FRYING THE BIRD THIS THANKSGIVING?

The most glorious of food holidays is upon us and many of you will be filling your home with family and friends as you prepare that wonderful Thanksgiving feast. Some will be roasting your turkey, while others are enjoying the delicacy that is deep fried turkey. If you have never had deep fried turkey, it is an amazing way of quickly cooking your turkey into pure white or dark meat bliss, but it comes with a dangerous side as well.

According to our friends at the Underwriters Laboratories there are some consistent safety hazards with frying your Thanksgiving Turkey:

- Many units easily tip over, spilling the hot oil from the cooking pot.

- If the cooking pot is overfilled with oil, the oil may spill out of the unit when the turkey is placed into the cooking pot. Oil may hit the burner or flames, causing a fire to engulf the entire unit.

- Partially frozen turkeys placed into the fryer can cause a spillover effect. This too may result
in an extensive fire.

- With no thermostat controls, the units also have the potential to overheat the oil to the point of combustion.

- The lid and handles on the sides of the cooking pot get dangerously hot, posing severe burn hazards.

So that being said, what do you need to consider if you absolutely want to enjoy a fried turkey this Thursday?

- Turkey fryers should always be used outdoors a safe distance from buildings and any other flammable materials.

- Never use turkey fryers in a garage or on a wooden deck.

- Make sure the fryers are used on a flat surface to reduce accidental tipping.

- Never leave the fryer unattended. Most units do not have thermostat controls. If you do not watch the fryer carefully, the oil will continue to heat until it catches fire.

- Never let children or pets near the fryer even if it is not in use. The oil inside the cooking pot can remain dangerously hot hours after use.

- To avoid oil spillover, do not overfill the fryer.

- Use well-insulated potholders or oven mitts when touching pot or lid handles. If possible, wear safety goggles to protect your eyes from oil splatter.

- Make sure the turkey is completely thawed and be careful with marinades. Oil and water do not mix, and water causes oil to spill over causing a fire or even an explosion hazard.

- The National Turkey Federation (NTF) recommends thawing the turkey in the refrigerator approximately 24 hours for every five pounds in weight.

- Keep an all-purpose fire extinguisher nearby. Never use water to extinguish a grease fire. If the fire is manageable, use your all-purpose fire extinguisher. If the fire increases, immediately call the fire department for help.

Are you still not convinced that frying turkey is dangerous? Well we at Forest Grove Fire & Rescue spared no expense to improve your safety and brought in a special guest to help show you the dangers involved with frying turkey. Just kidding, we actually found this great video of William Shatner online and wanted to share it with you here. We wish you and yours a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!