KNOXVILLE (WATE) – You can’t have a Thanksgiving feast without a turkey, and many people choose to deep fry it. Cooking it can be dangerous if not done the right way. Rural/Metro demonstrated the proper way to deep fry a turkey.
The demonstration used a frozen turkey and a non-frozen turkey. Putting one into the fryer will give you a nice fried meal, but the using the other one could give you some serious injuries.
Fire inspector Colin Cumesty began by putting a non-frozen turkey in three gallons of peanut oil at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. There should be no flames or oil spraying. That isn’t the case with a frozen turken.
“The ice started to melt and that water turned to steam. It caused the oil from inside of the pot to come out from over the sides,” said Cumesty.
Related: Thanksgiving Recipe: Lori Tucker’s fried turkey tradition.
That happens as the steam is looking for low pressure.
“That low pressure is obviously outside of the pot,” he said.
That also means hot oil coming out of the pot, which could cause serious burns.
“You need to stop that burning process immediately. You need to take off any affected clothing,” Cumesty said.
Rural/Metro advises homeowners to deep fry their turkey at least 20 feet away from their home and to put their fryer on a flat, level surface. They say to avoid putting it on wood or using it in a garage.