This post is rather early for Thanksgiving, but as you are making your plans for the holiday later this month we want to be absolutely sure our readers and customers are safe. And a big part of that is cautionary advice about frying your turkey.
One of the major insurance companies runs a TV ad every year saying how many people last year burned their houses down while deep frying a turkey. I think it is the same ad every year, but the fact is, every year too many people actually do burn down their homes while attempting to deep fry their turkey.
We could give you a lot of reasons why you should be absolutely careful and research the right way to deep fry a turkey, but it might be more effective to show you.
Hopefully these experiences of others will help reduce injuries and fires in the future.
‘Home-Made Turkey Fryer’ Is As Bad An Idea As It Sounds
A turkey fryer is not the kind of apparatus that you want to make yourself, especially for your first attempt. Thankfully no one got hurt, and the cook’s cry of anguish is only over a ruined turkey.
Have a Fire Plan
These folks do not even manage to get the turkey into the fryer before the fire starts. On a wood deck. Near the house.
Three minutes of discussion on how to put it out could have ended up much, much worse. So too could have the water hose. At least they called the fire department and eventually thought to disconnect the propane tank.
Be Careful, Even With A Fire Extinguisher
A fire extinguisher can make the fire bigger if not used properly, and endanger more people and property, as you can see in this video.
The Turkey Should Be Dry
This host grossly understates the danger as the fryer catches fire. Notice that the turkey is dripping wet as they put it in.
The Turkey Should Not Be Frozen
In this demonstration, trained firefighters in full protective gear demonstrate why the turkey must be thawed when put into the fryer.
Oil and water don’t mix, and frozen turkey is usually soaked in brine when frozen. The instant melting/vaporization of the ice makes the dunking explosive.
Do Not Fry Your Turkey Inside
These radio show DJs set up an outdoor demonstration of why not to fry your turkey inside the home. Note the presence of professional fire fighting crew, and the extra long apparatus used to insert the turkey.
We will revisit the topic later with tips on how to safely fry a turkey, but first wanted to point out some worst-case scenarios to highlight the importance of doing it the right way.