Turkey Safety Tips from Cobb Police

In its latest Police Notification Email System (PENS) update, Precinct 3 of the Cobb County Police Department offers the following tips for safe cooking on Thanksgiving, especially frying turkeys: 

In the past ten years or so there has been an increase in people deep frying turkeys. If you have not tried it I encourage you to seek out someone who deep fries one and taste it. If you decide to deep fry a turkey for yourself here are a few safety tips to follow that will hopefully keep you from taking a trip to the hospital emergency room or explaining to everyone how you burned down part of your house.

1. Stay Away from The House – Set up the turkey fryer more than 10 feet away from your home and keep children and pets away. Never leave it unattended.

2. Find Flat Ground – The oil must be even and steady at all times to ensure safety. Place the fryer on a flat, level surface and carefully gauge the amount of oil needed.

3. Use a Thawed and Dry Turkey – Make sure your Thanksgiving turkey is completely thawed and dry. Extra water will cause the oil to bubble furiously and spill over. If oil spills from the fryer onto the burner, it can cause a fire.

4. Monitor the Temp – Use caution when touching the turkey fryer. The lid and handle can become very hot and could cause burns. Also be sure to keep track of the oil’s temperature as many fryers do not have their own thermostats.

5. Be Prepared – Have a fire extinguisher (multipurpose, dry-powder) ready at all times in the event that the oil ignites. I suppose I should have said this first Read the Directions.