![Credit: Yinan Chen [Public Domain]](https://www.jstillman.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/turkey-300x243.jpg)
Gas prices are again low, meaning heavier traffic and more trucks on the road, so be sure to drive defensively.
The combination of poor weather conditions, distracted drivers, and intoxication makes driving more dangerous during the holiday season. The most dangerous night to be on the road is the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, also known as “Black Wednesday.”
After-work drinking is higher on this day than any other day of the year. With forecasters predicting cloudy and rainy weather for Thanksgiving this year, slick conditions may be a possibility, so try to stay off the roads, especially on Thanksgiving Eve, and if you must travel over the holidays, opt for daytime.
At-home risks are high on Thanksgiving, too. In fact, Thanksgiving is the number one day of the year in the U.S. for home fires, with 3 times the risk of cooking-related fires.
Arguably the most risky cooking activity is deep frying a turkey. Our top tip for turkey safety is: oven-roast your bird. However, if you must deep fry
- Mr. Turkey, we offer you the key safety points, and you can check here for more details:
Fry it outdoors, away from the house, car, and garage - Fully defrost the turkey to prevent boil-over, and insure thorough cooking
- Determine if your pot size and amount of oil are sufficient: insert turkey into the pot, fill with water to cover, then remove the bird and measure the water level. This will give you an accurate measure of the amount of oil without over-filling and causing oil to spill over
- Dry the pot and bird, then add oil and heat to 375F (check with meat thermometer), then slowly lower the seasoned turkey into the pot
- The turkey is fully cooked when the breast meat is 170F and the thigh meat is at 180F
- Never leave the pot unattended, and keep kids away!
We hope these tips help you plan ahead for a safer holiday!
