Peanut oil: The key to fried turkey
IT’S THANKSGIVING WEEK! I’m that excited that I have to type it in all caps. I’ve said it many times before: Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. Most get four days off, the weather is lovely, there is no pressure and stress of gift-giving, and all you do is watch/play football and stuff your faces with comfort foods.Every year, the hubster and I throw a day-after-Thanksgiving leftovers potluck party. We invite our friends to bring some of their leftovers from the day before, and we deep-fry up some turkey Cajun-style. We began this annual tradition the year we moved into our current home in 2009, and since then, the partygoers have multiplied so much that we now have to fry three turkeys instead of one…and there are only three bird carcasses by night's end.This year will be no different. We’re planning to fry up three more turkeys starting Friday afternoon. The secret to frying a turkey (or frying practically anything, for that matter) is peanut oil. Peanut oil has a high smoking point, so you can fry things at high temperatures without having them come out reeking like ash. And its mild yet slightly nutty flavor lends a nice touch to the food.We buy our peanut oil by the gallons-ful at the hardware store or supermarket. After the Thanksgiving weekend, we let it cool before siphoning it back into its original container and taking it to my father-in-law’s auto shop for proper disposal.Whatever you do this Thanksgiving—whether you’re frying or roasting or smoking your bird, or maybe you’re ordering in or going out to eat something entirely different all together—may you and your loved ones have a great one.Do you or your family have any Thanksgiving traditions? What are you doing this holiday? Let me know in the comments section.
- You can find the recipe for my fried turkey in my cookbook. And if you don’t have my cookbook, you can read my fried turkey recipe on this blog.
- Read more about why peanut oil is great for deep frying.