The Guild - The Wonders of the Fried Turkey

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[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

A Deep Fried Delicacy: The How-To on Deep Frying Turkey

Deep-fried turkey, a concept that started in the south, is gradually rising in popularity nationwide. It's a perfect twist for barbecues, block parties and holiday feasts. In fact, since deep-frying turkey requires special equipment and lots of oil, families and groups of neighbors often get together to share the costs and the feast. To get you started, we have several deep-fried turkey recipes for you. For a Deep-Frying Turkey experience that is fun and produces delicious results follow these guidelines:

Equipment

You'll need a 40 or 60 quart pot with basket, burner and propane gas tank, a candy thermometer to measure oil temperature and a food thermometer to determine doneness of turkey. For added safety, have a fire extinguisher, oven mitts and pot holders nearby. To add flavor with different marinades and seasonings, you may want to purchase an injector.

Location
Place the fryer on level dirt or a grassy area. Never fry a turkey indoors, in a garage or in any other structure attached to a building. Avoid frying on wood decks, which could catch fire, and concrete, which can be stained by the oil.

The Turkey - Size Matters
Smaller turkeys, 8 to 10 pounds and turkey parts such as breast, wings, drumsticks and thighs, are best for frying. Size does matter as a 12-14 pound turkey is the maximum size bird that can be successfully deep-fried. In addition to the obvious safety concern of lowering and lifting a big turkey into a vessel of boiling oil, larger birds simply cook longer. The extra cooking time results in over-exposure to the skin, which will likely be over cooked.

If a larger bird (over 15-pounds) has been purchased, follow these steps for the best results. Detach the dark meat (leg and thigh portions) from the breast and fry the two turkey parts separately. Fry the leg/thigh sections first in oil that has been preheated to 365-375 degrees F. Cook to an internal temperature of 180 degrees F. Remove the dark sections and reheat the oil to 365-375 degrees F. Then fry the turkey breast to an internal temperature of 170 degrees F.

Other Ingredients
You'll need approximately 5 gallons of a high-smoke point oil; more for larger turkeys. The turkey may be injected with a marinade, coated with breading or seasoned with a rub. Check our list of recipes:

Cajun Deep Fried Turkey
Ginger & Rosemary Deep Fried Turkey

Southern Deep Fried Turkey
Louisiana Fried Turkey Breast

Cooking Preparation

• To determine the correct amount of oil, place the turkey in the fryer basket and place in the pot. Add water until it reaches 1 to 2 inches above the turkey. Remove the turkey and note the water level, using a ruler to measure the distance from the top of the pot to the surface of the water. Pour out the water and dry the pot thoroughly. Be sure to measure for oil before breading or marinating the turkey.
• Heat the oil to 365-375 degrees F. Depending on the amount of oil used, this usually takes between 45 minutes and 1 hour.
• While the oil is heating, prepare the turkey as desired. If injecting a marinade into the turkey, puree ingredients so that they will pass through the needle. Even so, you may have to strain the mixture to remove larger portions. Remove skin if desired. If breading the turkey, place the turkey in a gallon-sized food safe storage bag with breading and shake to coat.
• Do not stuff turkeys for deep frying.

Frying the Turkey Once the oil has come to temperature, place the turkey in the basket and slowly lower into the pot. Whole turkeys require approximately 3 minutes per pound to cook. Remove turkey and check internal temperature with meat thermometer. The temperature should reach 170 degrees F in the breast and 180 degrees F in the thigh. Turkey parts such as breast, wings and thighs require approximately 4 to 5 minutes per pound to come to temperature.

Additional Safety Tips Never leave the hot oil unattended and don't allow children or pets near the cooking area. Allow the oil to cool completely before disposing or storing. Immediately wash hands, utensils, equipment and surfaces that have come in contact with raw turkey. Turkey should be consumed immediately and leftovers stored in the refrigerator within two hours of cooking.

The oils used to fry turkey are critical to the success of the product.

Oil Selection
Only oils that have high smoke points should be used. Such oils include peanut, canola and sunflower. Peanut oil has abundant flavor and is the top choice of many cooks. Canola oil is low in saturated fats and would be appropriate to combine with peanut oil if fat and cholesterol are a concern.

Oil Filtering

These high smoke-point oils allow reusing the oil with proper filtration. Depending on the recipe used, remember to filter the oil...not just strain it. The first step is to strain the cooled oil through a fine strainer. If a breading, spice or herb rub are used in the preparation of the turkey, it will be necessary to further filter the oil through fine cheesecloth.

Oil Storage
The oil should be covered and refrigerated to prevent it from becoming rancid. The oil may be stored in the refrigerator for several months or until signs of deterioration begin. The oil will thicken when it is chilled, but will return to its original consistency when reheated.

Oil Shelf Life

According to the Texas Peanut Producers Board, peanut oil may be used three or four times to fry turkeys before signs of deterioration begin. Such indications include foaming, darkening or smoking excessively, indicating the oil must be discarded. Other signs of deteriorated oil include a rancid smell and/or failure to bubble when food is added.

For more information on deep frying turkey with peanut oil, visit www.louana.com.

© 2004 National Turkey Federation 1225 New York Avenue NW • Suite 400 • Washington, D.C. 20005 EMAIL: info@turkeyfed.org • TEL: 202.898.0100 • FAX: 202.898.0203

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

Ping

[psjones]

Thanks for posting this. My brother in law was just talking tonight about wanting to deep fry a turkey for Xmas, this will be helpful information since this will be our first time trying to deep fry a turkey.

[GeronL]

I just saw an INSURANCE commercial that stated that 2 million people tried to deep-fry a Turkey last year and 15 burned down their homes....

[MaeWest]

Never fry a turkey indoors, in a garage or in any other structure attached to a building. Avoid frying on wood decks, which could catch fire...

Once again, someone takes all the fun out of the holiday.

[CaliGirl-R]

Deep fried turkey is the best. We use peanut oil. We also deep fry chickens too! I love the crispy skin.

[Dozer3]

Hillary, when can I get a picture of those lovely legs?

[NYpeanut]

Just let me know when to post my annual 48-hour 5# miracle diet.

[BigWaveBetty]

Thank you for the thread HLL! Fried turkey looks yummy, too bad I'm stuck with ham this year. :-(

Kirstie Alley could stand to skip Thanksgiving dinner all together.

KIRSTIE: "I DON'T WANT FAT SEX!"

It's been a rough few years for Kirstie Alley, 53, and not just because her career has been in a slump. On the episode of Oprah Winfrey's show that aired Nov. 12, Kirstie made a shocking revelation that she hasn't had sex in four and a half years, confessing, "I don't want to have fat sex!"

About 10 months ago, Kirstie told Oprah she faced the fact that she had blown up: At last count her weight was about 260 pounds. Kirstie recalled stripping down and looking at herself in a mirror:

"I have seen myself naked.... I couldn't believe it. And so I just was crushed."

But while Kirstie may be admitting this, what the heavy-set, sexstarved actress isn't saying is that she's also been blowing up at everyone around her! Suffering the strains of weight gain and career pressure, sources say she's been yelling at crew members on the set of her upcoming Showtime TV show, Fat Actress, and has taken to loudly fighting about script changes and location decisions.

Before production began in Los Angeles two months ago, Kirstie seemed perfectly comfortable with the show's premise. In Fat Actress, she plays a fictionalized version of herself, an actress coping with her weight. She joked to producers that they should get her wardrobe in three different sizes to match her weight fluctuations. But once shooting started, says a friend, that happy-go-lucky attitude disappeared faster than the on-set snacks.

"Suddenly, Kirstie's ego kicked in; before this series she didn't seem to care about how she looked," the friend says. In fact, the actress was regularly seen walking around L.A. in frumpy clothes and uncombed hair, even eating pie at House of Pies. [There's a House of Pies?!! Why has no one told me about this?!]

Now, the friend says, "she gets irritable so quickly, makeup has to rush in to dab the sweat off her face." A source says the chainsmoking, popsicle-sucking actress has flown off the handle at the show's cameramen, wardrobers, and makeup artists. The people she's always nice to are the celebs who visit the set as guest stars.

Recently, on line in the cafeteria, Kirstie loudly berated an assistant after a pair of earrings Kirstie needed for an upcoming scene disappeared. "She flipped out," says the source. "The next day, four staff members were fired." Reps for Kirstie did not return Star's calls for comment. More

Kirstie shows the world how she really feels...

[nmh]

Looks yummy!

Thanks.

[BigWaveBetty]

Just let me know when to post my annual 48-hour 5# miracle diet.

Now. NOW! Post it now! ;-)

p.s. And don't forget to ping Kirstie.

[BigWaveBetty]

(Schadenfreude, it's what's for dinner.)

The best tagline of the YEAR!

[BigWaveBetty]

I had previously thought that Kevin Sites (embed that filmed Marine last week) was pretty fair until this incident and his subsequent story that recounts his view of what happened in that Falluja mosque.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/22/international/middleeast/22shoot.html?ei=5006&en=4b54e27eb5abd898&ex=1101790800&partner=ALTAVISTA1&pagewanted=print&position=


My nephew will be leaving for Iraq nest week. I pray he doesn't have Sites or any other reporter with his detail. I also pray he doesn't hesitate to pull the trigger if he believes himself or his fellow soldiers are in danger.

[GraceCoolidge]

I think I read that the big danger is when the turkey is still partially frozen... has to be completely thawed or there is risk of explosion. But 15 out of 2 million sounds like pretty good odds....

[Iowa Granny]

Prayers for your nephew. My cousin's daughter is over there now, too.

[bert]

A most amazing fact about fried turkeys, according to All State Insurance company commercial, 15 people managed to burn down their houses in the attempt last year.

[nina0113]

You skipped the part of the directions about "Don't get drunk & throw icecubes in the oil to see what happens."

I've roasted my last turkey - I bought a fryer last Thanksgiving and the turkey is Steve's job now.

[BigWaveBetty]

Thank you IG, prayers for your cousin and her daughter too.

I was hoping that President Bush would make another surprize Thanksgiving visit to Iraq again this year but after the Chili security kerfuffle I'm guessing the SS will nix any idea of that happening.

This from Powerline Blog:

What happened in Santiago?

Dafydd ab Hugh writes:

Judging from your comments, I don't think you guys realize the seriousness of what happened in Chile. Let me put it into perspective: the president has been marked for death by hundreds of terrorist groups; he is in a foreign country, one where there have been near contintuous riots against America and against him, personally, over the Iraq War; as he's walking into a banquet hall, the local police intentionally cut him off from his security detail. More

I agree with these concerns. Why we haven't had much news coverage of the importance of what happened?

[Iowa Granny]

Why we haven't had much news coverage of the importance of what happened?

Probably because the news media is obcessed with that Basketball Brawl. And, of course, the MSM couldn't care less if the President's life is endangered.

[BigWaveBetty]

Another prayer, that we'll send some undercover types to al Jezeera's headquarters and disable their ability to broadcast.

A marine's gotta do what a marine's gotta do

*********************************

Just some of the many reasons to be grateful for another Bush term:

White House officials counter that insiders in the first term were far more willing to challenge Mr. Bush than outsiders. As an example, one adviser said that the direct, often undiplomatic Ms. Rice challenged Mr. Bush a lot more behind the scenes than Mr. Powell did, but that such disputes were kept safely within the family.

The loyalty, Mr. Bush's advisers say, goes both ways. Although the president is described as an impatient, demanding boss who snaps at the people he knows well and can use plenty of profanity when he is angry with the staff, advisers say he also goes out of his way to thank personally the lowest person on the White House food chain for a job well done.

Advisers also say that Mr. Bush never fails to ask about their families and tries never to keep them waiting. Above all, they say, he has a gut instinct for who is with him and who is not. "You go in front of him, and if you know your stuff and don't take yourself too seriously and he can see that you don't have another agenda, he's awesome," said one Bush adviser who insisted on anonymity because the president gets irritated when his staff talks about internal White House dealings. "And if you don't know your stuff, and you take yourself too seriously and have another agenda, he wants absolutely nothing to do with you." More

Thank goodness Margaret Spellings is married, wouldn't want a, Miss Spellings as Secty. of Education. (for those who haven't heard this corny joke yet)

**********************************************

Owweeee, Andrea Peysers declares Herr Clinton's Lie-brary an enternal hissy fit.

November 22, 2004 -- LITTLE CROCK, [Andrea gets a jump start on her opinion!] Ark. Our neediest president has out done even himself. Bill Clinton has chosen not to roll into history with his chin up and his pants zipped. He's staging an eternal hissy fit.

On the first day real people not titled President or named Bono were allowed inside, I traveled to this land of delusion for an up-close peek at the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library - the ex-prez's glass-and-concrete personal acid trip.

Now I get it. This jumbled tribute to history, Clinton-style, is not a museum in the classic sense. It tells deliberate lies. It tries too hard to be noticed. To be loved. Above all, to get in the last word. More

**********************************

Will Mikey Moore do a movie about clinton?

LITTLE ROCK, ARK. - President Clinton's new $165 million library here was funded in part by gifts of $1 million or more each from the Saudi royal family and three Saudi businessmen. More