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Firefighters Remind Us of Deep-Fried Turkey Dangers
ABC12 ^ | 11/22/2010 | Randy Conat

Posted on 11/22/2010 4:28:48 PM PST by nickcarraway

Deep fried turkey is a popular dish to serve at Thanksgiving.

But there are some dangers in preparing it.

State Farm Insurance says Michigan ranks fourth when it comes to cooking-related claims on Thanksgiving Day. The most common reasons are fires and burns caused by deep-frying turkeys.

Mid-Michigan has seen several such accidents.

"The individual put in a partially-thawed turkey. The oil exploded. It burned his hands, his face and ignited his clothing," Genesee Township Assistant Fire Chief Curt St. John said.

With the help of the Genesee Township Fire Department, we set up a demonstration of the potential dangers. We filled the pot nearly to the brim and heated the oil to 350 degrees. For safety sake, a firefighter in turnout gear dropped in a partially-frozen turkey.

"It's a good idea to have a fire extinguisher near where you're frying. If the oil does ignite, the first thing you need to do is turn off the gas, and then you can extinguish whatever fire is left with a dry chemical fire extinguisher. Never use water on a grease fire," St. John said.

State Farms says one-third of fires involving a fryer start in a garage or patio. The insurance company says you should cook outdoors and away from flammables, maintain a safe distance from any buildings and keep the fryer off wooden structures.

"It's important to keep kids and pets away from the fryer because if they are running and playing and they bump it, they could tip the fryer over and ignite any combustibles that may be nearby. Plus, it could injure your children," said St. John.

State Farm says one of the worst things that can happen with turkey frying is getting splattered with hot oil. It will cause burns that are worse than fire because frying

(Excerpt) Read more at abclocal.go.com ...


TOPICS: Education; Food; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: firesafety; thanksgiving; turkey

1 posted on 11/22/2010 4:28:51 PM PST by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

We filled the pot nearly to the brim

first mistake


2 posted on 11/22/2010 4:31:23 PM PST by Jolla
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To: nickcarraway

Its easy.

Fill the pot with oil, heat it, drop in a wet, frozen turkey.

RUN!


3 posted on 11/22/2010 4:35:59 PM PST by Retired Greyhound
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To: nickcarraway

I had a coworker set his truck on fire frying a turkey.


4 posted on 11/22/2010 4:40:37 PM PST by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: nickcarraway
Fried turkey explosion demo
5 posted on 11/22/2010 4:44:56 PM PST by NautiNurse (ObamaCare uses Bernie Madoff theory of economics)
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To: nickcarraway

I lost 10 IQ points just reading the excerpt

No way I’m reading the rest


6 posted on 11/22/2010 4:49:44 PM PST by don-o (Wait. What?)
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To: nickcarraway

What’s a Holiday without a little risk?? Just ask Clark W. Griswold.....LOL Just Kidding.... But seriously Deep Fried Turkey is Delicious!


7 posted on 11/22/2010 4:51:24 PM PST by jakerobins
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To: NautiNurse

I WILL look at exploding / flaming turkey videos, though. Post ‘em if ya got ‘em


8 posted on 11/22/2010 4:51:35 PM PST by don-o (Wait. What?)
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To: nickcarraway

I’ve heard about the legendary deep fried turkey, but I have never actually seen this near mythical beast.


9 posted on 11/22/2010 4:52:24 PM PST by Darksheare (I shook hands with Sheryl Crow and all I got was Typhus and a single sheet of toilet paper.)
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To: nickcarraway

This annual exercise in telling people not to be morons is becoming tiresome. There are instructions packed with the turkey frying kits and the pots are usually inscribed with the oil fill level for various sizes of birds. Some people are just not going to read instructions or get qualified assistance.

If you don’t know WTF you are doing, save yourself considerable grief and avoid YouTube viral immortality with your “Hold muh beer and watch this” moment.


10 posted on 11/22/2010 4:59:35 PM PST by T-Bird45 (It feels like the seventies, and it shouldn't.)
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To: nickcarraway

This annual exercise in telling people not to be morons is becoming tiresome. There are instructions packed with the turkey frying kits and the pots are usually inscribed with the oil fill level for various sizes of birds. Some people are just not going to read instructions or get qualified assistance.

If you don’t know WTF you are doing, save yourself considerable grief and avoid YouTube viral immortality with your “Hold muh beer and watch this” moment.


11 posted on 11/22/2010 5:00:08 PM PST by T-Bird45 (It feels like the seventies, and it shouldn't.)
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To: nickcarraway

I always fix our Thanksgiving turkeys, and dried one in a deep fryer a few years ago. I can certainly see the potential danger. I was nervous as hell during the entire time. In order to keep it cooking hot enough, I had flames going all the way up the side of a vat filled with oil with a propane canister several feet away. NOT the most comfortable scenario.

The turkey wasn’t all that great either.....

I prefer and use a smoker now to cook our turkey. Smoked is far...FAR better! All you need is a $50 Brinkmann smoker. Nothing fancy if you won’t be doing often. A smoker is literally nothing to manage as soon as you hit the ideal temperature. Preparation is fairly easy(and fun). All you need is ‘real’ charcoal, hickory wood blocks(if you prefer Hickory), a chimney starter, and a 12-14lb turkey. The smoker has a water bowl that sits in it to keep the food tender. I always fill it with 50% water and 50% Guinness Extra Stout. I’ll cheat and remove the lid every now and then during the first couple of hours to brush some butter on the turkey.

The best part is the aroma after its been smoking for a few hours. It’s one of the best smells you could imagine from cooking! After a few hours, you might see the temperature drop(external temperature and wind affect this bigtime). If it happens, you’ll want to fire up a load of charcoal in the Chimney starter. (DO NOT use starter fluid after the Turkey is on)

I’ve been smoking turkeys for the past few years now, and I’ll never look back! The smoker is also good for whole chickens(”beer can chicken”), and Ham too(great for Christmas dinner).


12 posted on 11/22/2010 5:00:19 PM PST by KoRn (Department of Homeland Security, Certified - "Right Wing Extremist")
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To: KoRn
"dried one in a deep fryer"

Dried=Fried. It was actually fairly moist. lol

13 posted on 11/22/2010 5:01:58 PM PST by KoRn (Department of Homeland Security, Certified - "Right Wing Extremist")
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To: KoRn

bttt


14 posted on 11/22/2010 5:11:28 PM PST by ConservativeMan55
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To: thackney
I had a coworker set his truck on fire frying a turkey.

You should never ever, set up your turkey fryer in you truck. That's downright dangerous. :)

Listening to these fryer fire safety lectures is like listening to Dan Akroyd telling Ned Beatty what to never do with the anti-aircraft gun in "1941."

15 posted on 11/22/2010 5:38:17 PM PST by USNBandit (sarcasm engaged at all times)
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To: T-Bird45

If you’re too lazy to read the instructions, then fill your fryer up with oil and put the turkey in BEFORE you light her up. That way you can determine the correct level without killing yourself.


16 posted on 11/22/2010 5:49:26 PM PST by reagan_fanatic (Scratch a “progressive” and a fascist bleeds)
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To: nickcarraway

As long as no one gets hurt, firefighters like to respond to these fires. Gives them something to do.


17 posted on 11/22/2010 5:53:59 PM PST by Kirkwood (Zombie Hunter)
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To: nickcarraway

I’ve fried turkeys several times at my SIL’s house.
Always with a bit of anxiety but it produces a wonderful tasting bird.


18 posted on 11/22/2010 5:58:52 PM PST by nascarnation
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To: nickcarraway
A buddy and I used to do them every year at Thanksgiving and Christmas. When we got up to having to do 15 birds each time... because fried turkey is just that good... and everyone that finds out you do it well, wants you to do a bird for them... we had to stop doing them. This is the finest turkey eating known to man. I watched a friend of mine eat a 10lb fried turkey in one sitting.

As with all things manly (insert Tim Allen grunt), one must use the proper tools, practice safety at all times, drink in moderation and... did I mention being careful?

LLS

19 posted on 11/22/2010 6:06:55 PM PST by LibLieSlayer (WOLVERINES!)
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To: nickcarraway

I’ve been frying turkeys for over 10 years. A person would have to be quite an idiot to have an accident. However, there are more than enough idiots available.


20 posted on 11/23/2010 12:48:13 AM PST by Rum Tum Tugger
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