Use caution when deep frying turkeys

11/16/2018 (Permalink)

Take extra precautions during the holiday cooking season!

The holiday season is fast approaching.  Images of a golden brown turkey, stuffing, cranberries, corn, and other items on the dinner table will always bring a smile to your face.  And, I'll bet if you close your eyes, you can still smell the pumpkin pie fresh from the oven, cooling in the kitchen.

But, all these preparations take a lot of work.  And cooking fires are the number one cause of fires during the holiday season.

SERVPRO Bedford Park / Burbank almost always get a call from a cooking disaster on Thanksgiving or Christmas.  And many times it's from deep frying a turkey.

Here are some safety tips:

• Always place your deep fryer away from your home, garage, decks, and even trees.  If there's a flare up, you don't want to inadvertently catch anything nearby on fire.
• Make sure the ground the deep fryer is on is level.  Uneven ground may cause tipping once the turkey's weight is added to the fryer.
• Make sure your turkey is COMPLETELY thawed.  Any part of the turkey still frozen will cause dangerous flare ups.
• Make sure the turkey is dry.  Any moisture or drops will cause flare ups.
• Use heavy duty oven mitts when handling the turkey or the fryer.
• Have a fire extinguisher (or 2) handy and close by.
• Have our number, 708-430-3600, already inputted into your phone, in case you need us for any fire or smoke damage.