Don't do This for Thanksgiving

[Jim Koepke]

Some folks will try deep frying a turkey. From what I've heard, they only try it once.

Here is a demonstration of why that may be > https://www.facebook.com/wmur9/videos/3220605188200841

jtk

[Adam Grund]

As with anything- If you take the time to learn the how to before hand, it’s really not that hard.
Too much oil in the pot, putting the turkey in too fast, and lastly- not turning off the heat source before dropping the turkey in.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I'd also suggest that one thaw and drain any water/liquids from it before putting it in the correct amount of oil. I once attended a 60th birthday party for a friend where his children and their spouses fixed turkeys like that. It was excellent and they didn't have any fires.

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

As with nearly anything, doing it stupidly is a poor choice. I had a fried turkey once. I didn't think it was all that great. But it is a lot like folks who smoke while pouring gasoline, or light a match to see where the gas smell is coming from, etc. There is no pill to cure stupid. Do it carefully and wisely. Frying a turnkey is not dangerous when done within some common sense guidelines. Water and hot oil are explosive, most cooks learn that their first few times at the stove. But then again, the guys are trying to cook the turkeys, and probably after a few beers and as a distraction from a game. That alone is trouble.

My ex-wife once called me to the kitchen to stir a cake batter. It was stiff as can be and didn't look right. The recipe called for 2 cups of coffee. NOT 2 cups of coffee grounds.

[Frederick Skelly]

Guy I work with told me about a time in college when his roommates tried to fry a turkey in the living room of the house they were renting, because it was raining outside. Turns out they also overfilled the oil. When they put the turkey in the oil, the hot oil overflowed and caught things on fire.

Stupid, huh?

[Bruce Wrenn]

You Can't Fix Stupid! Think about the economics of frying a ten dollar turkey in $25 worth of peanut oil. Suddenly you have a $35 turkey, plus a bunch of used oil to get rid of. You are supposed to put turkey in cooking pot, then add enough water to cover turkey. Take turkey out and dry it, measure water level in pot (without turkey,) dry pot and add oil back to original water level. Bring oil to cooking temp (usually 350-375,) turn off burner, then lower turkey into hot oil. Relight burner, and cook 6 minutes per pound of bird. I'll continue to cook my turkey in the oven, thank you.

[Jim Koepke]

It seems there is always something new to try for preparing a turkey for Thanksgiving Day.

Search this one > spatchcock turkey < It is supposed to cause a more even cooking so the breasts do not dry out before the darker meat is done.

jtk

[Tom M King]

We used to cook several like that at big Boy Scout camping trips. I have a hoe handle that still has the hook after the blade was broken off of a cheap one. That lets me stand about five feet to the side when lifting one out. You can strain the oil and use it a number of times, but without a crowd being without an oven, it's not worth the trouble.

[Edward Weber]

Some folks will try deep frying a turkey. From what I've heard, they only try it once.

Here is a demonstration of why that may be > https://www.facebook.com/wmur9/videos/3220605188200841

jtk

Next, you'll be telling me not to heat the house using my gas grill.

I'm going to go and run with scissors now

[Rob Luter]

I used to work at a company that did a Thanksgiving potluck for the entire office staff. They would deep fry 5 or 6 turkeys out in the parking lot. Delicious.

I usually do mine on a Big Green Egg.

[Keegan Shields]

Now that’s a good lookin turkey!

[Kev Williams]

While I appreciate the public service message the Fire Department provided to show the dangers of deep frying a turkey,
I don't really appreciate the fact that video is completely, and ridiculously (my opinion) STAGED.
First, that turkey is WAY too big for that pot! If that pot was more than 1/4 full of oil it would likely be too much oil.
But check the video stills, the turkey is only what, barely 2" below the top edge of the pot and broiling oil is literally gushing out!
dft.jpg
--so how big is that pot? 6 gallons, 8 gallons-? And it was nearly filled to the top with oil...
And they drop in a turkey that'll simply push 3/4 of the oil out even if it's not hot yet--

Doesn't surprise me that this happened!
dftf.jpg

OK, so maybe I'm being a bit nit-picky-? I just think a more realistic approach could have been taken that would produce pretty much the same results...

FWIW, our turkey(s) always gets cooked in one (or more) of these--
roaster.jpg
Roasters have never failed us, and the oven is left available for baking pies, rolls and candied yams

[Roger Feeley]

Alton Brown did a “Good Eats” dedicated to this. In addition to determining the correct amount of oil by testing with water, he advocated setting up a step ladder over the pot and lowering the turkey using rope and pulley.

[Kris Cook]

Easiest way to deal with this is have prime rib instead.

[Jim Koepke]

While I appreciate the public service message the Fire Department provided to show the dangers of deep frying a turkey,
I don't really appreciate the fact that video is completely, and ridiculously (my opinion) STAGED.

It most certainly was staged.

Many of us have good heads on our shoulders and know how to use them. On the other side of humanity are many people who "know everything" and mess up even more.

I see this video as at least a warning to families to not let the family "know it all" burn down the house or end up in the hospital this Thanksgiving.

jtk