November 19, 2010
By: Carrie Van Brunt
The use of makeshift deep-fat fryers to cook turkeys for the Thanksgiving holiday can be a serious safety hazard and result in serious damage to homes, according to numerous fire chiefs and other officials.
Deep-frying turkeys is known to be so unsafe that Underwriters Laboratories - the consumer safety group that tests and rates tens of thousands of products each year - refuses to even certify turkey fryers. However, many Americans use propane gas-powered devices to cook the birds every year.
Oregon State Fire Marshal Randy Simpson told Portland television news station KGW that, if home cooks must fry their turkeys, they should "always do it outdoors a safe distance from buildings and any other flammable material, and never leave it unattended."
KGW reported that Simpson went on to add "hot oil is extremely dangerous, so never use turkey fryers on a wooden deck or in your garage."
In addition, Florida's WFOR TV news channel recently reported similar advice from the Broward Sherriff's Fire Rescue team, which gave a safe cooking demonstration.
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