This is the 20th post in our series titled “Twenty Two Thanksgiving Turkey Tips”.  Each day between now and Thanksgiving we’ll have a new tip for you.  Today’s tip includes What To Do Once Your Turkey Is Done:

You’re almost there! Your turkey is done and ready to come out of the fryer.  When you are ready to pull the bird out of the oil one of the first things you are going to want to do is have a tray, platter or any sort of item to hold your bird freshly out of the fryer.  Another item to grab or make sure you have in stock is some tin foil to line you pan, tray or whatever platter you are using.

Taking the bird out the fryer is actually pretty simple.  When ready, grab your hook and attach it to the poultry rack and slowly lift up your bird, let the oil drip and place it onto your platter.  At this point you may want to stick a meat thermometer into the bird to check the temperature and make sure the bird is fully cooked.  Although, many people who have experience deep frying turkey can tell you that this is not always the best route to take.  This is because you really do not want to start carving until 30 minutes after your bird is out of the fryer and any punctures could disrupt the “carry over cooking time.”

More Information on the Carry Over Cooking Period 

Once your bird is wrapped in tin foil and let to sit for 30 minutes there is a phenomenon known as the “carry over cooking time.”  During this time, your turkey will continue to cook even after being removed from the source of heat.  Especially with larger birds, carry over cooking will be especially affective because of the way carry over cooking works better with larger items being cooked.  One of the best aspect of carry over cooking is that juices distribute more evenly throughout the meat, creating the juicy, tender bird everyone’s looking for.

Some deep fryers even recommend pulling the bird out at 155°F- 160°F because they know that the turkey temperature will rise to the optimal 170°F with carry over cooking.

If You Want to Use a Meat Thermometer

If you still want to be absolutely sure and use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the bird then that is fine.  Pull the bird out, check the temperature to make sure it is around 155°-160° and wait 30 minutes and your bird should still come out fine.

–For more tips and ideas on how to prepare your tastiest turkey ever, make sure you download (from Amazon.com) a copy of our book, titled: Turkey Fryers & Deep Fried Turkey: How To Deep Fry A Turkey- Complete Step By Step Instructions To Cooking Your Tastiest Turkey Ever!  As a special bonus for all book buyers, we’re including a complete step-by-step series of videos showing anyone exactly how to deep fry a turkey.  Get this book today!–