ERIE, Colo. (KDVR) — As the Thanksgiving holiday nears, firefighters in Colorado led a demonstration Tuesday showing how to correctly deep-fry a turkey, as well as things you shouldn’t do.
“There are a lot of things you have to be careful about,” said Josh Hamilton, with the North Metro Fire Department.
Hamilton first demonstrated how to safely deep-fry a turkey, which included correct oil temperatures and levels, along with a completely thawed-out turkey.
“People get themselves in trouble without doing their research,” Hamilton said. “Make sure it’s dry and not frozen. It can take several days to defrost a turkey. It might look defrosted on the outside but still have a large ice ball in the middle.”
Hamilton explained and demonstrated that if the turkey isn’t thawed, there’s a risk of a fire explosion. So, it’s important to give the turkey several days to thaw.
“The ice inside will melt, turning into water, causing a reaction with the oil and can explode and cause a big fire,” Hamilton said.
Then Hamilton’s team showed what happens when a person dips a still-frozen turkey into boiling oil. Within moments after the firefighter dressed in full gear dipped the turkey, the whole thing quickly went up in flames.
“Kitchen fires are the leading cause of house fires in the United States, along with in the metro and north metro area,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton said people deep-frying their turkeys need to make sure the fryer is on level ground, that there isn’t too much oil, and, most importantly, that their turkey is thawed.
“It happens on a regular basis on Thanksgiving, we have some sort of fire because of a turkey fryer,” Hamilton said.
If you find yourself in a situation with flames while cooking, he said to call 911, turn off the propane if you can safely, and don’t throw water on the flames.
“It’s important not to throw water on an oil fire and don’t use a hose,” Hamilton said. “Use a dry chemical fire extinguisher, or you can throw dirt on it as well.”
Hamilton also said if you plan on deep-frying to do it outside at least 15 feet away from your home, garage, fence or trees. He also said not to deep-fry under a patio.
“If you get burned by the oil or even the initial fire it can be very significant burn injuries,” Hamilton said.