deep frying turkey this year...need some answers please ;)

johny b said:

2. i've also come across posts which mention putting a whole onion in
the cavity of the turkey. this seems pretty interesting, i just toss
this in before frying and leave it in the whole time right?

3. are there any other vegetables i should toss in the cavity as
well...i'm pretty intrigued by this method

I don't recommend putting anything in the cavity, there's no
benefit. If you want to fry something in addition to the bird,
do it separately.

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com

Johnny said:

1. when injecting the marinade with the syringe, am i putting it in the
middle of the meat...or am i trying to get it between the sking and
meat? The later seems like what most people are talking about when they
refer to the turkey "inflating".

Into the meat itself.

Quoted message said:

2. i've also come across posts which mention putting a whole onion in
the cavity of the turkey. this seems pretty interesting, i just toss
this in before frying and leave it in the whole time right?

Yes.

Quoted message said:

3. are there any other vegetables i should toss in the cavity as
well...i'm pretty intrigued by this method

You could try carrots or halved lemons.

Quoted message said:

4. i've come across many marinade recipes. i myself would like to try
the hot ones with cayenne pepper however i feel the majority of guests
would like something mild. which type seems to be most pleasing to the
mass?

The mild (even though *I* would prefer the spicy).

Bob

On 14 Nov 2005 14:19:31 -0800, "johny b" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

i purchased a turkey fryer this year and am going to give this a shot.

Read, heed advise....call insurance company...keep charged phone near
by....

Allstate Insurance said 15 homes burned to the ground around the
country last Thanksgiving (2004) as a result of the improper use of
turkey fryers. The product-testing company Underwriters Laboratory
Inc. refuses to certify as safe any turkey fryer model currently on
the market.

http://www.ul.com/consumers/turkeys.html

good luck!

Ward Abbott said:

On 14 Nov 2005 14:19:31 -0800, "johny b" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

i purchased a turkey fryer this year and am going to give this a shot.

Read, heed advise....call insurance company...keep charged phone near
by....

Allstate Insurance said 15 homes burned to the ground around the
country last Thanksgiving (2004) as a result of the improper use of
turkey fryers. The product-testing company Underwriters Laboratory
Inc. refuses to certify as safe any turkey fryer model currently on
the market.

Excellent advice Ward! Put 911 on speed dial on that nearby charged
phone.

Ward Abbott said:

Allstate Insurance said 15 homes burned to the ground around the
country last Thanksgiving (2004) as a result of the improper use of
turkey fryers. The product-testing company Underwriters Laboratory
Inc. refuses to certify as safe any turkey fryer model currently on
the market.

Of course, we don't know how many houses burned down due to cooking
turkeys in more conventional manners 🙂

I've seen now that they are making electic turkey fryers, and are
getting some approvals. Pricey though, like $150.

Brian

--
If televison's a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who
won't shut up.
-- Dorothy Gambrell (http://catandgirl.com)

In article <[email hidden]>,

johny b said:

4. i've come across many marinade recipes. i myself would like to try
the hot ones with cayenne pepper however i feel the majority of guests
would like something mild. which type seems to be most pleasing to the
mass?

There are no "masses", just your guests. I personally feel that spicing
should be limited to what the guest's least spicy desires are. I do
push it a little though, sometimes. We keep lots of hot sauces and such
on the table. It's pretty easy to spicy up your food at the table, but
not possible to reduce spiciness for those who find it too hot. Since
the turkey might be the main dish, it doesn't seem fair to make it too
spicy for some folks. Of course, if you have other main dishes, that
changes things considerably.

--
Dan Abel
[email hidden]
Petaluma, California, USA

Default User said:

Ward Abbott said:

Allstate Insurance said 15 homes burned to the ground around the
country last Thanksgiving (2004) as a result of the improper use of
turkey fryers. The product-testing company Underwriters Laboratory
Inc. refuses to certify as safe any turkey fryer model currently on
the market.

Of course, we don't know how many houses burned down due to cooking
turkeys in more conventional manners 🙂

I've seen now that they are making electic turkey fryers, and are
getting some approvals. Pricey though, like $150.

Brian

--
If televison's a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who
won't shut up.
-- Dorothy Gambrell (http://catandgirl.com)

i've already read all the warnings about these fryers and decided i'd
purchase one anyway. this will be done outside and i'll take all
proper precautions.

back to some recommendations 😉 ... i'm sure there are plenty of
people who have done this and continue to do so who are dying to share
their methods ;]

Quoted message said:

There are no "masses", just your guests. I personally feel that spicing
should be limited to what the guest's least spicy desires are. I do
push it a little though, sometimes. We keep lots of hot sauces and such
on the table. It's pretty easy to spicy up your food at the table, but
not possible to reduce spiciness for those who find it too hot. Since
the turkey might be the main dish, it doesn't seem fair to make it too
spicy for some folks. Of course, if you have other main dishes, that
changes things considerably.

That is some SOUND advice. This is a personal thing. That is, just about
everyone does it differently and to their taste. For me, I never inject.
Brine yes. And I keep it on the wimpy side, so guests/family can do their
own thing. Easy to add to, f'n impossible to take away.

Larry T

The best place to do it is on a level piece of grass or dirt (with no
tree branches in range of the cooking area) as opposed to doing it on
concrete, since the oil is going to go everywhere. Wear an old set of
clothes, since you're going to get oil all over you in the process. If
you do it on concrete or grass, put some cardboard down on the concrete
before setting the rig on it; at least a five by five foot square with
the rig centered in the middle should catch most of the oil. Do it
as far from the house as you can, and you have to stay out there at all
times and watch the rig to make sure no small children or pets get near
it; if you have any outdoor pets be sure to leash them or put them
indoors while you fry the turkey, and keep them away from the rig once
the turkey is done as the oil will still be very hot and will take
12-18 hours to cool completely. If you do it on concrete and get oil
all over the concrete you should be able to clean the mess up with dawn
dish detergent and a scrub brush and lots of hot water.

On 14 Nov 2005 23:55:26 GMT, "Default User" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

getting some

"some" appears to be the operative word here.

I always use my fryer on the concrete driveway, and never have oil
spillage. The key is to use
Archimedes' technique for displacement. To do that, get your turkey
ready on the dipping thingie and put it in the pot. Now add enough
water to cover the turkey completely. Remove the turkey on the thingie
and note how high the water is in the pan without the turkey and
thingie. Mark the water level with a pencil. That is how much oil you
will need to fry the bird. Dry the pan completely, being sure to leave
the pencil mark, and take the fryer pot outside to the fryer, and pour
oil in just to the pencil mark. Heat the oil according to the fryer
directions and DRY THE OUTSIDE AND INSIDE OF THE TURKEY AND THE DIPPING
THINGIE, which will prevent lots of splattering oil when you GENTLY put
the turkey into the hot oil. A few safety things I do: when the oil
is heated to the proper temperature for frying, turn the propane OFF,
put the turkey in the pot, and re-light the propane. In case of
accidental oil spill you won't start a fire! Also, the thingie that
holds the turkey and has the long handle for dipping the turkey still
puts my hands too close to hot oil for my peace of mind, so I slip a
piece of re-bar through the handle and a friend and I each take an end
of the re-bar to move the turkey both in and out of the pot. I always
have extra people on hand when I fry a turkey, because it's important
to NEVER leave it unattended. (Get out the extra lawn chairs, grab a
bottle of champagne, your camera, and sit around the fryer. If it's
cold outside, wooly hats make the pictures more interesting!) Always
have a fire extinguisher rated for oil and grease handy just in case,
and use the fryer away from your house, garage, and car, and not
sitting on anything flammable. When the turkey is finished, turn off
the propane, take the turkey out of the pot and hold it over the pot a
minute or two to drip, and then carry it into the house while another
person holds a tray to catch drips en route. Let the propane cool
completely before trying to handle the fryer. ENJOY
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

johny b said:

hello everyone,

i purchased a turkey fryer this year and am going to give this a shot.
i have a few questions which i'm unable to find while googling. any
info will be most helpful.

1. when injecting the marinade with the syringe, am i putting it in the
middle of the meat...or am i trying to get it between the sking and
meat? The later seems like what most people are talking about when they
refer to the turkey "inflating".

2. i've also come across posts which mention putting a whole onion in
the cavity of the turkey. this seems pretty interesting, i just toss
this in before frying and leave it in the whole time right?

3. are there any other vegetables i should toss in the cavity as
well...i'm pretty intrigued by this method

4. i've come across many marinade recipes. i myself would like to try
the hot ones with cayenne pepper however i feel the majority of guests
would like something mild. which type seems to be most pleasing to the
mass?

5. please feel free to share any of your favorite methods (vegetables,
spices, marinades etc.). i'd love to hear them!

thanks all!

john

If this makes any sense at all......stick the needle into the meat at a
long angle relative to the bird. I.E, bird is horizontal, needle is too.

You want to inject while slowly withdrawing the needle.

You want to do this multiple times.

You'll end up with a multitude of 'veins' of injected flavor.

I find that the more times you inject in different spots, but in the
same muscle (make sense?)the better it is.

Inject it whatever you want. I prefer a honey/butter mix with garlic
powder mixed in.

Always Mo betta da kine if you brine it in my brine for at least a
couple days before injection.

TFM® (Turducken on Food network now)

Ward Abbott said:

On 14 Nov 2005 23:55:26 GMT, "Default User" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

getting some [approvals]

"some" appears to be the operative word here.

You snipped a bit much there 🙂

The line on electric ones seems to be "safer", not "safe". They include
some automatic shutoffs for overtemp and things, but still require
extreme caution. The thing I like least about turkey frying is that it
requires constant monitoring. Who wants to do that during the family
mixer time?

Brian

--
If televison's a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who
won't shut up.
-- Dorothy Gambrell (http://catandgirl.com)

Default User said:

Ward Abbott said:

On 14 Nov 2005 23:55:26 GMT, "Default User" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

getting some [approvals]

"some" appears to be the operative word here.

You snipped a bit much there 🙂

The line on electric ones seems to be "safer", not "safe". They include
some automatic shutoffs for overtemp and things, but still require
extreme caution. The thing I like least about turkey frying is that it
requires constant monitoring. Who wants to do that during the family
mixer time?

Brian

What is all this fear about frying a turkey. People in this newsgroups
regularly deep fry in their house. Others burn wood, or chips, or
charcoal, and there are no dire warnings.
I have fried turkeys on numerous occasions, with out incidents.
Just use the normal precautions, as you would use at any time working
with hot materials.

And of all the times that I went to house fires on thanksgiving, none
were caused by frying turkeys.

Pan Ohco

Quoted message said:

Read, heed advise....call insurance company...keep charged phone near
by....

Making sure you have a phone nearby is prudent advice. As far as the
safety of a turkey fryer, with even a minimal amount of common sense,
it is no more dangerous than any other method of cooking anything.

Quoted message said:

Allstate Insurance said 15 homes burned to the ground around the
country last Thanksgiving (2004) as a result of the improper use of
turkey fryers. The product-testing company Underwriters Laboratory
Inc. refuses to certify as safe any turkey fryer model currently on
the market.

This is dumb. The turkey fryer is no more dangerous than any other
cooking appliance. If one was frying food in a wok and started a
grease fryer, would it be the wok's fault? I think not.

I have been frying turkeys for several years. Nothing even remotely
close to an incident. The biggest problem is those that drastically
overfill the pot and overflow the pot while cooking. Even then, if one
is there to cut the propane it would be difficult to sustain a fire.
At least for a few moments, until the main body of oil ignited. In
that case, all bets are off.

Even if you did do this, you shouldn't be close enough to anything that
flammable as to catch your entire house on fire.

johny b said:

hello everyone,

i purchased a turkey fryer this year and am going to give this a shot.
i have a few questions which i'm unable to find while googling. any
info will be most helpful.

serveral general tips for using a turkey fryer:

1. do it away from your house. not on the deck, not in the garage, not anywhere
the house.

2. fill the fryer up with water and dunk your turkey in to find out how much
oil the turkey will displace.

3. make sure you have a thermometer to monitor the temperature of the oil
during the entire cooking process

Quoted message said:

1. when injecting the marinade with the syringe, am i putting it in the
middle of the meat...or am i trying to get it between the sking and
meat? The later seems like what most people are talking about when they
refer to the turkey "inflating".

i'm not a big fan of injecting meat. i don't see any need to poke holes in meat
where there were none before. to me, it just gives the juice an avenue to run
out during the cooking process. however, lots of people do it and swear by it.
but they inject into the meat. not between the skin and meat.

Quoted message said:

2. i've also come across posts which mention putting a whole onion in
the cavity of the turkey. this seems pretty interesting, i just toss
this in before frying and leave it in the whole time right?

i've never tried this myself. i've deep fried lots of onions in my time and they
never took as long to cook as a turkey takes to fry. i'd be interested to know
how this turns out.

Quoted message said:

3. are there any other vegetables i should toss in the cavity as
well...i'm pretty intrigued by this method

again, i haven't tried it but would be really interested to hear the results if
you do it.

Quoted message said:

4. i've come across many marinade recipes. i myself would like to try
the hot ones with cayenne pepper however i feel the majority of guests
would like something mild. which type seems to be most pleasing to the
mass?

i'd prefer the hot myself but when you're cooking for lots of people, it's best
to go with the mild to placate the folks with spicophobia. :P

Quoted message said:

5. please feel free to share any of your favorite methods (vegetables,
spices, marinades etc.). i'd love to hear them!

one thing you might want to consider is brining. it's a great way to get flavor
into the meat
without having to poke holes in it. there are tons of brine recipes available on
the web.

On 14 Nov 2005 14:19:31 -0800, "johny b" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

hello everyone,

i purchased a turkey fryer this year and am going to give this a shot.
i have a few questions which i'm unable to find while googling. any
info will be most helpful.

1. when injecting the marinade with the syringe, am i putting it in the
middle of the meat...or am i trying to get it between the sking and
meat? The later seems like what most people are talking about when they
refer to the turkey "inflating".

2. i've also come across posts which mention putting a whole onion in
the cavity of the turkey. this seems pretty interesting, i just toss
this in before frying and leave it in the whole time right?

3. are there any other vegetables i should toss in the cavity as
well...i'm pretty intrigued by this method

4. i've come across many marinade recipes. i myself would like to try
the hot ones with cayenne pepper however i feel the majority of guests
would like something mild. which type seems to be most pleasing to the
mass?

5. please feel free to share any of your favorite methods (vegetables,
spices, marinades etc.). i'd love to hear them!

thanks all!

john

Hey John,
I have fried turkeys, fish, shrimp and oysters in my turkey fryer.
Some tips:

10 lb. turkey maximum
fill pot with water and submerge turkey
see how high the oil needs to be
not too close to the top of the pot
dry pot completely before adding oil
use fresh peanut oil for each frying event
use a thermometer to keep the heat adjusted
lay a splatter screen across the top of the pot
when frying small things like shrimp, cook small batches
place fryer on a concrete fire resistant surface
have utensils to handle food in hot oil
have several dish rags or pot holders in the frying area
spread newspaper on ground to lift turkey out of oil
make sure cavity faces down to drain oil in pot

Last time I used my fryer, I fried Softshell Crabs! They were
delicious...

Regards,
Bill