New Hanover County Fire Rescue warns of holiday hazards with deep-fryer demonstration

NEW HANOVER COUNTY (WWAY) — That’s what happens when you drop a frozen turkey into a bat of boiling peanut oil. 

New Hanover County Fire and Rescue demonstrated what could go wrong when ice cold meets red hot. 

“The most common mistake would be trying to fry a frozen turkey, or one that’s slightly frozen, just thinking oh, it’s just a little bit of ice and we’ll just cook through it,” says Britney Melvin. 

Britney Melvin is the Community Risk Reduction Coordinator for New Hanover County Fire Rescue. 

She says this demonstration is a way to show rather than tell the community about thanksgiving cooking safety. 

“It’s great to see the reaction of it because sometimes we take lightly about the things that we see, or we hear I should say. We say ‘don’t cook a frozen turkey’ but why? What happens? Let’s see it firsthand while it’s in a controlled environment,” said Melvin. 

The turkey fry, with roots that run deep in the south, is a leading cause of cooking fires, which spike during this particular food-heavy holiday. 

Fire and rescue wanted to show us the right way to fry the monumental bird. 

The first step is to completely thaw the turkey and to determine the correct amount of oil to put in the frier before warming it up. 

“You can do that by placing the turkey inside of the pot, putting water inside, and then taking the turkey out and seeing where that level is, and that’s where you should place your oil,” says Melvin. 

The proper oil temperature: between 225 and 250 degrees, never exceeding 250. 

To minimize splashing, slowly lower the turkey into the fryer using a basket or metal hooks. 

When quicky dropping a frozen turkey into a pot of oil, the oil spills over the sides, causing flames to shoot up from the burner. 

“The turkey deep fryer is synonymous these days with an accident waiting to happen,” says Gayle Petrillo. 

Author Gayle Petrillo knows all about these types of accidents after being burned at a holiday party as a child. 

She says that deep frying a turkey should always be done outside. 

“If you are going to attack that yourself, do it in a very safe area outside of your home, in an area where there isn’t anyone else around, so that people are protected from that grease as it flies, from all that can happen when you insert that turkey into the boiling oil,” said Petrillo. 

It’s important to cook responsibly this thanksgiving season, otherwise your main course may end up in flames.