Fried Turkey Safety Tips
Let’s get real here. Deep frying a turkey can be a very dangerous experience, both for you and your property. However, it doesn’t have to be if you follow these deep fried turkey safety tips.
Are you ready for a safer deep frying experience? Let’s get to it then!
Deep Fried Turkey Safety Tips: Top 10 To Consider
Thanksgiving celebration is never complete without the turkey on the table. For quite a long time now, this has been a permanent fixture, a traditional food for the families in seasons like this. Turkey is traditionally cooked in the oven.
However, you might have noticed that this big bird can take up your entire oven, leaving you on space for anything else you might want to serve! Help is here. Free up some oven space by deep frying your Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter turkey. It’s easier than you might think so don’t be intimidated by it!
Do you know that from this year onwards, you can already serve your family and loved ones homemade turkey that’s deliciously made? Not only that! You can possibly feast on deliciously fried turkey even if you are still far from Thanksgiving. You can actually serve homemade turkey on the table to enjoy family meals every time.
All you need is a turkey fryer, specifically the outdoor cookers to enjoy the dish anytime, whatever the occasion is. Also, you need to know the fried turkey safety to spend worry-free meals with everyone at home.
You need not be a culinary expert to know the safety tips. You need not have the most expensive cooker either to master the fried turkey safety guidelines. Eight simple steps are what it takes to deep fry a turkey safely. Pay close attention, okay? It could save your life!
Let’s Get to the 10 Outdoor Deep Frying Safety Tips!
Keep reading for the Top 10 Turkey Frying Safety Tips! Let’s get to it so you can have a big Thanksgiving or Christmas feast without a trip to the hospital.
#1: Do the frying more than 10 feet away from home
Position your turkey fryer 10 feet (or even more) from home. Be sure your children and the pets are not near your cooking area, too. The worst thing that could possibly happen is that someone trips, falls into your fryer and knocks it over.
Most of all, don’t ever leave your turkey fryer unattended. You need to stand next to it the entire time that it’s cooking. That’s why we generally recommend using the buddy system. Have another adult available to run into the house and get things, or to stand by if you need a bathroom (or beer) break.
Don’t worry though…deep frying a turkey doesn’t really take that much time and it will certainly be under an hour. For smaller turkeys, it can even be as quick as 30 minutes or so. However, this doesn’t mean that you should consider doing it alone.
#2: Cook the turkey on a flat ground
Your cooking oil must be steady and evenly distributed to guarantee safety. Put your turkey fryer on a flat surface and carefully measure the amount of oil you need for frying.
The other benefit of deep frying turkey on flat ground is that the stand and pot will be far more stable and less likely to tip over accidentally or from something like a strong gust of wind.
We recommend getting a level and checking the patch of ground you want to fry your turkey on. What appears level may not in fact be!
#3: Make sure your turkey is thawed and dry before frying it
Excess water in your turkey can cause furious bubbling in your oil, as well as spillovers. If there is a spilling from the turkey fryer going to the burner, this can possibly result in fire.
We recommend patting dry the turkey with paper towels in order to ensure it’s as free from moisture as possible. And of course, make sure that the turkey is completely thawed before you fry it. This can take up to 2-3 days in the fridge, depending on the size of the turkey so please allow enough time for this.
#4: Keep watching the temperature
Be cautious each time you touch the turkey fryer. Both the handle and lid can be overly hot and can cause burns.
More so, it is important that you monitor your oil’s temperature so that it doesn’t get too hot. And of course you don’t want your delicious turkey to burn!
One of the best devices for doing this is a thermometer. But, not just any old one you have on hand. You’ll want an extra long one so that you don’t have to get your fingers too close to the boiling oil. Check out our Top 5 Turkey Frying Thermometers.
#5: Be prepared all the time with gloves, fire extinguisher, etc
If you have an outdoor cooker, you should also have a fire extinguisher for a partner. This pair gets you ready for situations like oil ignition for one.
And of course you need to remember to never put water on a grease or oil fire. You really do need a fire extinguisher just in case things go badly when deep frying a turkey.
Of course, you should also have your pair of turkey frying gloves close by.
Safety first! Delicious turkey second.
If you need a pair of deep frying gloves, check out our handy comparison chart below:
#6: Consider where to put the cooked turkey and how to get it out when it’s done
When the turkey is done (checked with internal temperature) what are you going to do with it? And, how are you going to get it out of the pot?
The worst case scenario is that you realize your turkey is cooked, but have no way to get it out of the pot, and no plan or tray to put it on. So, you leave your turkey in the fryer and run into the house looking for these things. Who’s watching the turkey in a still very hot pot of oil? Maybe nobody!
#7: Don’t overfill the pot with oil
Remember that a large turkey has a ton of volume to it. So, if you fill the pot with oil almost to the top, get it boiling, and then drop a large turkey in there, it can easily overflow. Open flame and oil don’t exactly mix, if you get my drift? Think fire, splatter, and all kinds of danger.
So, use a moderate amount of oil and have some on hand to top up a little bit if necessary. Plus, this will save you money as well.
#8 Deep Fried Turkey Safety Tip: Put the turkey in slowly
A whole, raw turkey is slippery! That’s why you have to be extremely careful when putting it into the oil. Dropping it in quickly can create the same problem as the previous section: splash backs and spillovers, both of which are very dangerous in terms of potential fire hazards as well as burning hazards.
#9: Know how to Extinguish a Deep Fryer Fire
Here are a few things to consider in order to put out a fire caused by a deep fryer. However, by far the most important one is to never, ever use water. This cause cause much more serious damage. Instead, consider the following:
- Turn off the heat source as soon as the fire starts
- Cover the flames with a lid or other non-flammable item
- Put baking soda or salt on the flames
- At least resort, use a certified and well-maintained fire extinguisher.
#10: Keep Pets and Children Away from Turkey Fryers
Pets, children and deep fryers never mix. If you’re frying a turkey outside, keep pets and children inside. If you’re doing it in your kitchen, keep pets and children in another room under the supervision of another adult.
Deep Fried Turkey Safety Tips
Even more tips about how to fry a turkey the safe way in this short video below:
What if I do Burn Myself when Deep Frying a Turkey?
Let’s talk basic first aid for burns. If you get boiling hot oil on yourself, it can potentially be a very serious problem, especially if on your face, groin area, hands or feet (the most sensitive parts of your body).
The first thing you’ll need to do is run cold water over the affected area for at least 10 minutes. A garden hose on standby can be quite useful for this. You may need to remove clothing as it can trap in the heat and make the burn significantly worse.
If the burn causes blisters, peeling, is on a sensitive area, or covers a large area, then seek medical attention as soon as possible.
How to safely deep fry a turkey
Do you Need a Turkey Deep Fryer?
Now that you’re equipped with five simple fried turkey safety tips, you’re ready to prepare and serve the traditional dish, homemade restaurant quality style. Deep fried turkey is really delicious!
If you don’t have a turkey fryer yet, highly recommended is the Kamp Kitchen Turkey Fryer. It is designed for outdoor deep-frying. This cooking equipment has the qualities you need for outdoor cooking at just a low cost. Its burner releases a powerful 38,000 BTU, allowing your oil to heat up fast and retain its temperature once you dig in your turkey.
For more outdoor turkey fryer options, you may check out our Top 5 Outdoor Turkey Fryers.
Deep Frying Turkey Causes 5 Deaths Per Year?
Don’t be that guy, okay? Instead, follow some simple safety tips as shown in this video below:
Deep Fried Turkey Safety FAQs
There are a number of common questions that people have about how to deep fry a turkey safely. Here are the answers to some of the most popular ones.
Is Frying Turkey Dangerous?
Compared to other methods of cooking turkey, deep frying is the most dangerous because it involves a large pot of boiling oil. There are a number of dangers including fires, the pot tipping over and causes burns or partially frozen turkeys causing oil splatter.
Why do Deep Fried Turkeys Explode?
The main reason deep fried turkeys explode is because they’re not completely frozen when dropped into the oil. The frozen water molecules instantly change to steam when they hit the hot oil and can expand to 1700x their original volume. This may cause the oil to bubble over and come into contact with the open flame which is what can cause an explosion.
Are Indoor Turkey Fryers Safe?
A common cause of house fires is deep frying. However, if use cautiously and according to the manufacturer’s directions, indoor turkey fryers are generally considered to be safe. Just be sure to follow the recommended safety tips and understand the directions on how to use your deep fryer.
How Many House Fires are Caused by Deep Frying Turkey?
In the USA, fire departments respond to 1000+ fires that are directly related to deep fryers, including turkey fryers. These fires can cause serious injury and also property damage.
How Many People Die from Deep Frying Turkey?
In the USA, deep fryers result in more than 60 injuries each year and 5 deaths, along with millions of dollars of property damage.
How do you Extinguish a Turkey Frying Fire?
Never use water to extinguish a fire caused from frying a turkey or anything else for that. Instead, use a fire extinguisher to put out fires caused by hot oil. You can also cover the flames with a lid, turn of the heat source and put baking soda or salt onto it.
Turkey frying safety tips
Have your Say about these Turkey Deep Frying Safety Tips
Do you have any tips or tricks for how to deep fry a turkey more safely? Any horror stories of things gone wrong? Leave a comment below and we’d love to hear from you.
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