Turkey fryers can burn, explode (Darwin nominee)

Biloxi Sun-Herald ^ | 11.20.03 | SUSAN CHRISTENSEN

[mhking]

JACKSON - Mississippian George Glenn set out to fry a turkey last holiday season and almost cooked his goose.

After flambéing his bare hand on the turkey fryer's hot lid, Glenn flung the bird into the bubbling grease with a bit too much gusto. "It exploded like a cannon," said the Rankin County resident. "Grease shot up and I got second-degree burns on my forearms and hands."

Glenn doesn't blame the fryer for his misfortune. "You can't idiot-proof the world," he said.

But you can take steps to ensure your holiday menu doesn't land you in the emergency room, says Lauren Fairburn, coordinator for Think First, Methodist Rehabilitation Center's statewide safety and injury prevention program.

Her advice: Use extreme caution around turkey fryers.

"These fryers are very popular, but they also can be quite dangerous," Fairburn said. "Underwriters Laboratories Inc. won't even give any of these cookers its safety seal. The labs' testing revealed too many risks."

Among the labs' concerns: units can easily tip over, spilling hot oil; spillovers can hit the burner/flames, setting the whole unit on fire; lack of thermostat controls means the units can overheat oil to the point of combustion; the sides, lid and handles get dangerously hot.

Given the risks, Fairburn says families might want to go back to cooking their turkey the old-fashioned way. But if you can't forgo the taste of deep-fried turkey, she recommends heeding Underwriters Laboratories' tips for safe turkey fryer use:

Always use turkey fryers outdoors, keeping them a safe distance from buildings and other materials that can burn.

Never use turkey fryers on wooden decks or in garages.

Use fryers on a flat surface to reduce accidental tipping.

Never leave the fryer unattended. Most units do not have thermostats and oil can continue to heat until it catches fire.

Keep children and pets away from fryer during and after use. Oil can stay dangerously hot for hours after use.

Do not overfill cooking pot.

Use well-insulated potholders and oven mitts when touching pot or lid handles. Safety goggles can protect your eyes from oil splatters.

Make sure the turkey is completely thawed and be careful with marinades. Water or ice crystals (from partially thawed birds) introduced into boiling hot fat can cause oil to bubble over, leading to fires or even explosions.

If any part of the turkey fryer catches fire, do not attempt to extinguish. Get everyone away from the fryer and any areas that are endangered and call 911 for help.

For more information about safe cooking or the injury prevention programs offered by Methodist Rehabilitation Center, go to methodistonline.org.

[mtbopfuyn]

Glenn flung the bird into the bubbling grease with a bit too much gusto... "You can't idiot-proof the world," he said.

Heaven help him if he tries to carve it with an electric knife.

[b4its2late]

Glenn doesn't blame the fryer for his misfortune. "You can't idiot-proof the world," he said.

My guess is that this gentleman is not a liberal or he'd be looking for someone else to blame and someone to sue...

And, I think people were doing it just because it was the "in" thing to do last year. Though I hear that it cooks the bird in less than an hour and it probably does taste good. Big old chicken wing.......

[KC_for_Freedom]

Its good, it cooks rapidly, and has no more unhealthy aspects than a roasted turkey. (We eat too much, its unhealthy.)

It is a serious fire hazard, and people don't usually anticipate the thing tipping over or off the table. As a safety engineer, I would have so many safeguards against tipping, and shut off valves well away from the unit that it would cost a lot more than the cheap units that are for sale everywhere. Moral, pay attention to cooking if you do this option.

[baltodog]

You must watch E.R!!! That was the grossest thing I've seen!
(BTW -- Dr. Romano is ALIVE)

[xJones]

A couple of years ago there was an article about some good ol' boys who got drunk previous to deep-frying the turkey. They forgot one little thing, thaw out the turkey first. Did you know that a frozen turkey dropped into a hot deep fryer shoots straight up?

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

On a crew in Armenia, the general manager ordered frozen
butterballs for Christmas.
The camp cook didn't know how to cook them so they
boiled them for a few hours.
Everybody was pi$$ed. These frozen in the middle turkey
were not fit to eat.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

They forgot to add which direction to have the bird facing, and don't overheat the oil; the high heat is what can cause the oil to "explode" (been there, done that, watched the pot blow over from 425° oil).
Nothing better tho, I do one monthly on the average, year round.

[zeaal]

We fry our turkey each year. It is easily the yummiest a turkey can be. Thankfully no Darwin moments ... although the potential exists due to the mixture of really hot peanut oil and large object being plopped into it. BE SAFE TURKEY FRYERS!

[Mr.Atos]

Turkeys, Twinkies and Snicker Bars. WSJ had an article some time back about the new Deep-Fry craze. Go figure. I'm with you... roasting is just fine.

Besides, can you imagine how much batter it takes to cover a 25lb turkey?? (t.i.c.)

[Pedantic_Lady]

Maybe it's good, but deep fried turkey sounds pretty gross...

You should see what people here will eat deep-fried. At chippies in Scotland and northern England, they'll deep-fry anything you bring them. Some chippies (fish and chip shops) actually have deep-fried, battered hard-boiled eggs on the menu...deep-fried ice cream, deep-fried candy bars, and deep-fried slices of pizza. They deep-fry it in the same fat they use to deep-fry battered fish. Some people will eat anything.

YUCK.

[mylife]

fried turkey is yummy and extra juicy, however they are quite dangerous to cook(thats a lot of very hot oil).
Baked birds come out nicely if you cook them breastside down so that the juices drip thru the breastmeat.

[cinFLA]

Cajun Fried Turkey

[Lurker]

Deep frying is classified as a 'dry' method of cooking. Properly done very little oil makes it into the bird.

You can cook a bird in about a third of the time compared to roasting as well. (3 minutes per pound for deep frying.)

Plus, it's delicious.

L

[Doe Eyes]

Do not overfill cooking pot.

A common mistake and very easy to mistake. A large bird displaces several gallons of oil. Once the oil hits the flame ...

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

Mississippian George Glenn set out to fry a turkey last holiday season and almost cooked his goose.

"As God as my witness...I thought turkeys could fry."

[Serb5150]

I believe it. I've spent quite a bit of time over there myself, and surprisingly I still don't believe that everything is better once it's deep fried.

[Pedantic_Lady]

Yeah...and the Scottish have the highest rates of heart disease and strokes in the whole of the UK. Surprise? Must be all that deep-fried pizza.

shudder

[Serb5150]

It just sounds so greasy... I can't knock it till I've tried it, but I'm just imagining how KFC turns the cardboard box completely clear with all the drippings. Ugh.

[roadcat]

"Also always wear at least a T shirt when frying bacon."

There was a time when you didn't? Gosh you live dangerously!

All I can add, is to please, please keep children far away and strongly tell them the danger and why they should stay away. One of my co-workers has never gotten over the damage done to him as a young boy when grease spilled from the stove onto him and caused massive burns. Another co-worker had to undergo a couple years of skin-grafts after grease splashed on her head and arms. Be safe out there...

[mhking]

(BTW -- Dr. Romano is ALIVE)

What, as a pancake with a prosthetic arm?