A Big Deep-Fried Turkey No-No

You want to know what one of my favorite things to do with leftover turkey is? I like to slice it even thinner than it already was, if necessary, and fry it in a skillet with some butter spray. It is a phenomenal turkey sandwich...especially with a little garlic aioli.

TURKEY PREPARATION FOR THANKSGIVING DAY

That, my friends, is the extent of me and fried turkey on or after Thanksgiving Day. No, we've never eaten the big holiday bird any other way than the traditional baked-in-the-oven format. Tried and true.

And if this your first year preparing the turkey, well first, congratulations. That's a big deal. Secondly, check this out. (I'm hungry already.)

I love turkey and prefer it for Thanksgiving Dinner, although I know quite a few people who opt for ham. But I can have ham any time of the year if I want it; this, to me, is turkey's special day.

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HOW TO PROPERLY DEEP-FRY A TURKEY

Now, I did say that baking it in the oven is the only way my family has ever had turkey on the big day, but I HAVE had some deep-fried turkey. It was delicious, and it was done the right way...like how this guy did it.

HOW TO IMPROPERLY DEEP-FRY A TURKEY

If it hadn't been done the right way, there wouldn't have been any. These firefighters are showing you what I mean:

I have never prepared a Thanksgiving turkey; far better cooks than myself have taken care of that throughout history. But even I would've balked at dropping a frozen turkey into hot fat. It's never sounded wise, and that demonstration proves it.

WHY A FROZEN TURKEY EXPLODES IN HOT FAT

So let's talk about that frozen turkey bomb. Why on Earth does that happen? Well, science class is in session, students, and I'll be turning the lectern over to Dr. Kristine Nolin, associate professor of chemistry at the University of Richmond. By way of pbs.org, here's what she tells us:

The reason frozen turkeys explode, at its core, has to do with differences in density. There is a difference in density between oil and water and differences in the density of water between its solid, liquid and gas states. When these density differences interact in just the right way, you get an explosion.

Honestly, I'm not sure I understand all that. But I also know I'm not going to be deep-frying a frozen turkey, so I guess it doesn't matter.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Pass me a thigh.