Sam Sifton of the NY Times brings us: The Explosive Turkey Bomb
I’m enjoying the hell out of Sam Sifton’s blogging on the NYTimes food blog (he’s also started off well and vividly as the Times’ new restaurant critic). This week, he’s doing Q&A on Thanksgiving dinner, and warns of (some of) the hazards of frying a turkey:
Q. I’ve heard suggestions of brining the turkey before deep frying. I wanted to get your thoughts on this versus injecting a marinade. Mark, Chicago.
Q. I am also frying a turkey this year. I’ve always used a brine bath when roasting, but would it make a difference in the deep fryer? If so, how long would you recommend? Shelly, Phoenix.Q. Frying our first turkey this year. Any tips on making gravy without the drippings from the roasting pan? Also, any recipes for creamed onions you would like to share? Muffy, NYCQ. Any suggestions on what ingredients to buy for a breading if I want to deep fry my turkey. As far as the cooking itself, I assume that you drop the turkey in the deep fryer and take it out after it’s cooked through… I have no idea of what the cooking time would be. I’ve never even made a turkey before, but I’m determined to acquire a deep fryer and mix up a breading and make an extra-crispy turkey. In all honesty, I’m not sure if you’re even supposed to bread a turkey before deep frying it. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks. Max, Washington, DCA. This might be a good time to ask those who reside in communities of faith to say a prayer for the readers of The Times, and for these four brave souls in particular.Let’s start at the top. DO NOT BRINE A TURKEY THAT IS GOING TO BE FRIED. The first time I went to a turkey-fry we made that mistake, my friend Manny and I, the two of us amped on beer and adrenaline, redneck in the extreme. We put the brined turkey into the superhot peanut oil, which almost instantly converted the excess moisture the bird had been given by the brine into steam. The steam, caught inside the bird, exploded the breasts off the carcass and sent them hurtling skyward on a plume of boiling oil. It was a fairly intense couple of seconds. DO NOT BRINE A TURKEY THAT YOU ARE GOING TO FRY. …
He goes on from there. The rest of this and other Thanksgiving entries are really good
exploded the breasts …
Man … that’s bad imagery ….
The idea of brining a turkey about to be fried should disqualify a person from using propane.
While I’m sure that Sam Sifton probably knows a lot more about cooking that I do, but I have seen expert advice contradicting Mr. Sifton’s. For what it’s worth, Alton Brown of Good Eats has never steered me wrong, and he recommends brining the bird for 8 to 16 hours before frying. He also suggests measuring temperature in the breast since the white meat tends to dry out before the thigh reaches peak temperature.
Argh. I made a grammar error in my first post.
Zac: -5 points for grammer. I mean grammar.
I’m still contemplating the steam-exploded plume of boiling hot oil, and wondering if there was an ensuing flame and an urgent call for the services of Red Adair.