How to deep fry a turkey with fire safety in mind

Grab these firefighter-approved turkey fryers and related equipment

November 04, 2024 06:41 PM • 

Dryw Keltz

While the oven has long been the conventional route for cooking a turkey, the deep fryer has been giving ovens everywhere a run for their money since the mid-80s. The entire cooking process takes only a few minutes per pound to cook. The biggest payoff, though, is the exceptionally delicious, moist and tender meat that a properly deep-fried turkey will yield. The downside: Deep-frying presents more safety hazards. However, with the right supplies and preparation, you can safely deep fry a turkey that will delight all your holiday guests. Below are some tools and equipment that will help you stay safe and smart along your deep-fried turkey journey.

Deep-fry tools

The following tools will get you going on your turkey deep-frying journey. Once you pick up these items, you will be serving up amazing turkey meat in no time.

Turkey deep fryer kit: Have no fear, if you are new to deep-frying turkeys, you can gather most of the required gear with a single click. The main attraction will be a deep-frying pot with a capacity of 30 quarts. Remember, this isn’t a batch of French fries – you will need plenty of capacity for a large bird, as the average weight of a Thanksgiving turkey is approximately 15-16 pounds. Two other kit essentials will be a poultry stand (which will hold the turkey in place inside the fryer) and the lifting hook that you will need to move the turkey in and out of the fryer. A temperature gauge is also a necessity to monitor the temperature of the cooking oil.

Deep fryer kit

Get cookin’!

Meat thermometer: A meat thermometer is essential to ensure that all the dark meat is cooked to a temperature between 175 and 180 degrees, and that all the white meat is at least 165 to 170 degrees. A thermometer with a long stem is handy to check the temp of the bird while it is in the fryer. You can also use it as an oil thermometer if your deep fryer doesn’t have a built-in temperature gauge.

Long stem thermometer

Temperature check

Oil: Oil is the miracle cooking agent for deep-frying a turkey. Peanut oil is a popular choice because it has a high smoke point along with a neutral flavor. Let your personal seasoning choices and the bird itself dictate the flavor. Have at least 3 to 5 gallons of oil on hand and perhaps a bit more for a larger turkey.

Cooking oil

Fill’er up!

Heat-proof gloves: You will be deep frying your turkey in oil heated to 350 degrees. If any of that gets on your hands, it will not be a pleasant experience. Grab some long-sleeve oil-resistant and waterproof gloves to protect your mitts while you are on cooking duty.

Heat-proof gloves

Extremely handy

Apron: As far as cooking procedures go, deep-frying can be a dirty job. Pick up a heavy-duty liquid-resistant apron that will keep juices and oil off of your clothing and skin. Roomy pockets and loops to hold tools and other items are a bonus.

Heavy-duty apron

Stay covered

Oil disposal container: If you are in search of a creative, eco-friendly way to dispose of your used cooking oil, check out whether your city has a program that will recycle it into biodiesel to use as a fuel to power automobiles. Regardless of where it eventually goes, you will need a reliable storage container to store the oil post-fry. A 10-gallon rust-resistant, carbon steel fryer bucket should do the trick!

Disposal container

Classy clean-up

In case of emergency …

Everyone once in a while things go awry on the cooking front. Be prepared for a deep-fried disaster with these essential safety items.

Fire blanket: In the worst-case scenario, your outdoor deep-frying turkey experiment literally goes up in flames. Be prepared for the worst with a fire blanket to douse the flames before they get out of hand.

Fire blanket

Safety first!

Fire extinguisher: Complement your fire blanket with a fire extinguisher to ensure that any potential fire flare-up is ended quickly and effectively. A burnt bird isn’t nearly as bad as a sizzling house.

Fire extinguisher

Flame out

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Dryw Keltz

Dryw Keltz is a freelance writer living in San Diego County. He has written hundreds of news features, human interest profiles, and film and music reviews over the course of his 20-plus-year career. Keltz has a bachelor’s degree in English writing with an emphasis on creative non-fiction from the University of Pittsburgh.