Madison Co. Fire Marshal has Thanksgiving cooking safety tips

MADISON COUNTY, Tenn. — Deep frying a turkey can be dangerous, so what can you do to make sure you don’t start a fire?

“One of the important things to do is watch the level of your oil,” Madison County Fire Marshal Don Friddle said. “Make sure it’s set at the point where it will cover the entire turkey but not boil over the pot.”

Friddle says the oil is flammable and will burn.

He says the other major point is to make sure the turkey is completely thawed.

“You don’t want to put any water, any ice, anything like that,” Friddle said. “It’s very important that you’re putting a dry, thawed out turkey in they fryer.”

He also warns to keep the fryer away from any structures and turn the burner off when putting the turkey in the pot.

If you’re doing the cooking inside, he says to make the kitchen a kid-free zone.

“It’s very easy to get distracted with what you’re doing with family and friends over at your home, so when you’re cooking, stay with it,” Friddle said.

Friddle says they receive more calls on Thanksgiving than any other day of the year. As much as they like being in the community, he says they don’t want to be your Thanksgiving guests.