Turkey Frying question

[Jeff396]

Hey all,

I bought a turkey fryer last Christmas and have used it 4 times between then and Spring with great success. My questions are: How long is it okay to keep the frying oil? Do you go by number of times used, length of time you've had it or how it looks or smells? How do you dispose of the oil when you can't use it anymore?

Jeff /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[Docsknotinn]

Jeff, how long you can keep the oil will vary with where you store it. Is it cool like your basement or hot and humid like your garage. When oil goes bad it sometimes smells but NOT necessarily. The health departmerment frowns on keeping open oils at room temp. We all do it. Its really impossible to say because their are so many variables but I would certainly NOT use that oil from last year. 4 uses on a bird is a pretty fair deal for home useage. You can probably find a resaturant with a oil bin out back that will gladly take it. They get paid ( very little) from the recycler. Theese look like dumpsters but are usually much smaller. Here the garbadege service takes about everything. If you have a GFS in your area this is the place to get oil by the 35# tub. They also have mesh cones and filters that will prolong your oil life which is probably not necessary if you only use it 4 times a year. I would probably, not even in good conditions keep my oil half that time. It just depends on whether you want to roll with the health Dept or the belief that the heat will kill the bacteria /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif Ever try useing it for fried chx of fish ? Works well. My best advice on any Turkey Fryer is use caution and two people with a pipe to lift the bird out of the grease. Some of the newer more deluxe models have nicer handles but thousands of older models are a bit unstable. I can tell you from personal experience getting a serious burn is a painfull proposition with a very long recovery. Enjoy /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Dave

 

[Bird]

Jeff, I used peanut oil, bought in one gallon containers, and after use and a little cooling, but while still warm, I filtered it through cheesecloth and a funnel back into the jugs. I then stored them in the refrigerator until time to use again (may not be practical if you only have one refrigerator, but I had one out in the shop building). I don't know how long the oil stays good, but I generally did 1 to 4 turkeys each time and used the same oil for 2 to 3 sessions, then replaced it with fresh oil.

 

[Docsknotinn]

Bird, I was starting to wonder what happened to you. Havent seen you much lately. I would think doing what you are bird that oil would last a good long time. Thats really the way to handle it. Do you inject your bird ? With those Big Rio Grande turkeys you Texas Guys have it sure would be fun to fry one of them /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I definately prefer peanut oil especially for delicate items like Fish. Dave

 

[MikePA]

I dump used cooking oil into the same 5 gallon container with my used engine oil. When the 5 gallon container fills up, I dump it into the recycle container behind my local Advanced Auto parts store.

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Do you inject your bird ? )</font>

Yessir, I did. However, I sold my cooker along with most other stuff in a garage sale a year ago before we moved back to town.

 

[Docsknotinn]

Why ? Is there a rule against turkeys in town ? I like you Texans Better all the time. I keep telling my wife thats where I want to retire now, not florida /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Dave

 

[cbh]

To echo DocsKnotInn's comment regarding burn hazards, here is a link to the Underwriter Laboratories (UL) website regarding turkey fryers:

http://www.ul.com/about/otm/otmv8n3/turkey.html

I think UL got involved because the gas hose/regulator assembly has a UL label on it, which might make users think the the fryer itself was UL approved, which it is not.

Pretty neat video too, wouldn't want to try this at home!

http://www.ul.com/turkeyfryers/fryer.mpg

 

[Jeff396]

Thanks for the responses and the video clip. I guess I'll be ditching my oil before I cook again. Maybe a new used refrigerator is in order for combination oil storage/keg holder. I'll run that by the wife asap! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

As for the video, I believe closely following the instructions should eliminate all of those hazards with the exception of the stability issue. But I guess maybe not everyone bothers to read them completely.

Jeff

 

[gsganzer]

This reminds me of a funny story my wife's uncle told (I'm not sure I'd tell everyone how stupid I was):
He bought a new turkey fryer for christmas and planned to fry a turkey for a church event.

He got up early one morning and pulled the fryer out of the box, set it up according to the box picture, filled his pot with oil, connected the propane tank and fired it up. Of course he set the whole apparatus up, directly outside his garage, under the roof overhang.

He started to get a little discouraged at how long it was taking for the oil to heat up (figured it might be defective). So, he cranked up the gas and waited some more (pretty sure it's defective). About an hour and a half later, the oil finally reached the optimum temperature (convinced it's defective).

Donning the full protective gear (leather gloves), he places the turkey into the pot (didn't account for the oil displacement from the turkey). Sure enough, the oil spills over the sides of the pot and ignites. Flames are everywhere, so he puts down his beer (8:00 am) and proceeds to get the flames under control. Unfortunately, the "flare-up" has melted the thermometer, so he's unsure about the oil temperature. All is under control, so he resumes beer drinking while waiting for the turkey to finish cooking.

About this time, a police car comes racing up. The officer comes running up and asks about a reported fire. He calms the officer and assures him everything is under control, just had a "little flare-up" but everything is fine. The officer reluctantly agrees and leaves.

A few minutes later, a fireman, dressed in full battle gear, comes running around the corner with a firetruck seconds behind. The two firemen question him. He assures them everything is fine, just had a "little flare-up" while cooking a turkey, but everything is under control now. The firemen, survey the scene and walk away chuckling.

A few more hours and the turkey is finally done (educated guess), so he grabs the turkey and his wife's cassarole (which he accidently flips over), jumps in his pickup and off they go. At the church event, he proudly shows off his turkey to his fellow buddies.

The next morning, he goes out into the garage to look at the defective turkey fryer, planning to return it for a refund. He takes another look at the picture on the box to compare the assembled apparatus. That's when he realizes he's had the turkey fryer upside down with the flame pointed down (the perfectly round burn circle on the concrete driveway confirmed this hunch). He also surveys the scorched roof overhang, garage ceiling and oil splatters on the concrete. He also surveys the melted thermometer and propane gas tubing from the bottle to the burner (Burned completely in two, explains why he still had a flame even though the valve on the fryer was closed, figured valve was defective too.)

I have to wonder what the firemen thought when they talked to him and were assured "everythings under control". I'm sure they noticed the scorched overhang, floor, ceiling, thermometer and gas hose (as well as the turkey fryer upside down).

Like I said, If it happened to me, I don't think I'd be confirming my stupidity by sharing that story.

 

[Docsknotinn]

Thats kinda funny but I have seen a few folks do some crazy things with turkey fryers. Definately dont forget to account for the turkey /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif I have seen some get set up in a such a way that heat getting deflected down was melting the gas line /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif A shop broom handle works great for takeing one out. With two people you are both sufficiently far enough away if something tips or spills etc. I have found that smaller birds are much easier to work with. The up side is that if done right Fryed Turkey sure is good /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Dave

 

[cisco]

Yup, like prior posts, a 5' broom handle or similar, and 1 person on either side, can get the turkey (or whatever) in and out of the pot at a safe distance. We have folks burning garages routinely during the Thanksgiving holiday. WHY would someone torch off a turkey fryer indoors (a garage; yes, I know it can be raining or cold outside, so dress warmly and imbibe in a few slugs of brandy - a burning garage can really ruin an othewise fine evening)? Anyhow, if on concrete (your driveway), you're going to get some oil staining (it spatters), which is OK. Try a level lawn - no visible grease spatters, NOT indoors, and plenty of room to admire the night sky, drink beer (time for 1 beer equals a done turkey, per my calculations; now, if you're drinking while the oil heats up, and assuming the burner is pointed at the pot and not the driveway - hmm, 3 beers total - now, if you're going to cook the turkeys for a couple of neighbors before you cook yours - hmm, getting to critical level of beer for handling dangerous objects, like a large pot full of boiling oil - caution may be in order).

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

I have a turkey fryer. Bought it about 4 years ago. Used it maybe 6 times one summer and decided it's dangerous and expensive. Several friends have them. I let them go to the expense and mess when they want to throw a party and eat their turkey.

Do use it for fish fries. (A Lot Smaller operation)

We use the outfit now to blanch the many dozen ears of corn when putting up for the winter and for canning. Keeps the heat outdoors.

Try cooking your turkey this way. Get tire rim from a Semi and set it on some bricks. Throw a bag of charcoal in the rim and light it. Clean the turkey and rub it down with some spices and oil then wrap it up with 6 layers of heavy duty foil and toss it in the charcoal. (can even use a low sugar BBQ Sauce)

Here is the really tough part. Drink a beer, turn the turkey. Drink a beer, turn the turkey. Repeat as necessary until you can squeese the bird and feel it is getting a little soft. (welding gloves work well)

Open the foil and the breast bone will pull right out of a really moist bird.

Clean up is a snap.

 

[Docsknotinn]

Brineing a turkey in salt water for 2 hours really helps keep it moist. Dissolve 2 cups salt in yer pot and soak that bird 2 hours. pull it out, rinse well and pat dry. Let em set in the fridge a good 30 minutes to dry and soak up the water on the pan. Another thing that works well when seasoning a bird is to seperate the skin from the breast by slideing your hand between the skin and the bird. Season under and over the skin as well as inside the cavity. This helps your seasoning flavor go "through" the bird better. Dave

 

[RobertN]

Soak a wild turkey overnite in salt water brine, with a 5th of Wild Turkey added in the brine. Yum!

Sage leaves under the skin of a roasted turkey or chicken is really good.

 

[Docsknotinn]

Do you pitch the brine or brew it /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Dave