PEORIA HEIGHTS, Ill. — Before you dip that bird in the fryer, there are a few safety tips from the Peoria Heights Fire Department.
Frying turkeys have become popular for prepping Thanksgiving dinner, and Peoria Heights Fire Chief, Greg Walters, said remember to thaw the turkey completely.
“What you’re looking at is a pot of very hot oil. Usually 350-375 degrees, and if you have a turkey or anything of that nature that you’re going to immerse in it, you want to make sure that number one it is not frozen,” Walters said. “That it’s thawed completely, and that it has been patted dry.”
Water turns to steam at 212 degrees. If there is any moisture in the bird while frying it in oil that is over 300 degrees, that moisture or water will turn into steam, and expand 1,700 times it’s volume.
“So, imagine a frozen turkey, or a wet turkey that you immerse into this oil, and all that water in it is now brought to its boiling point and turns to steam and it expands. As it expands, it goes airborne,” Walters said.
If the turkey goes airborne, the oil with it turns into a mist that can ignite the flame under the cooker and create a disastrous fire.
When dipping the turkey into the cooker, Walters said it is best to read the instructions, and go slow.
“You don’t drop it in there, you do a little bit at a time so it starts to get accustomed to the heat. And you can see if it’s going to boil over, you can pull it back out,” Walters said.
Frying a turkey should never be inside a closed space such as a garage, but 15 to 20 feet away from a structure or anything combustible.
If your meal prep is in the kitchen, there are other dangers to be aware of.
Walters said to never leave a stove or cooking food unattended.
“Somebody has to be by it, especially when you’ve got kids coming through it. And, also if you’ve got young toddlers that like to reach up and grab, make sure that the pot handles, the handles on whatever you’re cooking on that stove-top, [are] turned away from them,” Walters said. “The young ones don’t know any better.”
While cooking hams and turkeys, the fat is being reduced due to the heat. And fat can become a combustible liquid that can spill over and ignite under the pan.
One popular method of celebrating the holidays is decorating the interior of houses. One decor item that can be dangerous is a candle.
“You can not leave candles unattended. You leave the room, put it out,” Walters said.
Decor close to or around a candle can be flammable.
A general fire safety tip, especially with extra family in the house, is sleeping with bedroom doors closed and checking smoke detectors to make sure they are operational.
Another tip is to make sure you know two ways out of every room in case of a fire, according to Walters.
“When you’re outside, when the young ones get outside, they stay outside. Have a meeting place” Walters said. “And sleep with their doors closed. That compartmentalizes the house, and if there’s a fire when they are sleeping, that gives them that much more time to evacuate themselves or be evacuated.”
