Turkey Frying Tips for Thanksgiving!

It's November, and Thanksgiving is coming up right around the corner! For many of us, it's the kick-off to the holiday season. It allows us to gather with friends and families for good food, conversation, and a chance to relive some memories. What a beautiful thing! 

Thanksgiving is always a great time to relax and be thankful for all we have, but it's essential to do so Safely! There are some increased risks we don't always think about on the big day. For example: did you know that on Thanksgiving, cooking fire home insurance claims double? These fires result from a few things related to the big day but typically center around the sheer volume of cooking done in and around the house. 

One of the biggest culprits of home insurance claims during Thanksgiving is the turkey fryer! Frying your T-Day turkey has dramatically increased in popularity over the past several years. It's hard to beat that deliciously fried Turkey with crisp skin and even harder to beat just how quickly you can cook your bird. (Also, let's not forget it often gives the chef an excuse to get out of the house and escape some of that craziness going on inside. Ha!) 

Turkey fryers, on average, are responsible for five deaths, 60 injuries, and over $15 million in damages every Thanksgiving. Wow! These factors are why Underwriters Laboratories, a safety certification company, has yet to certify a single Turkey fryer. The amount of damages and potential for injury in their testing has caused them to hold off from signing off on such a risky product. 

So please don't run this holiday season afoul when it comes to cooking your Turkey. Frying a Turkey can be delicious, but it is essential to follow some excellent safety tips:

  1. First, make sure you understand how do you operate the turkey fryer fully. Read the instruction manual in and out. 
  2. Step two, make sure the turkey fryer is used outside and away from all structures. Please don't put it in a garage, don't put it in the house or on a deck. Please keep it away from any flammable object or building. 
  3. Make sure that you don't overfill the turkey fryer. Make sure you have the right level of oil in the pot. Keep in mind once you put the turkey in that it's going to displace that oil, and if there is not enough room, it could overflow. That's a big problem with an open fire below. The oil is going to get into the burner, and we're going to have a fire. 
  4. Make sure that kids in pets are staying away from the turkey fryer. Everything is hot and has the potential to splatter or burn them.  
  5. Make sure that the turkey is completely thawed and pat it down to eliminate all moisture. Water and oil do not mix. So if you put a Turkey in there, that's got some moisture on it or is still partially frozen. We're going to have a situation where it overflows and causes a fire. 
  6. Make sure you're wearing safety material, wear gloves, wear an apron, make him wear goggles. We know it sounds silly, but take the necessary steps to protect yourself. 
  7. Make sure that the fryer is on a flat surface and don't have it on a slope. Make sure it's on flat ground in a stable setup.
  8.  Make sure that you have a fire extinguisher. In the event of a fire, water will only make things worse. So if there is a situation where there's a grease fire, don't throw water on it. You want to make sure that you have a fire extinguisher handy. 
  9. Don't drink and fry! It should go without saying but frying a turkey is probably not the time to be a few alcoholic beverages deep. No matter how good Grandma's manhattans are! 

We want you to enjoy the kick-off of the holiday season this Thanksgiving. So if you have plans to fry a turkey, please do so safely. I think we can all agree that we don't need to invite a fire home insurance claim to the party or an injury! Only delicious turkey, sides, and pie! Let's all have a great holiday season by being safe and following the necessary precautions. Turkey on!