Hot oil is scary, dangerous and unpredictable. This year, keep everyone safe and consider purchasing an outdoor turkey cooking appliance that does not use oil, or roast the turkey in your oven.
The use of turkey fryers can lead to devastating burns, other injuries and the destruction of property. Here are a few of the dangers:
-Hot oil may splash or spill during cooking. Contact between hot oil and skin could result in serious injury.
-A large-scale spill can happen with outdoor fryers on a stand. The fryer could tip over or collapse. Newer countertop units using a solid base appear to reduce this risk. Fridley Fire does not believe the risks of either type of turkey fryer to be acceptable. Burns happen quickly and are severe.
-In deep frying, oil is heated to temperatures of 350 degrees F or more. Cooking oil is combustible. If it is heated above its cooking temperature, its vapor can ignite.
-Propane-fired turkey fryers must be used outdoors. In Minnesota, we typically have rain or snow this time of year. If rain or snow hits the hot cooking oil, the oil may splatter or turn to steam, leading to burns.
-Turkeys must be completely thawed before placing in the fryer, because a partially thawed turkey will cause the oil to splatter causing serious burns.
-These fryers use a lot of oil, about 5 gallons. Considering the size and weight of the turkey, extreme caution must be taken when placing and removing the turkey from the fryer to be sure its not dropped back into the fryer, splattering the oil.
The Good News: There is now a new type of "oil-less" turkey fryer!