How to safely fry a turkey

Frying turkeys for Thanksgiving is gaining popularity, but there’s a huge fire hazard with this cooking method.

Justin Rees, product training specialist for Cabela’s, said, “You can cook a turkey in about 40 minutes”
Some dangers are involved with that quick cooking time.

“Every year there’s a few turkey fires all over the country,” said Lt. Jon Molbert, of the Ammon Fire Department. “In 2010 it accounted for 44 percent of the structure fires in the year.”
Before you heat up the oil, the most important thing you need to know is never fry a turkey inside your home.

“No. 1 you have to make sure your turkey is completely thawed,” Rees said. “There can’t be any ice in it. The easiest way to make sure it’s thawed is give it two days instead of one.”

Make sure to measure your oil because the fire hazard comes from overspill once the turkey is dropped in the fryer.

“The thing they recommend doing is actually putting your turkey in the pot first and then filling it with water to cover the turkey so you know exactly how much oil you should use,” said Molbert.

While the fryer heats up it’s time to add flavor by injecting a marinade.

“One of the reasons you inject a turkey is it gives more moisture to the turkey,” Rees said. “The other reason is it gives flavor to be cooked from the inside out.”

When it’s time to drop the turkey in the oil it’s important to wear gloves and use a turkey frying hook. It takes 3 and 1/2 minutes per pound, so a 9-pound turkey will take 30 minutes.
According to Ammon Fire Department officials, Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires.