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Thanksgiving Day: Worst day for home cooking fires
November 18, 2009
Hot Tips for turkey frying
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Russ Dubisky, Executive Director
803-252-3455 or cell phone 803-708-5271
russd@scinsnews.com
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| This photo shows safe turkey frying techniques with the cooker on a flat, solid surface away from the house. |
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| This fire resulted from a turkey fryer fire in North Charleston, South Carolina on Thanksgiving 2007. |
Columbia, S.C. – Nov. 18, 2009 – Unexpected guests sometimes show up for the holidays, but you don’t want firefighters arriving because your feast is going up in flames. Thanksgiving Day is the worst day for home cooking fires. The South Carolina Insurance News Service urges cooks, both indoors and outdoors, to use safe practices.
Thanksgiving Day fires in residential structures cause more property damage and claim more lives than residential structure fires on any other day of the year. On Thanksgiving 2007, U.S. firefighters responded to 1,300 home fires involving cooking equipment, according to the National Fire Protection Association, which is more than three times the daily average. Cooking is the leading cause of home fires, and was involved in 40 percent of all reported home fires from 2003 to 2006. Over those years, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 150,200 home structure fires involving cooking equipment per year, causing an average of 500 civilian deaths and $756 million in direct property damage annually.
The main cause of residential cooking fires is food left unattended, says the U.S. Fire Administration. Other leading causes of home cooking fires are flammable materials left too close to cooking equipment and equipment unintentionally turned on or not turned off.
In addition to indoor cooking fires, fires related to the use of turkey fryers have caused property damage, injuries and even deaths as house fires and splashing of hot oil occur. From 1998 to 2007, there were 138 reported incidents involving turkey fryers, resulting in 36 injuries and nearly $8 million in property loss.
Turkey fryers require extremely large quantities of hot oil. Tests have shown that many turkey fryers have a risk of tipping over, overheating or spilling.
“Many turkeys are overcooked during Thanksgiving, and frying a turkey is a great way to keep the cooking outdoors,” said Brian Dowler, public relations manager for the National Wild Turkey Federation, based in Edgefield, S.C. “By following the manufacturer’s directions and safety tips, frying a turkey can be a safe way to cook your Thanksgiving bird.”
The South Carolina Insurance News Service offers the following safety tips for cooking this Thanksgiving:
Indoors:
• Remain in the kitchen when frying, grilling or broiling food.
• If you must leave home for even a short time, turn off the stove or oven.
• Whether simmering, baking, boiling or roasting food, check it regularly. Use a timer to remind you the stove or oven is on.
• Keep things that burn – including pot holders, over mitts, paper or plastic, away from the stove.
• Don’t store things that can burn in an oven, microwave or toaster oven.
• Clean food and grease off burners, stovetops and ovens.
• Wear clothing with sleeves that are short, close fitting or tightly rolled up.
• Keep children away from cooking areas by enforcing a “kid-free” zone of 3 feet (1 meter) around the stove.
• Never hold a young child in your arms while cooking.
• Use the stove’s back burners when possible, and turn pot handles inward to reduce the risk that pots with hot contents will be knocked over.
If you have a cooking fire:
• Keep a lid nearby to smother small grease fires. Smother the fire by sliding the lid over the pan and turn off the stovetop. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled.
• For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the door closed.
• If you try to fight the fire, make sure others get out and you have a clear way out.
• When in doubt, just get out! Close the door behind you to contain the fire.
• Call 911 after you get outside.
Outdoors (Turkey frying):
• Always fry turkeys outside, away from any structure and on a hard, flat surface, preferably on concrete. Never cook on a wooden porch or deck, as the wood can catch fire if oil spills. Never cook in a garage, breezeway or carport.
• Always wear long sleeves and long pants, and natural fiber clothing such as wool or cotton. Synthetic fibers such as nylon or polyester can melt to your skin if they catch fire. Insulated gloves are recommended when placing the turkey into the fryer. Wear safety goggles to protect your eyes from splatter.
• The lid and handles on the sides of the cooking pot get extremely hot, posing severe burn hazards.
• Keep small children and pets away from the cooker and flame. The cooker is easily knocked over, causing burns.
• Make sure the turkey is fully thawed before putting it into the oil. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends 24 hours of thawing in the refrigerator for each 5 pounds of bird weight. Frying a frozen or partially thawed turkey is not safe. Dry the turkey well before placing it into the oil. If it is wet, the hot oil and water will react, causing the grease to pop and spray or cause an explosion.
• To measure how much oil is needed, first put the turkey in the fryer, then add water to just barely above the top of the turkey. Remove the turkey and mark the new water level with a pencil or etching tool. This is the level to which you add oil. Excess oil may hit the burner or flames, causing a fire to engulf the entire unit.
• Peanut oil is recommended. It won’t break down at the high temperatures (325-350 degrees). Use a 12-inch turkey frying thermometer to measure the temperature of the oil. Keep an eye on it, as the unit has no thermostat control and can overheat to the point of combustion, according to Underwriters Laboratories. If you see any smoke at all coming from the heating pot of oil, the burner should be turned off, as the oil is overheated, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says.
• The rule of thumb for frying is roughly 3 minutes per pound of turkey, plus an additional 5 minutes, or until the turkey floats in the oil. For example, a 20-pound bird will take 40-50 minutes to cook. When sliced, if the turkey is not thoroughly cooked, microwave uncooked pieces. Do not eat undercooked or raw turkey.
• Allow the oil to thoroughly cool before emptying. Hot oil can take 3 to 4 hours to cool to room temperature.
• Drinking and hot oil boiling do not mix. The cook must be attentive.
• Keep an all-purpose fire extinguisher nearby.
Never use water to extinguish a grease fire.
To view a video from Underwriters Laboratories regarding turkey fryer fires and safety, link to Turkey Fryer Safety Video
For more information from the S.C. Insurance News Service, or to schedule an interview, call (803)252-3455, or e-mail alove@scinsnews.com.
For more than 30 years, the South Carolina Insurance News Service, a nonprofit organization, has been providing free insurance information to consumers and the media about property and casualty insurance issues. The News Service is funded by insurance companies doing business in South Carolina.
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For more information, contact the South Carolina Insurance News Service at 803-252-3455 or use our contact form.
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