Watch a Turkey Fryer Burst Into Flames (For Your Own Safety)

Heed this public service announcement: turkey fryers are dangerous. A new YouTube video from the National Fire Protection Association posted earlier today shows what happens when you dump a turkey into a pot of boiling hot water, sitting atop a fire. Essentially, it could explode into flames. "NFPA strongly discourages the use of turkey fryers," the video cautions.

Turkey fryers that use cooking oil are not safe, according to the NFPA. "These turkey fryers use a substantial quantity of cooking oil at high temperatures and units currently available for home use pose a significant danger that hot oil will be released at some point during the cooking process," the NFPA wrote on its website. "In addition, the burners that heat the oil can ignite spilled oil."

If you insist on eating fried turkey, the NFPA suggests a new type of "oil-less" turkey fryer. Meanwhile, if you can spare the bird and stomach the taste, there's always tofurkey.

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