Business & Community Development
Be Sure The Turkey Is The Only Thing You Fry!
As the weather changes and the leaves fall from the trees, most of us are thinking of the holidays and possibly feeling in the holiday spirit. First comes Thanksgiving and soon after Christmas. Some decorations are already up, and those that aren’t are soon to come. For most, the holidays signal happy times spent with family. That’s exactly how it should be. If you are careful during the holidays that’s exactly what it will be for you and your family. The fast growing most popular way to cook a turkey since about 1998 is frying. Since then, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has reported 117 fire incidents involving turkey fryers. The majority of these incidents occurred when the fryers were left unattended.
The most common scenarios were: house fires associated with turkey fryers leading to injuries and property damage, ignition of oil used with turkey fryers when the oil reached excess temperatures or oil contacting the open flame of the fryer, and splashing of hot oil causing burns.
If you are planning to fry a turkey for Thanksgiving or Christmas, there are some things you should consider before dropping the bird in the oil. CPSC staff recommends the following safety guidelines to consumers who choose to fry a turkey:
- Do not use the fryer indoors, and keep fryer in full view while it is on
- Place fryer in an open area AWAY from all walls, fences, or other structures
- Make sure there are at least 2 feet of space between the liquid propane tank and fryer burner.
- Place the liquid propane gas tank and fryer so that any wind blows the heat of the fryer away from the gas tank.
- Center the pot over the burner on the cooker.
- Completely thaw (USDA guidelines: 24 hours for every 4-5 lbs) and dry turkey before cooking. Partially frozen and/or wet turkey can produce excessive hot oil splatter when added to the oil.
- SLOWLY raise and lower food to reduce splatter and avoid burns
- Cover bare skin when adding or removing food.