This Is What Happens When You Deep Fry a Frozen Turkey

Why so full? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-22 05:41 · Score: 4, Insightful

Every video of the turkey being put in results in an overflow of displaced oil which catches fire.

The water will 'boil' due the very high oil temp.. but most of these videos seem to fail at 'use the proper amount of oil'.

Re:Why so full? by Osgeld · 2012-11-22 05:44 · Score: 2

throw an ice cube in any amount of hot oil and you will quickly see how much that shit jumps and bubbles up
Re:Why so full? by fustakrakich · 2012-11-22 06:12 · Score: 4, Insightful

This one failed at "use the proper amount of 'film in the camera'". Why was it cut off while it was still interesting? So lame... There needs to be legal penalties for posting bad videos.

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Re:Why so full? by rtfa-troll · 2012-11-22 06:46 · Score: 3, Interesting

throw an ice cube in any amount of hot oil and you will quickly see how much that shit jumps and bubbles up
This is nothing special. If you can get a decent quantity of water under a pan of ignited oil (just pouring it on top works - remember water denser than oil) then you can get a pretty good fireball. I've seen it done with a few tens of grams of oil and a decent water-pistol - that was enough (in the sort of "don't do this at home kids" sort of sense of enough).
What I'm really curious about is whether this would happen with a normal dry cleaned turkey straightforwardly frozen or if it's extra water added to bulk up the weight by the companies that sell frozen food?

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Re:Why so full? by CastrTroy · 2012-11-22 06:53 · Score: 1

That's kind of what I was thinking. Why would a frozen turkey contain any more water than a thawed turkey. I had no idea that they put extra water in the frozen ones to jack up the price. Of course, we only buy fresh, (never frozen) turkeys for thanksgiving, and for almost all our meat.

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Re:Why so full? by ArcadeMan · 2012-11-22 06:54 · Score: 1

If you want to see annoying videos on YouTube, look at people posting their CNC working. It doesn't matter if the video is 30 seconds long or 30 minutes long, most people never show us the machined part at the end and just cut the video once the CNC has done its job.

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Re:Why so full? by ColdWetDog · 2012-11-22 07:26 · Score: 5, Funny

"Normal" and "dry cleaned turkey" don't logically fit, at least in my universe. In fact, I'm having trouble wrapping my brain around a dry cleaned turkey.
Please don't invite me over to your house next Thanksgiving. Nothing personal.

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Re:Why so full? by mark-t · 2012-11-22 07:58 · Score: 1

Actually, the chief problem seems to be that people are trying to do this with a deep fryer whose volume is not significantly more than that of the turkey they are trying to cook. Even if the oil level were initially at the lowest level possible such that once the turkey is in, the oil will fully cover the turkey, the top of the oil is still going to be too close to the top of the fryer to be safe. For the size of turkey they were trying to cook, they should have used a fryer with at least 50% taller, and ideally much wider than the one that they were using. An overall increase in volume of the fryer by about a factor of 2 or 3 would probably make it quite safe.

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Re:Why so full? by rtfa-troll · 2012-11-22 08:07 · Score: 2

Damnit; Grammar fail. I will read Eats, Shoots & Leaves again as a form of self punishment. I promise.

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Re:Why so full? by tlhIngan · 2012-11-22 08:12 · Score: 2

Actually, the chief problem seems to be that people are trying to do this with a deep fryer whose volume is not significantly more than that of the turkey they are trying to cook. Even if the oil level were initially at the lowest level possible such that once the turkey is in, the oil will fully cover the turkey, the top of the oil is still going to be too close to the top of the fryer to be safe. For the size of turkey they were trying to cook, they should have used a fryer with at least 50% taller, and ideally much wider than the one that they were using. An overall increase in volume of the fryer by about a factor of 2 or 3 would probably make it quite safe.
Problem is, most people don't usually fry turkeys too often, so their fryer is probably big enough for stuff like chicken and such. Which means it's barely bigger than the one here (which is quite large for most people to own by itself, but if it fits the bird (barely), it'll work).
After all, if you're only doing it once or twice a year, it's hard to justify a pot the size of a 55 gallon drum (especially in the denser populated areas). Especially since the one barely bigger than a turkey "can work".
Re:Why so full? by snakeshands · 2012-11-22 08:27 · Score: 2

This almost certainly refers to methods of poultry processing; immersion chilling of freshly slaughter poultry has been the rule in the U.S., but air-chilling is becoming more common: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/ar/archive/apr08/chicken0408.htm
A traditionally immersion-chilled carcass absorbs a good deal of water; immediately freezing that carcass traps more water in the tissues.
An air-chilled, or "dry cleaned", bird is much more akin to the result of traditional animal husbandry, and by most accounts yields a superior cooking and dining experience.

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Re:Why so full? by demonlapin · 2012-11-22 08:43 · Score: 1

I would guess the biggest difference is the reaction of the tissue to heat - normal meat will just cook, but frozen might crack, which suddenly increases the surface area tremendously, leading to a huge release of steam.

Of course, they also committed a massive safety fail by not turning the burner off while lowering the turkey in, so it's really hard to judge.
Re:Why so full? by rtfa-troll · 2012-11-22 09:20 · Score: 2

That's kind of what I was thinking. Why would a frozen turkey contain any more water than a thawed turkey. I had no idea that they put extra water in the frozen ones to jack up the price. Of course, we only buy fresh, (never frozen) turkeys for thanksgiving, and for almost all our meat.
Okay, so I got curious after this. Given that we are talking about thanksgiving turkeys, so the US, I found the USDA explanation. Summary. No actual water injection. Apparently no glazing like seafood. However 12% or so "retained water" or "absorbed water" should be declared on the label and things like "up to 10% of a Solution" may be used to help with flavour. The poultry its self likely has more than 65% water, but I guess that is normally more bound up with the meat, since it doesn't cause a problem in normal deep frying. The same sheet mentions that freezing damages cells and releases water. This cryogenic freezing sales brochure mentions up to 5% of water being released.
So, a typical US frozen turkey could be up to 25% extra frozen water by weight and quite likely up to 28% available water when dropped in to the fat. That compares to a "normal dry cleaned" (normal, cleaned, dry) frozen turkey at about 5%.
I can see we need some serious experiments by an American Slashdotter equipped with a very large back yard appropriate fire equipment and a strong set of safe experimental experience.

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Re:Why so full? by mark-t · 2012-11-22 09:28 · Score: 1

I'll agree that it's probably not worth getting a larger one for most people... I was only pointing out what appeared to be the general problem with the ones shown in those videos.
Now that said, what I might suggest people who are going to try this do is do a test run by putting the bird into a clean and completely empty deep fryer first to see how it fits... before putting heating it, and before putting any oil in, then fill the fryer with water such that the bird is covered as you would expect it to be with oil. The amount of water that you've put into the fryer at this point should be roughly the same amount of oil that you will need. If water level at this point is above the recommended safe oil level for the fryer, then you should not be trying to deep fry that turkey in that fryer. End of story. Use your oven instead.
If all is okay, however, then carefully pull out the turkey, and let the water that might be flowing off of the turkey drip back into the fryer for a few seconds. Pay attention to where the water level is at that time, because that's the level that marks roughly how much oil you're going to need to cover the turkey in the fryer. Adding more than this is inadvisable if the safe oil level was not much higher than the height of the turkey in the fryer.

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Re:Why so full? by viperidaenz · 2012-11-22 09:30 · Score: 1

Plus you'll need 30 gallons of oil to put in your one-time-use 55 gallon deep fryer and a much, much bigger heat source.
Re:Why so full? by rtb61 · 2012-11-22 16:18 · Score: 2

Obviously you don't do much cooking. Frozen products are often covered with a layer of ice from a couple of sources. Major source, warm bird as it is getting frozen, the freezer is a very dry environment drawing moisture from inside the warm meat to the surface where it freezes. Next the movement from the freezer to the fryer takes time and frozen meat will condense moisture from the atmosphere and freeze on it's surface. So upon first insertion you have free water to react with the oil. Specifically water is denser than oil, drops to the bottom of the cooking container where it displaces the oil on the heated surface and vaporises expanding greatly, creating bubbles of steam which rush to the surface.
Easy solution stick frozen bird in cold oil and the turn the temp up, do not overfill cooking container, put bird in butt first so heated oil can more readily enter the body cavity.

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Re:Why so full? by jamesh · 2012-11-22 19:52 · Score: 3, Funny

trouble wrapping my brain around a dry cleaned turkey.
There's your problem. The brain should be stuffed inside the turkey rather than wrapped around it.
Re:Why so full? by HungryHobo · 2012-11-22 21:22 · Score: 1

if it's very wet and the item is put in fast it still will.

finally by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-22 05:41 · Score: 2, Funny

Now how do i sneak this on a plane?

Re:finally by ciderbrew · 2012-11-22 06:05 · Score: 1

In a snake?
Re:finally by SYSS+Mouse · 2012-11-22 06:06 · Score: 1

The TSA wants to have a word with you.
Re:finally by GameboyRMH · 2012-11-22 06:53 · Score: 1

Just strap the turkey to your stomach, it'll just look like you have a horribly misshapen belly on the nudie scanner. Then bring the oil in a large number of tiny containers. If you need a larger container, simply buy a large bottle of soda in a store in the airport terminal. For heat, use any AC-powered device like a Prescott-powered laptop, planes generally have a power socket in the seatback now.

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Re:finally by ColdWetDog · 2012-11-22 07:28 · Score: 1

In your underwear, of course! "Is that a deep fryer, or are you just happy to see me?"
I suppose that puts a bit different spin on the phrase 'hot to trot'.

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Re:finally by R3d+M3rcury · 2012-11-22 18:11 · Score: 1

I got kicked off an airplane for bringing my own food. My argument was that the food prices on the airplane were outrageous. Besides, I haven't had deep fried turkey in years.
With Apologies to Steven Wright.

Maybe it's just me by paiute · 2012-11-22 05:42 · Score: 1, Insightful

I can't help thinking that the average Slashdot reader has already watched every episode of Good Eats and knows not to do this already.

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Re:Maybe it's just me by gstoddart · 2012-11-22 06:08 · Score: 2

I can't help thinking that the average Slashdot reader has already watched every episode of Good Eats and knows not to do this already.
From what I've seen over the years ... such demonstrations don't serve to dissuade Slashdotters from doing something. It's more of a starting point for something to try at home. :-P

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Re:Maybe it's just me by Kergan · 2012-11-22 06:27 · Score: 1

I think it's about a thousand times more likely that the average Slashdot reader will have watched the Mythbusters episode where they showed what happens when you do this, while his mom is cooking the turkey.
FTFY
Re:Maybe it's just me by alanw · 2012-11-23 07:02 · Score: 1

I can't help thinking that the average Slashdot reader has already watched every episode of Good Eats and knows not to do this already.
Insert "North American" between "average" and "Slashdot".
However do I remember this video made by Underwriters Laboratories from many years ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbLqFQQdvoY
Re:Maybe it's just me by halcyon1234 · 2012-11-23 08:37 · Score: 1

I can't help thinking that the average Slashdot reader has already watched every episode of Good Eats and knows not to do this already.
And if you haven't, that'd be S10E12 - Fry Turkey Fry. Enjoy your next 21 minutes, or read the transcript.
(For anyone just looking for the big fireball, it's at 10:32)

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Archimedes would be proud by Russ1642 · 2012-11-22 05:44 · Score: 1

Does it not make sense to put in the raw turkey while filling with oil to get the volume right?

Re:Archimedes would be proud by bruce_the_loon · 2012-11-22 06:09 · Score: 1

The problem isn't the right volume of oil to submerge the bird, they had that right in the video as you don't see oil slopping over the side of the pot as the bird goes in. What happens is the hot oil melts and boils the ice around the bird and the steam explosion throws the oil over the edge of the pot.
Now, a very tall pot, say 2m, might contain that oil.

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Re:Archimedes would be proud by TheLink · 2012-11-22 07:26 · Score: 1

If they turned off the flame before lowering the bird in the overflowing/flying oil won't catch on fire either.

But the flying hot oil can still blind, permanently disfigure and maim people.

My guess is chunks of ice can end up creating bigger expanding bubbles of steam than water for the same amount of water, since the ice = more water stuck together. And bigger expanding bubbles = more flying oil. But either way too much water in oil is not a good idea.
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Re:Archimedes would be proud by bruce_the_loon · 2012-11-22 08:42 · Score: 1

Aerosolised oil might ignite merely with the heat, same way a diesel engine ignites without a spark, so it may not help.
There might also be more water present in a frozen bird. I know when I thaw a chicken, there is a lot of water sitting on the plate afterwards, so thawing the bird lets that water drain and not be dumped in the oil as it is boiled off.

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Re:Archimedes would be proud by isilrion · 2012-11-22 09:30 · Score: 2

ice = more water stuck together
FYI, ice is less dense than water. That's why it floats.
Re:Archimedes would be proud by PPH · 2012-11-22 09:33 · Score: 1

Ice isn't more water stuck together. Ice actually has a lower specific gravity than water (ice floats).
I think the biggest problem is that the heat of fusion (the amount of heat needed to melt the ice) actually gives it an opportunity to melt and then boil a bit slower. And that gives the ice more time to sink below the oil. Once it melts and then boils (at the bottom of the pot) it displaces a larger column of oil above it. Once that oil makes it out of the pot, it either hits you in the face (burns) or slops down onto the propane burner and catches fire (your house burns down).

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Re:Archimedes would be proud by TapeCutter · 2012-11-22 10:05 · Score: 2

That's not the point he was making, what he is actually talking about is surface area vs volume. A block of ice does not disperse when it hits the oil, it sinks toward the bottom as a block, liquid water disperses quickly and may not get a chance to sink as deep as ice. GP speculates this may result in larger bubbles with ice.

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Re:Archimedes would be proud by isilrion · 2012-11-22 10:13 · Score: 1

Ah, "stuck together" was the important part. I missed that. Thank you for the clarification.
Re:Archimedes would be proud by viperidaenz · 2012-11-22 10:38 · Score: 1

A diesel engine ignites without a spark from the heat generated by compression. Aerosolised oil will rapidly drop in temperature. Cooking oil won't combust without an ignition source unless it is over 350C.
Re:Archimedes would be proud by c0lo · 2012-11-22 10:53 · Score: 1

Aerosolised oil might ignite merely with the heat, same way a diesel engine ignites without a spark, so it may not help.
It will happen if you adiabatically increase the atmospheric pressure around the pot at a compression ratio over 14:1 or you use fuels to deep fry the bird or just slowly raise the temperature of the pot to the point of it glowing-red
Cooking oil
* flash point (emits fumes capable of ignition by an external source): over 200C
* autoignition point (no open flame present): over 400C - iron glows deep red, visible in the dark.

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About to start on my own. by PlusFiveTroll · 2012-11-22 05:45 · Score: 3, Informative

Stuffing a non-frozen turkey in a frier that fast will lead to bad things, remember dip it in slowly so any excess water in the turkey boils off without turning the entire thing in to a conflagration.

Oh yea, never fry in your garage, on a wooden porch, or close to anything that will catch on fire.

On that note, I have two turkeys on my counter ready to be injected with butter and a nice rub put on them before I fry them. Fully defrosted, no need for a hospital visit.

Re:About to start on my own. by ThePeices · 2012-11-22 10:53 · Score: 1

This must be an American thing, but, why would you want to deep fry a turkey in the first place?
Re:About to start on my own. by PlusFiveTroll · 2012-11-22 11:50 · Score: 1

I'm glad I'm not the only one trying to work this out. Why not just get KFC for dinner?
Because a turkey isn't battered, it's totally different, and the taste is simply amazing.
Re:About to start on my own. by steviesteveo12 · 2012-11-22 12:54 · Score: 1

Yeah, it's definitely regional. I'm Scottish and even we don't deep fry turkeys. You roast them in the oven and it's delicious.
Re:About to start on my own. by hondo77 · 2012-11-23 09:52 · Score: 1

Because there are a large number of Americans who want to fry everything they eat.

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You're doing it wrong by Webs+101 · 2012-11-22 05:45 · Score: 1

We deep-fry turkeys all the time.

You do it with a thawed or fresh turkey and you don't use a pot that's too small for the amount of oil it must hold.

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Re:You're doing it wrong by batkiwi · 2012-11-22 08:28 · Score: 2

They know they're doing it wrong, that's the point of the video!
Many people think that you can use deep frying as a short cut if you forgot to thaw your turkey.
People are stupid, news at 11!

Before you attempt it, consult Alton Brown by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-22 05:47 · Score: 1

Find the "Good Eats" episode on deep-frying a turkey, i'm sure its on youtube or foodnetwork.com

Re:Before you attempt it, consult Alton Brown by Minwee · 2012-11-22 05:59 · Score: 1

If only there were a way to find things like that.
Re:Before you attempt it, consult Alton Brown by Forty+Two+Tenfold · 2012-11-22 06:42 · Score: 1

Yeah, "romancing the bird" is such an obvious query string. Whoever wouldn't guess that is an idiot.

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Re:Before you attempt it, consult Alton Brown by Minwee · 2012-11-22 07:00 · Score: 1

Anyone who picked "Fry, Turkey, Fry" is just doing it wrong.

don't you have ovens? by pointyhat · 2012-11-22 05:51 · Score: 1

What's the deal with turkey fryers? I've always done them in the oven.

Re:don't you have ovens? by tchuladdiass · 2012-11-22 06:18 · Score: 3, Informative

Deep frying a whole turkey makes it come out extremely juicy -- it doesn't have that "fried" flavor or taste. Cooking in the oven gets you a bit dryer turkey. What happens is the hot oil sears the skin, trapping the juices inside. Usually you inject them with a butter based solution, seasoned with various spices, and that gets embedded into the turkey meat. Oh, and when you inject the bird, first figure out which way you are going to position it in the pot, and make sure the injection holes are at the top (try to reuse the same injection site, and with different angles / depths), so that the juice doesn't run out into the oil when cooking.
And yes, the first time I had seen this done was in Arkansas. But like I said above, it doesn't come out greasy or anything like that.
Re:don't you have ovens? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-22 06:49 · Score: 1

The searing of the meat doesn't lock in the moisture, it is more that it is surrounded by oil that makes it much more difficult for water to evaporate or boil off.
The idea that searing meat traps in moisture is kind of a myth in most situations. Searing is done for the flavor, and doing it before or after cooking the meat can affect the flavor. But you can easily do tests where you both sear and don't sear a piece of meat, or sear before or after cooking and get the same moisture in both pieces, but possibly different flavor from the sear.
Re:don't you have ovens? by fermion · 2012-11-22 06:50 · Score: 2

Have you tried brining it?

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Re:don't you have ovens? by smellotron · 2012-11-22 07:09 · Score: 1

What happens is the hot oil sears the skin, trapping the juices inside.

I've heard this for steaks, and I've also seen the experimental rebuttal from (IIRC) the Cook's Illustrated/Test Kitchen people which showed additional moisture loss from searing. In fact, many cooks advocate exactly the opposite: slow-cooking a steak before searing in order to minimize overcooking and produce a juicier steak.
I've also heard that deep frying is the most efficient (heat transfer/loss) cooking method. Perhaps the faster cooking is what counteracts the moisture loss?
Re:don't you have ovens? by Russ1642 · 2012-11-22 07:18 · Score: 1

You're injecting them with butter, but it "doesn't come out greasy or anything like that". Seriously?
Re:don't you have ovens? by demonlapin · 2012-11-22 08:50 · Score: 1

No, it doesn't. Really. These are fried turkeys, but they're not breaded first, so very little oil is retained - the skin keeps a little, but that's it.
Re:don't you have ovens? by ceoyoyo · 2012-11-22 09:10 · Score: 1

Deep fried food is quite popular. And boiling it in oil certainly makes it moist. Try boiling butter sometime and see if that's even more popular. It's supposed to be the top three secrets to French cuisine after all.
Re:don't you have ovens? by dywolf · 2012-11-27 01:32 · Score: 1

he said skin. it sears the skin. not the meat.
and yes, that does lock in the moisture when frying a turkey.

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Better video... by Bomarc · 2012-11-22 05:52 · Score: 3, Interesting

This one by State Farm is better... and it shows the ice in the oil trick!

Re:Better video... by tkohler · 2012-11-22 06:54 · Score: 4, Interesting

This one by State Farm is better... and it shows the ice in the oil trick!
Everything is better with Shatner.

as god is my witness by TheGratefulNet · 2012-11-22 05:55 · Score: 1

I thought turkey's could fry

(oblig)

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Re:as god is my witness by fermion · 2012-11-22 06:51 · Score: 1

Just here to say best WKRP ever. Action offstage but acting makes it work.

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Didn't Mythbusters "investigate" this? by Whatsmynickname · 2012-11-22 05:59 · Score: 1

Mixing oil and water isn't a good thing...

thaw it first by davydagger · 2012-11-22 06:02 · Score: 1

do it right, and thaw the turkey first.

otherwise it will explode as shown.

You CAN fry a turkey and it is delicious.

Don't use ice to cool the oil by SmallFurryCreature · 2012-11-22 06:04 · Score: 1

Seriously, second part of the above video, "don't use ice to cool the oil" over the video of a fireman dumping a saucepan of ice into boiling oil.

DID ANYONE EVER DO THIS? Think, this oil is to hot, why not dump in some frozen water to cool it down...

I can understand people trying to put out burning oil with water and needing to be told that isn't the best of ideas but that at least makes some basic sense, you put out fires with water is pretty basic. of course the next part to learn is "NOT ALL FIRES" but that is advanced learning, though education for 5yr olds.

But cooling oil with ice?

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Re:Don't use ice to cool the oil by Capt.DrumkenBum · 2012-11-22 06:18 · Score: 2

DID ANYONE EVER DO THIS? Think, this oil is to hot, why not dump in some frozen water to cool it down...

When I was 12 years old I coined "Rob's first law", which states:
People are generally stupid.
I have seen no evidence to the contrary in the past over 30 years.

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Re:Don't use ice to cool the oil by demonlapin · 2012-11-22 09:16 · Score: 3, Funny

The guys who came up with the idea to fry a whole turkey were rednecks. And every good redneck story begins when someone says "Here, hold my beer while I..."
Re:Don't use ice to cool the oil by FormOfActionBanana · 2012-11-22 11:58 · Score: 1

If you dump enough ice that it actually cools the oil, then it's fine.
Obviously, risky behavior if you don't know the equipment you're working with.

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Re:Don't use ice to cool the oil by riverat1 · 2012-11-22 14:16 · Score: 1

If you got a cube of frozen oxygen (54K) and dropped that in a vat of boiling oil I imagine the results would be pretty spectacular.
Re:Don't use ice to cool the oil by VanessaE · 2012-11-22 18:02 · Score: 1

Strange, I always thought it went "Hey Bubba! Watch THIS!"
Shows how much I know :-)

jackass department by The_Rook · 2012-11-22 06:06 · Score: 1

i wonder how many people will deep fry a frozen turkey on purpose just to see the explosion.

and for good measure, drop a pumpkin or two in the deep fryer, also just to see what happens.

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Re:Okay we get the message, but why is that so? by firex726 · 2012-11-22 06:07 · Score: 1

Oil over flows from the side down onto the burner underneath; catches on fire.

There's something missing. by Minwee · 2012-11-22 06:12 · Score: 2

I think the last part of the video which explains the science behind this and compares turkey-and-oil-induced BLEVE to similar incidents involving exploding gas tanks and storage facilities.

Even a dramatic reading by William Shatner would have been more interesting.

Re:There's something missing. by Tablizer · 2012-11-22 06:21 · Score: 1

Kirk, it's not a "dingle dangle", it's a Cling-on.

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Re:Okay we get the message, but why is that so? by PlusFiveTroll · 2012-11-22 06:13 · Score: 1

Yes, the ice trapped in the turkey quickly turns to water then steam. This steam takes up a lot more volume causing displacement of the oil. Now you have hot oil incorporated with steam and air escaping its container, some of this oil forms a vapor could which is ignited by the oil that runs down the side in to the gas flame. The oil doesn't auto-ignite, the gas flame does that.

Mythbusters by Tablizer · 2012-11-22 06:14 · Score: 1

I thought I remember MythBusters trying something similar. I don't remember a lot of flames, but liquid sprayed all over.

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Err... by pev · 2012-11-22 06:34 · Score: 1, Flamebait

I'd never even considered doing that in the first place?! (OK, ignoring me being vegetarian that is...!)

How many Slashdotters had that cross their mind? Do our American cousins not get taught cookery basics at school? Should they be doing demo videos of why one shouldn't also cook turkeys using [ petrol / napalm / thermite ] as well just in case?

I'm flummoxed.

Re:Err... by bmo · 2012-11-22 06:43 · Score: 4, Informative

1. You're missing out.
2. You don't have deep fryers in jolly ol'?
3. Deep frying is basic cookery.
4. The turkey comes out juicy and not dried out.
5. It akes 30-45 minutes.
6. Crispy turkey skin.
7. It's safe if you read the instructions and warnings and *pay them heed.*
You can take your American bashing and shove it.
--
BMO
Re:Err... by Runaway1956 · 2012-11-22 07:03 · Score: 1

Despite bmo's bravado, the answer to your question is "No". I'm male, and I learned no cooking in school. I learned at home, and out in the woods. Females? Well - when I was in school, they had Home Economics. I'm not real sure that they learned anything in Home-Ec, because a lot of those girls couldn't boil water without scorching the pan.
I don't even think they have Home-Ec anymore. Due to the fact that they can't beat a young man into wearing an apron in Home-Ec, they decided that the class is sexist. It just encourages girls to cook, which makes them even more desirable to horny young teens, effectively guaranteeing that women remain barefoot and pregnant, in the kitchen.

--
"Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
Re:Err... by s0nicfreak · 2012-11-22 07:22 · Score: 2

I'm female, and I learned no cooking in school. My husband is a little older, and he did learn a bit of cooking. But it was mostly done away with by the time I entered highschool. I don't know if it was because it is sexist or because it means people won't be buying from McDonalds and such. Where will all the future McDonalds workers the schools are churning out go if people aren't buying their food from McDonalds?
Re:Err... by s0nicfreak · 2012-11-22 07:24 · Score: 1

Uh, it's way more greasy. It's just that with fried, the grease is crunchy. If you put a turkey on a roasting rack in the oven, most of the grease drips off.
Re:Err... by sjames · 2012-11-22 08:03 · Score: 1

Frying the turkey is growing in popularity and is a perfectly good way to cook turkey.
You just have to make sure it's well thawed first, and inevitably with a population of 300 million, a few forget that every year.
Re:Err... by demonlapin · 2012-11-22 09:20 · Score: 1

Most of the grease drips off a turkey in a fryer, too. I wouldn't call oven-cooked turkey greasy, though.
Re:Err... by uncqual · 2012-11-22 09:43 · Score: 1

Although, many years ago when they still offered but did not require Home Economics in high school and boys were allowed, some guys took it thinking it would be both an easy class and a good place to try to pick up girls. The former was true, the latter I'm not so sure of as I didn't hear many stories of "success" with this strategy.

--
Why is there an "insightful" mod and why isn't it "-1"? If I wanted insight, I wouldn't be reading /.
Re:Err... by onkelonkel · 2012-11-22 10:27 · Score: 1

Dear Flummoxed.

We are told that in your country there are people who eat roast beef well done, by choice. You have no claim on the culinary moral high ground.

--
None of them can see the clouds; The polished wings don't care.
Re:Err... by Vanders · 2012-11-22 11:57 · Score: 1

Roast beef should never, ever, be well done. Any more than a fillet steak should never be well done. A roast joint of beef should be as pink in the centre as a rare steak.

--
Syllable : It's an Operating System
Re:Err... by pjbgravely · 2012-11-22 15:16 · Score: 1

That must be why I cannot stand roast beef. For me a steak has no flavour except for blood unless it is completely cooked well done.

--
Star Trek, there maybe hope.
Re:Err... by radish · 2012-11-22 15:29 · Score: 1

I'm British. The only people I've ever met who eat beef well done have been American (for example all of my wife's family). Quite a shame given how good the beef is over here in the US of A.

--
---- Den ene knappen er powerknapp, den andre er Bender voice knapp "Bite My Shiny Metal Ass"
Re:Err... by bmo · 2012-11-22 16:37 · Score: 1

The way things come out greasy in a deep fryer is if your oil isn't hot enough.
Anything lower than 350F/175C and you're doing it wrong.
Anything higher than 375/190 and you start smoking the oil.
Having a thermometer helps.
--
BMO
Re:Err... by Viceice · 2012-11-22 18:16 · Score: 1

Maybe what needs to happen around Thankgiving is community kitchens. Have a temporary commercial kitchen setup somewhere in town staffed by people with a clue where, for a small donation, people can go get their turkey cooked.
Heck, I can even see sponsors being brought in to defray some costs, and a sense of community being built up around it.

--
Sometimes I wish I was a plumber, then I'd know how to deal with other people's shit.
Re:Err... by Kasamir · 2012-11-23 11:26 · Score: 1

Thermite cooking
Re:Err... by kaatochacha · 2012-11-23 12:35 · Score: 1

You're an idiot. Tempura is Japanese, first place I ever had it WAS in Japan. Who supposedly got it from the Portuguese. Who may have gotten it from the Indians.If you're going to go on an anti-US tirade, there's many better options.
Re:Err... by s0nicfreak · 2012-11-23 16:41 · Score: 1

What do you think that crunchy stuff on the surface is?
Re:Err... by dywolf · 2012-11-27 01:36 · Score: 1

it's called skin.
you dont deep fry a skinless turkey.
and grease isnt crunchy.

--
The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.

Re:Ruddy Americans...! by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-22 06:35 · Score: 1

Apparently, yes. Seems Americans are worse than Weegies for frying things.

Re:Ruddy Americans...! by Runaway1956 · 2012-11-22 06:55 · Score: 1

Dafoq's a "Weegie"?

Never mind - Google seems to thing it's a GlasgoWEEGIan.

--
"Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br

I learned that the hard way as a teenager. by meldroc · 2012-11-22 07:00 · Score: 5, Informative

My very first job, I worked at an A&W, and they put me to work at the deep fryer. The procedure there (OSHA would not approve) was to take a big bag of fries out of the freezer, cook some of them, put the fries back in the freezer, and repeat for a few iterations. They freeze-thaw cycles would cause the fries to get covered with ice crystals.

One particularly frantic dinner rush, I was scrambling to get fries out, and I jammed a whole bunch of ice-covered fries in the deep fryer. Of course, the crystals flashed to steam, and splashed my arm with napalm-hot frying oil. I still have the scars.

--

Meldroc, Waster of Electrons

Re:I learned that the hard way as a teenager. by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-22 08:38 · Score: 1

peter principle in action.
probably a manager in charge of 20 people by now.
tells that story to everyone..
deep fat fryers are an evolutionary tool used by business to thin the herd. That's why working at drive thru's are considered relevant.
Re:I learned that the hard way as a teenager. by TapeCutter · 2012-11-22 09:49 · Score: 1

When I was a kid a family friend threw a large pan of water onto a fat fire in his kitchen, he spent the next couple of months in hospital.

--
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
Re:I learned that the hard way as a teenager. by Sir+Holo · 2012-11-22 10:45 · Score: 1

In my very first job, we pre-melted the deep-fry oil in the back, and carried it into the kitchen in a pot held by tongs and wet towels. I went off to college, but returned for breaks. Once, upon return, I found a horrifically scarred African-immigrant cook, who had dropped the pot, resulting in a splash-from-hell to the face and hands.

I probably deserve to have my own scars from throwing ice cubes into smoking-hot pots of oil, but had the sense to stand back, so no scars from that (knives are another matter).
Re:I learned that the hard way as a teenager. by thygate · 2012-11-22 16:10 · Score: 1

you BAKE in OIL and COOK in WATER
Re:I learned that the hard way as a teenager. by DarwinSurvivor · 2012-11-22 20:24 · Score: 1

You bake in an oven, you FRY in oil!
Re:I learned that the hard way as a teenager. by thygate · 2012-11-23 01:40 · Score: 1

well then it's a language thing because in Dutch, we bake in oil and grease (or dry in the oven) and we only fry stuff like potatoes in a frier. And we only use the term cooking when something is submerged in boiling water.
Re:I learned that the hard way as a teenager. by DarwinSurvivor · 2012-11-23 14:21 · Score: 1

So you bake chicken on a frying pan?

Re:Ruddy Americans...! by Gordonjcp · 2012-11-22 07:19 · Score: 2

In all seriousness, you can spot a shift in a country's cuisine through history when they begin trading with Scotland. Tempura? Pakora? They happened because some trader said "right, let me show you a thing, first you make some batter from flour and water, okay now dip in in and fry it - yeah, good, isn't it?"

Reminds me of that famous video with Liquid Oxygen by Polo · 2012-11-22 07:21 · Score: 1

Lighting a Barbecue Grill with Liquid Oxygen

Because it wasn't by Anonymous Coward · 2012-11-22 07:24 · Score: 1

There doesn't have to be that much oil to cause a far.

Physics you stupid git.

Water and ice, are much denser than oil, so they sink to the bottom. They convert rapidly to steam which expands rapidly and blasts the oil above it out of the pot.

DHS by Penurious+Penguin · 2012-11-22 07:28 · Score: 1

The DHS warned about this last year. Where there aint be no terrorists or journalists, there be birds without feathers.
And don't mind that strange man in a trench-coat lurking outside your house; he's just one of many TSA agents volunteering to frisk your turkey. If you stuff it in a diaper first, he'll give you free Pre-Check when he's finished.

--
Forward! -- Emperor Norton, 2012

Missing the only question by preaction · 2012-11-22 07:29 · Score: 1

But how did it taste afterward?

Eat, Fry, Love by HtR · 2012-11-22 07:37 · Score: 1

I much prefer William Shatner's "Eat, Fry, Love" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=EYkRF_FmD40&feature=endscreen

From his excitement in receiving his turkey fryer, to his pain in having to say goodbye to it at the end - you can see the emotion he brings to the part.

--
Have you tried turning it off and on again?

Re:Deliberately... by jamstar7 · 2012-11-22 07:51 · Score: 1

The pot was deliberately overfilled with way too much oil to begin with... to create a rigged demo that would be more "exiting" to watch.

Nobody died, so how could they be 'exiting'? This one doesn't even get a Darwin Award consideration.

--
Understanding the scope of the problem is the first step on the path to true panic.

Re:Not very impressive by cranky_chemist · 2012-11-22 08:02 · Score: 1

Actually, there are indeed far more impressive videos of this effect:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=hQYTMFCLy5E&NR=1

Re:Ruddy Americans...! by demonlapin · 2012-11-22 08:52 · Score: 1

Like chicken tikka masala - "you know, this johnny foreigner chicken is pretty damned good, but what it really needs is a nice cream sauce".

ProTip by PPH · 2012-11-22 09:38 · Score: 1

And don't do any of this in the garage, carport, under eaves or on a wood (flammable) deck. I'd shield the propane line and use one long enough to be able to reach the tank valve even with the fryer fully engulfed in flames.

--
Have gnu, will travel.

Re:ProTip by mark-t · 2012-11-22 09:42 · Score: 1

If the oil level is high enough that there is a serious spill risk after the turkey is in, then the turkey is too big for the fryer. Deep frying should not be a dangerous experience other than the increased health risks that might come with eating certain deep fried foods. The cooking itself should be no less safe than cooking anything else.

--
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'

Re:Ruddy Americans...! by Gordonjcp · 2012-11-22 13:47 · Score: 1

Nobody in Scotland eats chicken tikka masala. Well, maybe as a mild non-spicy thing to cleanse your palate between different kinds of curry, but probably not even then.

Re:Ruddy Americans...! by Mal-2 · 2012-11-22 19:17 · Score: 1

Tempura is not the fault of the Scottish, it's the fault of the Portuguese. They wanted something they could eat on Fridays (it's no accident "tempura" resembles "tempora", meaning "time" -- as in a dish for the time they can't eat meat) so they introduced deep-frying of large shrimp, scallops, crab, or other seafood to Japan. It proved immensely popular with the natives, and remains so to this day. It's also popular in many other countries now as well, since it's more of a method than an actual dish and many different things can be battered and fried.

I personally love shrimp tempura, but on the vegetable side, green peppers and yams also work quite well.

--
How is the Riemann zeta function like Trump rallies? Both have an endless number of trivial zeros.

Re:Deliberately... by rioki · 2012-11-22 21:13 · Score: 1

I once saw a demonstration by the local fire department with 2 cups of oil and one cup of water... It was titled, "why you should not extinguish a oil fire with water". HOLY SHIT THAT WAS IMPRESSIVE!!! I don't care if they exaggerate a bit, it is definitely a learning experience and very impressive to kids.

Fun with science... Molten aluminum by witherstaff · 2012-11-22 22:19 · Score: 1

For the ManPro - Manufacturing Processes - class at GMI (Before it became Kettering) we did green sand casting. Had to pour the molten aluminum in and were warned entering the room if you so much as sneeze, spit, sweat, etc in the vicinity of the aluminum you will get hurt, badly. That was a fun class!

Re:Fun with science... Molten aluminum by RockDoctor · 2012-11-26 01:05 · Score: 1

I still have a small scar on my wrist from casting lead diving weights using sand which wasn't completely dry.
It hurt. This is not recommended.

--
Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"

007 Skyfall 2012 -TS Rip Xvid by skeeto · 2012-11-28 15:27 · Score: 1

007 Skyfall 2012 -TS Rip Xvid http://thepiratebay.se/torrent/7816821/007_Skyfall_2012_-TS_Rip_Xvid magnet:?xt=urn:btih:567a9f8342cb4087f9245ce27b12b569d7fcaa65

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This Is What Happens When You Deep Fry a Frozen Turkey

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