How to Deep Fry a Turkey

One does not simply deep-fry a turkey. It's an intricate process that requires careful preparation, intense focus, and just a bit of luck lest your holiday feast become a Turkey Day tragedy. Here's how to cook that bird without getting the fire department involved.

You will need:

First off, gather your supplies and ensure that the equipment is in proper working order.

• one turkey
• one 30 - 60 quart pot
• a fry basket or turkey fryer hook
• a propane gas tank and burner
• a deep fry thermometer
• a standard meat thermometer
• protective clothing—long-sleeve everything, heavy-duty oven mitts, and eye protection
• a fire extinguisher
• marinade syringe
• enough vegetable oil to fill the pot (approximately 3 - 5 gallons). It's important that you only use oils with a smoke point above 350 degrees F—corn, peanut, or canola oil are good options.

Smaller birds weighing 8-12 pounds are ideal for deep frying, both fresh and frozen varieties. They're not only easier to handle than bigger birds, they cook faster and more evenly as well. Turkeys that weigh 15 pounds or more will still work but you'll need to remove the dark meat and cook it separately, otherwise the extra fry time needed to cook all that meat will end up burning the skin (which is the best part).

Once you've settled on a suitably-sized gobbler, you'll need to prep it. Remove the wrapper, note the listed weight, extricate any included giblets from the body cavity, and thaw the bird completely. This is essential as dunking even a mostly thawed turkey into boiling hot oil will result in an explosive boil-over and could start a fire.

To be safe in case the flames do flare up, locate your cooking station on a sturdy, level surface safely away from structures, children, pets, and flammable ground (ie wooden decks)—preferably on concrete. If you're worried about staining the driveway with overflowing oil, you can always place an aluminum trap pan under the burner as a grease catcher.

Once the turkey has been thoroughly de-iced, do a test run to check the vessel. Trim off any extraneous fat, and lower the bird into the unheated pot using the fry basket. Add enough tap water to cover the carcass. The water line should be three inches from the lip—if you don't have at least that much room to spare, you'll need to find a bigger cooking vessel. But if it's big enough, remove the turkey and mark the water line on the fryer. Pour out the water and dry the pot thoroughly.

You're ready for the oil, now. Fill the fryer to the line and pre-heat it to 350 degrees F. Check the oil as it heats up using the deep fryer thermometer. While you wait, use your marinade syringe to inject the flavorful fluid at least an inch into turkey's breast, wings, and thighs. Make sure you pump it deep into the muscle mass, because if the injection is too shallow, the marinade will leak out under the skin and cause a boil over when it reacts with the oil. Finally, pat the carcass dry, both inside and out, with paper towels to remove any lingering surface moisture.

When the oil holds steady at 350, we're finally ready to start cooking. Don your safety gear, set the turkey in its fry basket and prepare to lower the crucible into the hot oil bath. The safest way to do this is to run a bit of light gauge wire between the drumsticks, connect a fryer hook to a suitably long pole, and use that to put the bird in its pot. Set it in the oil this slowly. The oil will immediately begin roiling heavily when it comes in contact with the meat. If it boils over into the burner, it will combust. You don't want that to happen.

Whole turkeys only need about 3.5 minutes per pound to fully cook (and 4.5 minutes for the separated dark meat). Use the listed weight from the turkey wrapper to estimate the cooking time. Don't go wandering off—in fact, don't take your eyes off the pot while the bird is cooking—and keep that fire extinguisher within arm's reach. The oil temperature should be kept as close to 350 degrees as weather conditions allow. But if you notice it beginning to smoke, immediately reduce the heat to avoid it flaring up or scorching.

Once enough time has elapsed for your bird's weight, gently lift the fry basket to remove the turkey from the oil. Allow it to drip over the grease-catching pan. Before undoing the frying rig, Have a helper stick the meat thermometer into the thighs and breast, which should register 180 degrees F and 170 degrees F, respectively, if its properly cooked. Let the cooked turkey cool a bit, then soak up the excess oil with some paper towels. Finally, allow the bird to rest for 15 minutes before carving and serving.

CDC says take 3 actions to fight the flu

Flu is a serious contagious disease that can lead to hospitalization and even death. 

CDC urges you to take the following actions to protect yourself and others from influenza (the flu): 

Take time to get a flu vaccine.

• CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine as the first and most important step in protecting against flu viruses.
• While there are many different flu viruses, a flu vaccine protects against the three viruses that research suggests will be most common. (See upcoming season’s Vaccine Virus Selection for this season’s vaccine composition.)
• Everyone 6 months of age and older should get a flu vaccine as soon as the current season's vaccines are available.
• Vaccination of high risk persons is especially important to decrease their risk of severe flu illness.
• People at high risk of serious flu complications include young children,pregnant women, people with chronic health conditions like asthma, diabetes or heart and lung disease and people 65 years and older.
• Vaccination also is important for health care workers, and other people who live with or care for high risk people to keep from spreading flu to high risk people.
• Children younger than 6 months are at high risk of serious flu illness, but are too young to be vaccinated. People who care for them should be vaccinated instead.

Take everyday preventive actions to stop the spread of germs.

• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.)
• While sick, limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from infecting them.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs like the flu.
• See Everyday Preventive Actions  [257 KB, 2 pages] andNonpharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs) for more information about actions – apart from getting vaccinated and taking medicine – that people and communities can take to help slow the spread of illnesses like influenza (flu).

Take flu antiviral drugs if your doctor prescribes them.

• If you get the flu, antiviral drugs can treat your illness.
• Antiviral drugs are different from antibiotics. They are prescription medicines (pills, liquid or an inhaled powder) and are not available over-the-counter.
• Antiviral drugs can make illness milder and shorten the time you are sick. They may also prevent serious flu complications. For people with high risk factors  [702 KB, 2 pages], treatment with an antiviral drug can mean the difference between having a milder illness versus a very serious illness that could result in a hospital stay.
• Studies show that flu antiviral drugs work best for treatment when they are started within 2 days of getting sick, but starting them later can still be helpful, especially if the sick person has a high-risk health or is very sick from the flu. Follow your doctor’s instructions for taking this drug.
• Flu-like symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people also may have vomiting and diarrhea. People may be infected with the flu, and have respiratory symptoms without a fever.

Keep Violence Out with Effective Prevention Strategies

With so much talk about guns and violence, it natural that employers are giving more thought than usual to workplace violence. Here are some prevention tips from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, which has had to deal with its share of workplace violence over the years.

OSHA defines workplace violence is any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site. It ranges from threats and verbal abuse to physical assaults and even homicide. It can affect and involve employees, customers, visitors, and others.

Assessing possible risks is an important early step in violence prevention. One way to do this is to look at possible sources of violence: strangers, customers, and employees or their associates.

Violence from Strangers

Violence from strangers is the most deadly form of workplace violence. It usually accompanies robbery. People planning robberies usually select their targets carefully and bring their weapons with them. Employees who work into the evening are particularly vulnerable to this type of workplace violence and can face some of the same risks on leaving the workplace or on their way home.

Preventive strategies may include:

• Good lighting of various types
• Perimeter security such as badging, visitor screening, and controlled access to buildings
• Employee training so that everyone can support the security staff by following procedures and being alert for suspicious people or behaviors

  Violence from Customers

  Violence from customers is usually spontaneous and therefore less likely to be lethal. Preventive strategies include workplace design, carefully developed safety and security procedures, and employee awareness and prevention training.

  Violence from Employees

  Violence from employees or their close associates and violence from former employees is the most varied form of workplace violence. It can range from shoving or punching to homicide. It can grow out of workplace disputes or out of personal or emotional issues such as the end of a romantic relationship.
  Preventive measures may include good leadership principles such as fairness, open communication, and respect for employees. It's also important to have an environment in which employees feel safe to approach supervisors, security staff, or HR if they feel afraid for any reason.

  Warning Signs

  Unfortunately, the best prevention strategies cannot always prevent violence, which means supervisors and employees throughout the workplace must be able to recognize warning signs. For example:
  • An employee says or hints that he or she might harm someone. People contemplating violence sometimes broadcast their intentions. Even if statements seem to be made in jest, employees need to understand that such jokes are not appropriate.
  • A worker appears to be frightened of someone else. That person feeling fear could be an employee or a supervisor. For example, a supervisor could be anxious about counseling or disciplining an employee.
  • An employee might seem afraid after talking with an irate ex-spouse over the phone.
  • An employee might frighten another employee with inappropriate talk about weapons.
  • A normally dependable employee may make excuses to avoid seeing a particular customer.
  These situations should make alarm bells go off in your mind. You can follow up on your initial response by observing the situation more closely, gathering additional information, and seeking professional advice, if necessary.

  Response

  OPM explains that response to threats or violent incidents must vary to fit the situation, but essentially there are three major tasks:
  • Evaluate the situation more extensively.
  • Develop and execute a plan for responding to it.
  • Address safety issues at every stage in the process.
  As soon as possible, you and your advisors need to stabilize the situation in a way that preserves safety. This might involve barring a customer or employee from the building temporarily or moving a threatened employee temporarily to a safer place.
  Once the immediate danger has passed, you need to move on to investigate the situation, collect statements and other documentation, and develop a long-term plan. The long-term plan may involve personnel actions, legal measures, or involvement of law enforcement organizations.

8 Elements of a Chemical Hygiene Plan

OSHA's Laboratory Standard requires a written Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP). And that plan must contain these eight elements.

The CHP must:

• Describe standard operating procedures.
• Define criteria for implementation of control measures (i.e. engineering controls, administrative controls, and PPE).
• Define (and document) procedures to maintain proper functioning of chemical fume hoods and protective equipment. This includes procedures such as checking the flow rate of hoods and verifying that equipment is working properly.
• Provide employee information and training.
• Provide criteria for "prior approval." Where you have processes or procedures where employees have to get prior approval (e.g., working alone) criteria allow you to make arrangements for protection.
• Provide criteria for medical consultation and examination.
• Designate personnel responsible for implementation of the CHP. Employers must designate responsibilities to a variety of people both in and out of lab, including the Chemical Hygiene Officer and others. The highest up person should sign the plan, saying that he/she has authorized the plan.
• Provide employee protection from particularly hazardous substances. Inventory chemicals and decide which fall into this category—for example, carcinogens and extremely reactive materials.
The Chemical Hygiene Plan must be easily accessible and designed to protect employees from health hazards associated with the specific hazardous chemicals in their laboratories. The plan can be maintained and available electronically as long as employees know how to access it.

Make Sure You're in Compliance

Since 1990, OSHA has required facilities engaged in the use of chemicals in a laboratory to develop and implement a written chemical hygiene plan (CHP).
This standard mandates that companies set forth procedures, equipment, PPE, work practices, training, and policies to help protect employees from the health hazards presented by hazardous chemicals used in their workplace.