Turkey fryers can be a fire menace

[Food Network Fan]

Turkey fryers can be a fire menace
By Lt. Denny Hughes
FARMINGTON HILLS FIRE DEPARTMENT
Are you one of the growing numbers of people now using a turkey fryer to cook your bird for the Thanksgiving holiday? The trend has been very popular in the southern United States for many years thanks to celebrity chefs such as Martha Stewart and Emeril Lagasse. While many people rave about the taste and time saved in the kitchen, fire officials and Underwriters Laboratories (U.L.) are very concerned that some backyard chefs may be sacrificing safety for good taste.
Underwriters Laboratories, one of the nation's leading independent testing companies, has decided not to certify any turkey fryers with their coveted and trusted U.L. mark. With an increase in fires related to turkey fryer use, and based on U.L. test findings, turkey fryers just may not be worth the risks involved in using them.
There are many reasons a deep fryer can be dangerous. As mentioned above, the trend is popular in the south, but here in Michigan and other northern states, the weather is very unpredictable on Thanksgiving Day. It can be raining or snowing, tempting many people to bring their fryer to an indoor area, such as the garage. This has the potential to create a huge disaster at your home. A fryer of this type should never be used indoors!
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[BerryBaby]

Fried turkey seems wrong. I really don't like anything that is fried. I even oven roast shoe-string cut (fresh) potatoes. No need for frying in our house.

[Food Network Fan]

I see the Dean boys are frying a turkey tonight.

[PaulaFan777]

Fried turkey sounds soo good, but I rather have it done for me and not have a "Towering Inferno".

[Callisto in NC]

Alton did a great special on frying turkey a while ago and it was great. He explained how to do it safely.

And BerryBaby ~ no one NEEDS fried anything, it's a want!!! It's a good want!!!

[isilzha]

[BerryBaby]

Hi, Callisto!

You are right, many may want fried foods, but it's just not for me.

Just like many people probably wouldn't want to eat salad everyday like I do. That is my 'want'...strange, but true.

I don't even crave chocolate..what is wrong with me!

[Food Network Fan]

Alton is awesome!

[Lucy]

I was pleasantly surprised the first time I tasted fried turkey. I am rather traditional and prefer good ol' baked turkey, but my uncle made one a few years back and it's been a hit with my family ever since. It's very moist and juicy. So now we have two turkeys each year (and ham), which is just as well because we have a pretty large gathering as my family is pretty big.