Deep Fried Turkey

While Deep Fried Turkey is one of Illinois' worst disasters when it comes to Thanksgiving fires, it continues to gain in popularity.

The reason why Illinois has one of the highest incidents is because people don't take the right steps to prevent explosions and other related disasters. They Loooove that deep fried thing but just don't do it right.

Read through these steps and heed the advice! There are several ways to prevent a Thanksgiving, deep fried turkey accident!

Get a real turkey fryer.

Don't try and use a stock pot. Don't use something that the turkey barely fits in. Don't use a hot plate. Don't put your pot on a grill. Three gallons of hot oil is nothing to fool around with, so start with the right equipment. The Bayou Classic is easy to set up, inexpensive, and sturdy.

Safety first. Make sure that your frying area is not near any structure or trees. Cook over stone, dirt, sand, or some other non-flammable surface. Keep children and pets away at all times. I use a large dog fence to cordon off the frying area. Have grease fire extinguishers handy, and above all, be careful!

Use a small bird. Using a large bird will only exacerbate the uneven cooking problem. Additionally, you run the risk of burning the skin before the center cooks through. A 10 to 12 pound bird is ideal, and should fee 8 to 10 people.

Use peanut oil. Peanut oil is one of the most highly saturated vegetable-derived oils and as such, produces crisper results. It also has a very high smoke point, which means that it's got a longer life, allowing you to reuse it multiple times before you've got to discard it.

Defrost the bird! Frozen turkey + hot oil = disaster.DISASTER!

Brine, inject, or season as desired. A brine or injections is not necessary for a juicy bird (I prefer mine without), but it's good extra insurance from overcooking can add flavor to your bird if you're into that. Either way, pat your turkey dry before frying it.

Measure your oil before you heat it. Nothing it worse than lowering a turkey into the fryer only to realize that you haven't added enough oil and the top of its sticking out. Ok, perhaps lowering it and having the oil overflow is worse. To avoid either of these problems, place your turkey into the cold fryer and add oil until the turkey is just covered. Remove your turkey, and heat the oil up to 350°F. You are now ready to cook, and have the exact right amount of oil.

Turn off the flame. If there's one safety tape to take home, let it be this one. By shutting off the flame under your pot before lowering your turkey, you can absolutely prevent your pot of oil from catching on fire—an all-too-common mishap. Shut it off, then relight it using a long match or long-tipped lighter after the turkey is safely in the pot.

Lower the bird slowly. It should take at least a minute to get your turkey into its hot oil bath (Thank the maker, this oil bath is going to feel so good!) Any faster, and you seriously risk boil overs.

Use a thermometer, not a timer. A timer is good for general guidelines, but a thermometer is the only way to guarantee that your bird is cooked to the right degree. Start checking the bird about 25 minutes into cooking. You want the coolest part of the breast to register 145°F before extracting it. Your oil temperature should be maintained at between 325 and 350°F while frying.

Let it rest.

This is absolutely essential. Cut it open immediately, and your exterior will be dry and your center undercooked. Allowing it to rest allows the temperature to equilibrate and for the juices to redistribute to make sure that every bite is relatively even in terms of moisture.