Yesterday on Mornings at Home, we did a listener poll to discover the truth about one of the more recent inventions in culinary arts. It’s a combination of delicious and dangerous and is really good for you — if you’re on the Atkin’s (r) diet:

Deep. Fried. Turkey.

Yes indeed. Some people use the conventional method of putting the bird in an oven, sprinkling it liberally with Mrs. Dash and Old Spice and then letting the inevitable happen: Thanksgiving. It’s a tried and true method that has served generations with great success. However, because we are an adventurous people with a penchant for the deep fried, someone took it to the next level and tossed an entire bird in the pot of boiling oil. Moments later, the inevitable happened: Total Devastation. It turns out that these turkey deep fryers are really dangerous if they are used improperly and end up getting you new wallpaper and walls if you have decent homeowners insurance. Make sure you get the deep fried indemnity clause. If you plan on cooking your bird in the oven, this is an unneeded expense.

Our listener poll indicated that people prefer oven-baked turkey over deep fried turkey at a ratio of 2 to 1. This could mean that our listeners are 2 to 1 conservative and 2 to 1 safety oriented. It could also mean that our listeners are 2 to 1 concerned about fires in their homes.

Because I am an academic individual (not really), I thought it would be good to bring some research to the table. This quote is from what appears to be a reputable online source that is not Wikipedia:

Another family holiday tradition is deep-fried turkey. There are common mistakes made while attempting this feat. These mistakes include not being located a safe distance from buildings or other combustible materials. They are easily tipped over especially if they aren’t placed on a flat surface. If the turkey isn’t completely thawed, the excess water will cause the pot to violently boil over when the water reaches the bottom of the pot; leading to a fire hazard. The same fire hazard exists when the pot is overfilled with oil. Overheating is another common hazard because most fryers don’t come with thermostats. Hot oil can injure eyes and severe burns are a possibility with the hot pot, handles and lids

Please note words like “fire hazard”, “combustible”, “violently” “boil” and the proximity of the word “injure” to “eyes”.

You would think that these official dangers would scare some people away from deep frying their turkeys. You would also think that we wouldn’t be so into reality television. Neither are the case. I wish I had better prepared for this Thanksgiving, because maybe I too could have deep fried a turkey tomorrow. Yes, it would have been wise to get the extra insurance, but when you taste that adhered grease to bird flesh, you’ll know you’re getting a glimpse of heaven.

One final wish:
Happy Thanksgiving!

One final warning:
And be Careful!