The Underwriters Laboratories will not certify that any turkey fryers are safe for public use. On their Website, they provide lots of information about why turkey fryers are dangerous, including those listed below. Far more fun though is the video of a firefighter in full gear testing out fryers. As my friend Paul Saffo says, "you gotta love the guy in turnouts dropping the turkey in with a pole…"
Here's why using a deep-fryer can be dangerous:* Many units easily tip over, spilling the hot oil within the cooking pot.
* If the cooking pot is overfilled with oil, the oil may spill out of the unit when the turkey is placed into the cooking pot. Oil may hit the burner/flames causing a fire to engulf the entire unit.
* Partially frozen turkeys placed into the fryer can cause a spillover effect. This too, may result in an extensive fire.
* With no thermostat controls, the units also have the potential to overheat the oil to the point of combustion.
Link (via Farber's Interesting People)
