Many people look forward to deep-fried turkey during the Thanksgiving holiday. Despite the tastiness of this dish, the new is replete with reports of injuries incurred during the deep-frying process, some of which can be catastrophic. To ensure consumers remain protected, Popular Science offers the following advice.
Make sure the turkey is thawed
Putting a frozen turkey into a deep fryer is literally a recipe for disaster, which is why you must sure it’s completely thawed. The water surrounding the turkey will vaporize once it hits the oil and expand as a result. This will cause oil to project out of the deep fryer and onto the flames below, thereby causing a fire to erupt. A good thawing formula to follow is allowing the bird to rest in the refrigerator one day for every four pounds of meat.
Use the right amount of oil
As stated above, overflowing oil is a great way to cause a huge fire to break out. That’s why you must carefully measure the amount of oil you put in the fryer. Start by placing the turkey in the fryer and filling it with water until it sits about six inches under the rim. Next, remove the turkey and measure the amount of water that’s left behind. This is how much oil you’ll need to place in the fryer. Make sure you dry the fryer before placing the oil and starting it up.
Choose your location
It’s a given that you should use your fryer outside. However, your choice of outdoor location should still be performed carefully. Try to pick a spot at least ten feet from any structures on a level surface made up of either dirt or concrete. You want the area to be spacious enough that you can place the propane tank away from the fryer, although close enough that the hose remains intact. Also, have a fire extinguisher on hand in case the fryer does ignite.
