Thanksgiving Turkey Fryer Tips

It seems every Thanksgiving there's a story in the local newspaper about somebody burning down their house while trying to deep fry a turkey. This happens with such regularity that the deep fryers get a bad rap. Granted, having flammable hot oil heating over an open propane flame isn't the safest thing in the world. But if you follow some simple common sense rules, deep-frying a turkey doesn't have to lead to property damage or injury.

The first rule concerns where you set up the turkey fryer. Don't set it up in your garage, on your deck and certainly not in your house. Don't place it on anything flammable, like wood, or dry grass. Put it outside far away from any burnable structures, preferably on concrete.

Don't be tempted to bring the fryer out of the rain and snow. If it's really nasty outside set up some kind of tarp system, but make sure the tarp is high enough above the fryer so it won't burst into flame.

Make sure the spot you choose is completely flat. The one major flaw with turkey fryers is their propensity to tip over with very little provocation. Having burning oil splashing onto you will ruin your Thanksgiving holiday and probably Christmas.

The second rule is to make sure you have safety equipment in place. Wear protective clothing including heavy fire gloves. Wear safety goggles and long pants and shirtsleeves. Have a fire extinguisher handy. Never try to put out a grease or oil fire with water. It actually makes the fire worse...trust me. The fire extinguisher will work to douse an oil fire.

The third rule is to not overfill the turkey fryer pot with oil. This is probably the most common mistake. Before you heat the oil put the turkey into the pot and pour water in. Put the water in a gallon at a time and record how much it takes to completely submerge the turkey. After dumping the water and drying the pot, fill it with the same amount of oil.

The fourth rule is to make sure the turkey is completely thawed. You don't want to place a frozen turkey into the pot of boiling oil. The ice from the turkey will cause the oil to explode, the same way it would if you dumped in a cup of water.

The fifth rule is to make sure you have turned the burner off before putting the turkey into the fryer. You want the oil hot when the turkey goes in, but don't leave the burners on to accomplish this. Heat the oil completely, turn off the burner, place the turkey into the oil using a hook and fire gloves then turn the burners back on. The oil will lose a lot of its heat when the turkey goes in but don't be tempted to keep the burners on. If there is any sort of oil splashing it'll hit the open flame and you'll have a fire problem.

The sixth rule: don't leave the turkey unattended. You need to be close by if the anything unfortunate happens. Be sure to be aware of where your children and pets are. Even after the turkey is cooked and ready to eat, make sure the turkey fryer is not going to get touched or tipped over. The oil will stay hot for many hours after use.

If you follow these simple safety tips your Thanksgiving deep fried turkey will turn out great and you won't have to file an insurance claim or be rushed to the hospital burn unit.