November Giggle:
That Guy! Fries Thanksgiving Turkey
View all That Guy! toons at Culinary Cartoons.
November Gab:
Should you fry a turkey at home?
Chef Jeremy Downey has been frying turkeys at Bistro V for 10 years.
The restaurant offers an annual Thanksgiving To-Go Menu. Typically, there is an array of sides, desserts, along with both roasted and fried turkeys. Given this Thanksgiving he, along with co-owner, Emily Tuttle Shell, and staff are taking more time off for the holiday, the menu does not include turkeys.
With no chef to fry the turkey, should people try this at home? “It’s dangerous!” Chef Jeremy warns. “Fire, oil, and a big bird, sometimes not completely thawed, are a bad combination.” Although a turkey might appear to be thawed there can be unknown, small ice pockets. Thus, Chef Jeremy says, “You must hold the bird above the fryer for about 30 seconds, and not just drop it in all at once, which is a workout-in-itself. And if you were to drop a frozen turkey in hot oil it will blow up like the one in the cartoon.”
People like to chill while cooking on Thanksgiving. Sounds difficult to do while frying a turkey? “Having a conversation and a drink is part of the ritual of turkey frying or roasting a turkey. But while the turkey is cooking, you must pay attention, watch the temperature, and keep an eye on the process,” he explains. “So why would you fry a turkey when you can roast it, and sit back and sip a glass of wine until time to baste it again?” Chef also says that fried turkey dries out after refrigerating overnight, so fried turkey is best served immediately.
As a professional chef, in your own experiences frying turkeys, has anything bad ever happened? I am “That Guy!” That cartoon was me seven years ago, he laughs. I had eight fryers going when I slipped on oil by one of the fryers, knocking it over and setting the parking lot on fire! The turkey went rolling down the hill. I was chasing it when the police arrived… I nearly blew up my whole restaurant! Embarrassed I expected everyone in the restaurant was watching. But when I looked (through the windows inside Bistro V), everyone was just eating lunch, enjoying themselves, and never even noticed what happened! Burned, and in shock, I snuck in the back door, and washed the runaway turkey. Then I went back outside set the fryer back up and restarted the fire.”
November Gourmet:
Dine In or Dine Out for Thanksgiving?
This year the family is coming home from Florida for Thanksgiving. I am roasting a turkey, NOT frying one! But I will count on Chef Jeremy to make oyster dressing, squash casserole, sweet potato casserole, and more, as well as a pumpkin cheesecake.
View Bistro V’s Thanksgiving To-Go Menu
And my annual holiday order for Bottega’s Famous Coconut Pecan Cake is in. If you love to bake, I have the original recipe on our archives.
View Bottega’s Coconut Pecan Cake Recipe
The joy of not cooking Thanksgiving can be had by reserving Galley and Garden’s Thanksgiving Brunch. We do this every other year. We could easily all have brunch for the price of my organic turkey. Put us down for next year, Stan!
View Galley and Garden’s Thanksgiving Brunch Menu
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