The Do’s And Don’ts Of Frying A Turkey

For those considering frying your turkey this Thanksgiving, be mindful of the fire dangers involved.

Turkey fryers commonly overheat and start grease fires without the right precautions. Putnam County Fire Chief Tom Brown said the first step to safely fry a turkey is thawing the meat.

“You introduce a frozen turkey to super heated grease or oil, and it is going to boil over,” Brown said. “You need to follow your instructions very very close as far as the amount of oil that goes into the fryer.”

Brown said the most common mistake people make is adding too much oil in the fryer. To prevent this, fill the fryer with water and submerge the packaged turkey to account for displacement.

Before you drop your turkey, make sure you are outside with nothing above the fryer. Brown said turkey fryer fires like to shot upward, so this would prevent any major damage if something were to go wrong.

“You need to make sure you are not frying a turkey under anything like an awning, a car port or an ease of a house,” Brown said. “It needs to be out in the open, so if something were to go wrong, you are not setting a deck or a house on fire. Other than that, enjoy your turkey.”