PEORIA, Ill. – It didn’t quite go according to plan; but that was, perhaps, a good thing.
A small brief flame erupted from a turkey Peoria firefighters put into a deep fryer Friday; but the large fire they were hoping for after 450-degree oil spilled over the fryer and a building mimicing garage filled with some smoke — all as part of a Thanksgiving demonstration on avoiding turkey frying fires.
Peoria Fire Prevention Division Chief Nate Rice says a garage or enclosed space is exactly where you DON’T want to fry a turkey.
“People like to be out of the cool weather,” Rice said. “They might attempt to do a frying inside a garage or inside a shed. It’s a very dangerous practice, and not something that should ever be done.”
When you fry a turkey outside, Rice says put some sort of cover down below the fryer, so that your driveway or grass doesn’t get damaged.
Another tip, Rice says, is to watch the oil.
“(In a demonstration) We have filled this pot with oil, at least three-quarters full,” Rice said. “The problem with that is once you put the turkey in, that’s going to take up a lot of your space. That pot that has that oil is not going to be able to handle that much space. That oil is going to boil over that pot.”
So, Rice says, fill the pot half-full with oil instead. Also, heat the oil no more than 350 degrees. And, never walk away from the turkey while it’s cooking. If you do, Rice says, turn off the heat.
More tips are below.
Peoria Fire Department
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