Deep fat frying is a method of cooking turkey submerged in oil and fried at high temperatures. This cooking method started in the Deep South several years ago and has grown in popularity across America. Deep-frying your turkey is much faster and easier than spending hours cooking the turkey in the kitchen.

But cooking turkey in oil at high temperatures does pose its health risks and cooking turkey in oil can be a fattening proposition.

The good, the bad and the ugly of deep, fat frying

First the positive aspects of deep fat frying

Currently, the USDA has not given any information on the fat or calorie content of cooking a turkey in a large degree of oil, which is probably a good thing. Sure cooking a turkey by deep fat frying it creates a very moist, tasty delight to consume, but that doesn't mean it's the healthiest way to prepare.

One of the perks of a deep-fried turkey is that it's quick and it's easy. So if you're in the mood for a no-fuss Thanksgiving feast, this is the way to go. The best part is that you can place an entire thawed turkey into the deep fryer if it is not stuffed. You can even put a wonderfully tasty marinade into the turkey to make it taste even more delicious!

Of course, there are some drawbacks:

Deep fat frying turkey tastes great, but prepare to rack up the calories. You will be cooking your turkey with oil. Of course, this is more fattening than baking or steaming the bird. And with the USDA currently not making a decision on this matter, we really do not know just how fattening or non-fattening deep fried turkey really is.

Deep frying a turkey can be dangerous. You will be submerging your turkey into a vat of hot oil. You will want the deep fryer to be large enough so that the oil does not spill out causing any harm to anyone close to the deep fryer. You will want to cook the turkey outside, just in case the oil does spill over.

How can you stay safe, and keep you home safe also?

Considering that most deep fat fryers do not have thermostats, you can't be certain what the inside temperature of oil in the fryer is. You can tell the temperature of the turkey by placing a thermometer inside the turkey. But you need to stay safe, and keep your family and your home safe. When you a re deep fat frying a turkey, cook it outside, away from the house and away from flammable material such as a deck, a pile of wood or anything else that can ignite.

You will need to watch the deep fat fryer to make certain that the oil is not bubbling out of the fryer or hasn't started on fire. It is best to keep animals and children away from the deep fat fryer also to maintain safety at all times.

How do you cook a deep fried turkey? Very carefully, that's how you cook a deep fried turkey. Make certain that the oil has reached a temperature of 350 degrees. Carefully lower the turkey into the hot oil. You will want to cook the turkey three to five minutes per pound. Remove the turkey from the oil with tongs and drain the oil from the turkey cavity. The inner turkey temperature should be 180 degrees when it is done. Deep fat frying a turkey is fast and easy. You will have to be careful when frying your turkey and get a fryer that is large enough to hold a 12- pound turkey. You can add your own special marinade to make a turkey that is a truly tasty delight!