How to Deep Fry Your Thanksgiving Turkey
By Emma
Martin
Thanksgiving would never be complete without turkey on the
dining table. Currently, most homemakers cook their turkeys in
the oven, but deep frying the turkey is faster and a lot more
tasty. If you expect that the turkey would taste greasy, you're
in for a surprise. The taste is moist and delicious and not
greasy at all.
You will also be surprised at how much time you save when
you decide to deep fry. For most birds, it only takes about
30-45 minutes or so. Plan on about 3 minutes per pound of
turkey and try and keep turkey size between 10-15 lbs. The
procedure is easy to do and reasonably safe. As long as you
keep safety considerations in mind, frying your bird doesn't
need to be a hazardous undertaking.
Safety First
This is most important. Due to the enormous amount of oil
used to deep fry turkeys, you should only ever do this outside
in a cleared area. Also, before undertaking your dinner
preparations, be sure to get yourself a really good pair of
outdoor cooking gloves. You don't want to get burned or scalded
by spitting oil, fat and steam. Your kitchen gloves will likely
be inadequate so invest in a sturdier pair. Safety glasses are
also a good idea and it is best to have a fire extinguisher
and/or a bucket of sand nearby in case of accidents.
Now you'll just need to:
1. Determine the amount of oil needed by putting the turkey
in a deep fry basket and dipping it into a 40-60 quart pot for
frying. You can buy specially made turkey fryers just for the
occasion and I would highly recommend it, since you are likely
buying a pot anyway. Add water until about two inches on top of
the bird. Remove the basket with turkey and measure the amount
of water. You'll need the same quantity of oil.
2. Marinade the turkey with flavors and seasonings before
deep frying. You can also inject it with seasonings and
marinades to increase the flavor. Alton Brown suggests brining
the turkey, so that's another way to go as well.
3. Use a candy thermometer and heat the oil in the pot to
about 325 degree Fahrenheit. After about 20 minutes, the
temperature should be reached and you can start slowly dipping
the turkey into the fry basket.
4. It takes around 3 minutes for each pound of turkey. Do a
little math and calculate how much it would take based on the
total weight in pounds of the bird. The turkey's temperature
should be at least 170 degrees in the breast meat and at least
180 degrees in the thigh of the bird. Be sure to use a
thermometer to get an accurate temperature. Don't guess.
In 30-45 minutes for most birds, you would have your deep
fried turkey ready for Thanksgiving dinner. Eat the turkey
right away and make sure any leftovers go into the fridge
within about two hours of cooking it.
For tips on equipment and other things you'll need, be sure
to visit Emma's guide to Deep Frying a Turkey, which includes links
to more fried turkey recipes, as well as videos of how to
get the job done.
Emma Martin is a writer and webmaster. If you enjoy
decorating for the holidays with vintage Thanksgiving decorations, be sure
to visit her website: http://www.retroholiday.com/
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