Well, I wasn't suggesting it was rocket surgery (or brain science!). Hundreds of thousands of turkeys are fried every Thanksgiving with good results and without incident. It is, however:
--potentially very dangerous (do it outside, far from anything flammable, and have a fire extinguisher at hand)
--messy (besides oil disposal, there's a huge grease-spatter circle to clean up afterward)
--demanding of constant attention while the bird is in the oil
--easy to overcook the bird because the cooking goes so fast (go by internal temperature, not recommended time per pound)
Compared to other cooking methods, it's more work and less forgiving of mistakes. I did it once, never had the urge to do it again.
Ok, ok. It's really not that bad. Gives you an excuse to stay outside and away from the craziness, and of course, to stay warm you need a few libations. Hint: go to lowes and buy a few bricks to put the fryer on and a bucket to dispose the oil once it's cool. Line the bucket w a sturdy trash bag and voila, the grease will harden and it's in the garbage. It's not rocket surgery.
Dave, are there really rocket surgeons? Is that a branch of medicine? Also, "a few libations" and screaming hot oil are never a good mix. Although staying outside is a really good idea. :-)
I've helped do it, and I wouldn't call it easy. You're dealing with an object with a lot of water (bird) that you're dunking into hot oil with an open flame underneath it. Dangerous stuff. Someone has to monitor the operation the whole time (if you don't, you're a candidate for the Darwin Award). It's cumbersome to raise and lower the bird to check doneness. When it's over, you have to dispose of a a few gallons of oil.
Done right, the results are very good. And it's much faster than roasting. But nowhere near as easy as chucking the bird into an oven or onto a grill for a couple hours and checking on it now and then.
I wouldn't do it for Thanksgiving without having done a trial run first, personally. I'd rather be free to have a drink and watch the Lions lose.
To deep fry a turkey you need an apparatus that looks like a medieval weapon of war. It's not easy and it's not terribly safe---unless you have grudge against your neighbors and want to pour scalding oil on them.
9 Comments
--potentially very dangerous (do it outside, far from anything flammable, and have a fire extinguisher at hand)
--messy (besides oil disposal, there's a huge grease-spatter circle to clean up afterward)
--demanding of constant attention while the bird is in the oil
--easy to overcook the bird because the cooking goes so fast (go by internal temperature, not recommended time per pound)
Compared to other cooking methods, it's more work and less forgiving of mistakes. I did it once, never had the urge to do it again.
The skin was great, though.
Voted the Best Reply!
Done right, the results are very good. And it's much faster than roasting. But nowhere near as easy as chucking the bird into an oven or onto a grill for a couple hours and checking on it now and then.
I wouldn't do it for Thanksgiving without having done a trial run first, personally. I'd rather be free to have a drink and watch the Lions lose.