(WFLA/NBC) - As people around the country get ready to cook a delicious Thanksgiving Day dinner, there are some important safety tips to remember.
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Many people like to fry their turkey, but it can be a dangerous endeavor.
The first step to a successful turkey fry is getting your turkey ready early.
"You're going to want to make sure that turkey is 100 percent completely thawed out all the way through. You don't want any ice, you don't want any parts of it frozen. Not only is it not going to cook thoroughly and cause health problems, but the water can react with the oil causing a grease fire," said Corey Dierdorff of Pasco County Fire Rescue
Once your bird is thawed, determine how much cooking oil to use by first measuring with water.
"Put that turkey in first, put the water up to the safe fill line which is indicated on the inside of the pot and you're going to pull the turkey out. What that is going to do is give you the amount of oil you need to stay within those safe limits," said Dierdorff.
Grease should be at 350 degrees and your bird should cook around three minutes for every pound.
Follow these steps and you should be able to avoid any problems.
A fire can occur if you put too much grease in the pot or use a frozen bird.
"Our biggest message is don't get distracted. "We want to makes sure that no one is in the kitchen that shouldn't be in the kitchen. Because that is where we see a lot of our burn injuries happen around the holidays, everyone is together, it's a great time, the last thing we want to do is spend it in the emergency room," said Dierdorff.
Courtesy of WFLA via NBC News Channel