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.

[HighWheeler]

"No thermostat !!? what were the manufacturers thinking?"

Yeah, my charcoal BBQ grill doesn't have one either. Idiot manufacturers.

[Pedantic_Lady]

Ewwwwwwww!

[deport]

As the article says you can't idiot proof everything.....

[southernnorthcarolina]

As others on this thread have said -- better chefs than me, no doubt, which isn't saying much -- a deep fried turkey properly done has little if any more fat than a conventionally roasted one, as the hot oil almost immediately seals the exterior of the bird. And it typically has less cholesterol, since you're cooking it in cholesterol-free vegetable oil, as opposed to basting the roasting bird periodically with butter. The cook needs to know what he or she is doing, of course, particularly with regard to the temperature of the oil, but properly done, a fried turkey is outstanding.

I gather they originated in Cajun Country; I wasn't aware of their existence here in NC until maybe 15 years ago. But they are "everywhere" now.

There's only one disadvantage, as far as I'm concerned: you can't stuff them. While the turkey doesn't absorb much oil, a bread stuffing sure would. And dressing in a pan doesn't do it for me. As a little kid supposedly once said at Thanksgiving, "No more turkey for me, but I would like some more of that bread he ate."

[Tennessee_Bob]

It's a shame there's no VideoTape of this.

Ahh..but there is - not of this particular incident though. Saw it a couple years ago on an outtake show. Two old boys are going to deep fry a turkey on an outdoorsman type program - they have the fryer going good, the turkey is hanging from a rope on an overhead pulley. One fellow lowers the turkey into the pot - and there's too much oil...it spills over and catches fire. He attempts to pull the turkey out of the fryer, and the rope - now on fire from the huge flare up - separates and drops the turkey into the fryer. Oil sprays out and does what a fine oil mist will do - it fireballs - you see the two guys taking off on opposite sides of the set - the camera stays in place as the pot begins to warp and melt down...

[Peelod]

THE TEXT-
http://www.ul.com/consumers/turkeys.html

THE VIDEO-
http://www.ul.com/turkeyfryers/fryer.mpg

[Peelod]

THE TEXT-
http://www.ul.com/consumers/turkeys.html

THE VIDEO-
http://www.ul.com/turkeyfryers/fryer.mpg

[76834]

LOL
I would never have survived this long if I wasnt careful.
But I will admit that I truly enjoy what I call a "suicide breakfast" from time to time:

Fried eggs with bacon and sausage served up with split whole wheat french bread toast with melted real butter. All washed down with milk. To finish it off I enjoy a good Maduro cigar.

All the stuff I shouldnt do at my age...
But what the hay? you only live once.

[honeygrl]

"(BTW -- Dr. Romano is ALIVE) "

Is he the one the helicopter fell on? No CHANCE he could be alive after that.

[KC_for_Freedom]

Yes, the outside has a surface grease. But not the meat inside. (you never use internal stuffing either when deep frying). The trick to low fried grease is having the oil bath at the right temperature. Same with french fries, (freedom fries, I mean) and KFC. To reduce the ingested grease, don't eat the skin on a deep fried turkey, cut it away while carving, and the same goes for KFC (except that the grease and spicy skin are the best part-- sorry, there are only three taste sensations, sweet, sour, and grease-- I do like grease, and yes, I need to lose weight too.

[Lx]

Is it worth doing? I've wanted to try it for a few years now and a friend just told me he has a fryer he's never used. It looks good on Food TV but I need to know if it's that good. Do you brine the bird first?

What time do you start your Thanksgiving dinner? I'll arrive early and give it the taste test, mmmmmmm, Turkey.

[honeygrl]

I remember you talking about buying a turkey fryer a while back... read the whole article and you may want to rethink that. They do taste wonderful but it sounds way more dangerous that I would've thought.

[Sir_Ed]

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

No way is Dr. Romano ALIVE! The spoilers all over the webs say "Dr. Romano's memorial is sparsely attended," besides which, the chopper landed on top of him, and then proceeded to BURN for several hours!

Unless he is a Cyborg or Superman, no way is he alive!!

Although it really ticked me off when they killed him off, he's my favorite character!

Ed

[tubebender]

Have you ever brined a turkey.We won't do a turkey without brining as it inhances the flavor and the breast meat is very moist. It may bake a little faster but that is a plus not a negative. You can do a Google for tips on Brining a bird...

[ryanjb2]

I work in fast food and I have at least a half dozen fryer burn scars on my hands. I have seen people stick there hands in the deep fryers. Stupid.

[SevenDaysInMay]

Cooking dinner in gallons of hot FUEL should make one think.

[AgentEcho]

My family has been frying turkeys for years now and I finally had to be the one to stand up and say:

"DEEP FRIED TURKEY IS AWEFUL"

Especially if it is "injected" these are the two worst ideas ever to come to turkey.

Brine it and roast it. To me that's the only way to cook a good turkey.

Æ

[beezdotcom]

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

ROTFLMAOGFB!!! The definitive response!

[ChefKeith]

I think I'll set My fryer on top of a tinker-toy burner support just for fun...

[ChefKeith]

Deep fried turkey beats any other method of turkey cooking in the world!

P.S. I did not get the belly I have from eating at fast food places...

I'm built for comfort not for speed