Frying a Turkey: A Guide to Doing it Safely and Successfully
As Sam Sifton of The New York Times, I'm excited to share with you my experience of frying a turkey on YouTube. As you'll see from countless videos on the platform, there are many people who attempt to fry turkeys without much success. Burned homes, scalded feet, and even a few close calls with fire - it's not exactly the most reassuring sight. However, I'm here to tell you that it's actually quite easy to do it safely, as long as you take a few precautions.
To start, make sure you're on a level surface. This is crucial, as an uneven surface can lead to accidents and messes. Wear shoes and be careful when handling the bird - it's really all you need to do before anything goes wrong. Take your turkey and place it in an empty pot in your kitchen, filling the pot with water until it just covers the top of the bird. Remove the turkey, and then look at where the water level is - that's how much oil you want in the pot.
Now, it's time to get started. I'm going to take this carcass, which has been dried pretty well with paper towels, and carefully lower it onto an industrial-strength infant cloth hanger. Hooking it into the grappling hook will keep everything steady and secure as we move on to the next step. We'll be frying our turkey at about 350°F (175°C), so make sure you've got that temperature just right before we start cooking.
As we lower the bird into the pot, I want to point out how important it is to watch what's happening closely. This is an active fire, folks - and I'm watching it with a mix of fascination and trepidation. Don't be afraid to switch hands or take a step back if you need to; safety always comes first. Wait for the sizzle, wait for it - and then, oh my goodness! There it goes, creating this beautiful blister as we lower it down.
Now we're at the 40-minute mark, and I'm excited to see how our turkey is turning out. Will it be a desiccated piece of leather or something truly special? Let's take a closer look. Ah, behold - the deep-fried turkey! It's ridiculously beautiful, with excess grease dripping off its surface. I'm letting it drip back into the pot as I turn it, and then I'll swing it up onto my cutting board to finish preparing our Thanksgiving meal.
As we wait for the juices to redistribute, you can see just how delicious this turkey is starting to look. The outside has been nicely browned, but still retains a bit of crunch - while the inside remains juicy and flavorful. This is going to make for an amazing Thanksgiving meal, I just know it. And that's not all - by following these simple steps and taking the necessary precautions, you can enjoy a perfectly fried turkey every time.
Frying a Turkey: A Personal Experience
As I look back on our journey, I have to say that I'm absolutely delighted with how our deep-fried turkey turned out. There was something so satisfying about watching it come together - from the initial stages of preparation to the final result. And let me tell you, it's worth all the effort.
Of course, there are a few things to keep in mind when frying a turkey. First and foremost, make sure you're using the right equipment for the job - an industrial-strength infant cloth hanger and a heavy-duty pot will come in handy. Also, never underestimate the importance of patience and attention to detail. You'll need to stay focused and watch what's happening closely as we cook.
Now that our turkey is done cooking, I want to take a moment to appreciate just how beautiful it looks. That deep-fried exterior, with all its golden-brown goodness - it's simply stunning. And the best part? It's not just about looking good - this turkey is going to taste incredible too. The juices will be back in them, and the flavors will be rich and intense.
As I look at our finished bird, I have to say that I'm feeling pretty proud of myself. It wasn't easy getting here, but with a bit of practice and patience, you can achieve similar results. And that's exactly what I want to leave you with today - the knowledge that frying a turkey is within your reach.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enI'm Sam sifton of The New York Times and today we're going to fry a turkey just looking on YouTube You'll see countless countless videos of people doing it wrong that is to say burning their homes down or scalding their feet with peanut oil it it's pretty easy to do it safely though we're on a level surface that helps um I'm wearing shoes and um I'm want to be careful putting the bird in that's really all you have to do before anything happens take your turkey and put it in the empty pot in your kitchen and fill the pot with water until it just comes over the top of the turkey remove the turkey see where the water level is that's how much oil you want in the pot all right we're going to fry a turkey I'm going to take this carcass which I've dried pretty well with paper towels and I'm going to carefully lower it onto this grappling hook so we have our industrial strength infants cloth hanger and I hook it into the grappling hook like that and I'm going to come on over here to the oil we've got about a little north of 350° there and we lower it and here he goes wait for the sizzle wait for it oh my goodness there it goes in a little just creating this blister as I go down and up I switched hands there that's called the left hand switch I'm coming up this is still an active fire folks and we're watching it closely I am anyway I'm watching it and spacing out and waiting for the 40 minutes and then I'll have my turkey Moment of Truth could be a desiccated piece of leather or oh my goodness behold the deep fried turkey how beautiful is that answer is ridiculously beautiful getting the excess grease from the outside and I'm letting it drip back into the pot as I turn it I'm going to just swing it up here and onto my cutting board right here look how great that looks this uh turkey's been sitting for a little while the juices are back in them holy cow this is looking pretty delicious and I think that's going to make for a really good Thanksgiving meal I'm Sam sifton of The New York Times and we just fried a turkey Happy Thanksgiving whenever you cook itI'm Sam sifton of The New York Times and today we're going to fry a turkey just looking on YouTube You'll see countless countless videos of people doing it wrong that is to say burning their homes down or scalding their feet with peanut oil it it's pretty easy to do it safely though we're on a level surface that helps um I'm wearing shoes and um I'm want to be careful putting the bird in that's really all you have to do before anything happens take your turkey and put it in the empty pot in your kitchen and fill the pot with water until it just comes over the top of the turkey remove the turkey see where the water level is that's how much oil you want in the pot all right we're going to fry a turkey I'm going to take this carcass which I've dried pretty well with paper towels and I'm going to carefully lower it onto this grappling hook so we have our industrial strength infants cloth hanger and I hook it into the grappling hook like that and I'm going to come on over here to the oil we've got about a little north of 350° there and we lower it and here he goes wait for the sizzle wait for it oh my goodness there it goes in a little just creating this blister as I go down and up I switched hands there that's called the left hand switch I'm coming up this is still an active fire folks and we're watching it closely I am anyway I'm watching it and spacing out and waiting for the 40 minutes and then I'll have my turkey Moment of Truth could be a desiccated piece of leather or oh my goodness behold the deep fried turkey how beautiful is that answer is ridiculously beautiful getting the excess grease from the outside and I'm letting it drip back into the pot as I turn it I'm going to just swing it up here and onto my cutting board right here look how great that looks this uh turkey's been sitting for a little while the juices are back in them holy cow this is looking pretty delicious and I think that's going to make for a really good Thanksgiving meal I'm Sam sifton of The New York Times and we just fried a turkey Happy Thanksgiving whenever you cook it\n"
