Gobble, Gobble, Gobble, Thanksgiving is Almost Here - Lets Talk Turkey Fryer Safety

With "turkey day" almost upon us, we start our planning of how we want to cook our bird.

Some people do fresh turkeys, frozen turkeys, turduckens (that is a duck
stuffed into a turkey) or they don't do turkeys at all. For my family, I have
always ordered a live turkey from a local turkey farm and had it prepared for
cooking a few days before the big day.

Well, over the past few years I have become acquainted with deep flyers. We
occasionally have get togethers to deep fry turkeys, we have also deep fried
Oreos, Twinkies, candy bars and cheese sticks, just to name a few (and that can be a whole different topic for another time). What I want to talk about for this
first blog is turkey fryer safety. 

When it comes to frying turkeys it can be the fastest and most tastiest way to cook
a turkey, but it comes with risks. You can cook an average turkey in about  45 minutes. The problem with it is that you have hot oil being heated over an open flame. So lets talk about what ou need for supplies and then safety.

Below is a list of items you will need to successfully deep
fry a turkey.

• 
  Deep fryer pot
• 
  Fryer stand
• 
  Turkey stand
• 
  Propane tank
• 
  Lighter
• 
  Broom handle
• 
  Adult helper
• 
  Gloves
• 
  Eye protection
• 
  Long sleeves
• 
  Oil (each fryer takes different amounts check
  the  fryer size)
• 
  Turkey (this is key)
• 
  Oil thermometer
• 
  Class B or K fire extinguisher

First, you want to place the fryer away from a structure and not on a deck on level ground. Connect the propane, add oil to the pot and light the burner (heat up to 350 degrees).
Prepare the thawed  turkey and place on turkey stand.

Insert broom handle threw turkey stand and with the help of your
helper (very slowly lower turkey into the
oil).

DO NOT attempt to deep fry a frozen turkey. Keep watch on the temperature
of the oil. On average it takes about 5 minutes per 1lb of turkey. Once the turkey is cooked slowly, remove from fryer and place on a platter and let cool for a few moments.

Turn off gas and let oil cool before moving the pot. Now, slice up turkey and enjoy.

Keeping these tips in mind and having those items on hand will make for a much easier and safer way to fry your turkey.  Please let me know your experienaces. I hope to write next month on Christmas tree safety. Happy Thanksgiving.