This Thanksgiving, Suwanee Allstate Agent Adam Blackwell is encouraging consumers to bring a new tradition to the dinner table: fire safety and planning.

Deep-frying turkey is becoming an increasingly popular way to cook the holiday bird because the process creates tender, juicy meat enveloped in a crisp outer skin. But there is a downside to the deep-frying method – the increased potential for fire or injury.

The combination of extremely hot oil, a large item to fry, outdoor conditions and turkey-frying inexperience pose dangers including:

• The Spillover Effect: Many units easily tip over, spilling the hot oil within the cooking pot. If the cooking pot is overfilled with oil, the oil may spill out of the unit when the turkey is placed into the cooking pot. Oil may hit the burner, causing a fire to engulf the entire unit. Partially frozen turkeys placed into the fryer can also cause a spillover effect.
• Combustion: With no thermostat controls, fryer units also have the potential to overheat the oil to the point of combustion.
• Burns: The sides of the cooking pot, lid and pot handles get dangerously hot, posing severe burn hazards.

Given these added dangers, Allstate recommends all soon-to-be turkey chefs carefully consider the risks associated with deep frying.

“Don’t compromise your safety and the safety of those you love just to achieve a better tasting turkey,” cautioned Blackwell.

Should deep-frying still become the cooking method of choice, Allstate recommends that backyard chefs closely adhere to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s safety guidelines for frying turkeys:

• Keep fryer in full view while burner is on.
• Place fryer in an open area away from all walls, fences, or other structures.
• Never use a fryer in, on, or under a garage, breezeway, carport, porch, or any structure that can catch fire.
• Raise and lower food slowly to reduce splatter and avoid burns.
• Cover your bare skin when adding or removing food.
• Check the oil temperature frequently.
• If oil begins to smoke, immediately turn gas supply off.
• If a fire occurs, immediately call 911. Do not attempt to extinguish fire with water.

Make it a safe Thanksgiving and protect your family this holiday season.

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