. Also your porch which may be flat is not an appropriate place to place your fryer either.

1. Use an official Fryer ( NOT A TRASH BARELL)
2. Make sure that the surface is totally flat
3. Be outside
4. Keep kids and Pets and inebriated people away from the set up area.
5. Thaw the turkey (DO NOT USE A FROZEN TURKEY) Better yet use a never been frozen one
   1. Oil and water do not mix Rule Number one
6. Marinades must be dry rubs any wet marinade will add water to the turkey and cause a lot of issues when submerged
7. Size matters 14lbs or less you can fry the whole thing larger than that you have to take the legs and wings off
8. DO NOT STUFF YOUR TURKEY
9. Do not just drop your turkey into the fryer ( have a basket which can be lowered slowly into the fryer)
10. Remove the wrapper. .. ( yes it had to be said)
11. Check how much oil you need before you start.
    1. Place turkey in container
    2. Fill with water until turkey is covered completely
    3. Remove turkey
    4. Mark with a line on the fryer or use a ruler to measure where the water level is
    5. This is your oil fill line
    6. MAKE SURE YOU DRAIN OUT THE WATER FULLY and dry your container before filling with oil ( YES THAT NEEDED TO BE SAID TOO)
12. Heat oil to 375 degrees
13. Cook until dark meat measures 175-180 and white meat measures 165-170
14. Stay at least 10 ft away from everything
15. Have a fire extinguisher on hand
16. Fryer stays hot for HOURS.. stay safe and fully cool before attempting to empty or move

Why all the warning about water and thawing fully patting dry and fire extinguisher. Oil and water do not mix. Oil has a very different flash point than water so when water is introduced to hot oil the rapid cooling forces the oil to splatter this splatter hitting anything flammable will cause it to catch fire and cause serious damage.

Please know that frying a turkey is always a delicious way to cook it, but knowing how to do it safely is imperative.