Holidays in the South are never complete without a deep-fried Cajun turkey. Drawn in by the promise of delectable, moist, savory turkey meat, deep-frying this classic Thanksgiving staple has grown to become an increasingly popular tradition. However tempting, deep-frying a turkey is not as easy as it sounds, and can actually be a highly lethal activity. If done the wrong way, the turkey can explode, setting your entire house on fire.
Each year, at least 60 injuries, five deaths, over $15-million in property damage, and the devastation of 900 homes are caused by deep-fried turkey accidents. Do you really want to become part of the statistics? In the video below, firefighters discuss just how dangerous it can be. Here’s why:
If that video alone isn’t enough to scare you into letting the pros handle your turkey this year, here are five more dangers of attempting to DIY deep-fry your turkey:
- Deep-frying a turkey is a several-day long commitment. Proper thawing time in the refrigerator can take several days, and thawing your turkey on the counter rather than in the fridge can result in salmonella poisoning. Salmonella and flu season do not go well together.
- Deep-fat turkey fryers are extremely dangerous because they run a high risk of spilling hot oil, tipping over, and overheating; all of which can lead to burns, fires, and other injuries. If even the tiniest amount of cooking oil from an overfilled pot or partially frozen turkey touches the burner, it can result in a massive fire. At Copeland’s, we always make sure to follow the proper oil displacement procedure.
- The lid, sides of the cooking pot, and handles get insanely hot, which can result in harsh burns.
- If you don’t have thermostat controls, your deep fryer can overheat the oil to the point of catching fire (this usually happens around 400-425 degrees).
- Placing a frozen turkey in a deep fryer full of high-temperature oil can result in enormous flames climbing up to 10 feet high. This is because once the oil boils the water that’s inside of the turkey, it causes massive amounts of steam, forcing the oil to boil over.
These are just a few of the endless reasons why you should let the professionals handle your fried turkey this year. At Copeland’s, we fry our turkeys in peanut oil as a healthy alternative. Have a safe, healthy Thanksgiving this year and let us do the work for you. You can order one of our famous, hot and fresh, deep-fried Cajun turkeys online now and pick it up at a scheduled time that’s convenient for you. Click here to order!