Fried Thanksgiving

Deep-fried Thanksgiving

My journey through the fried-food world

Graphics provided by Canva.

Thanksgiving presents a uniquely North American holiday; one that primarily focuses on two majors concepts surrounding family and food. Although the traditional anksgiving meal has come to feature a turkey of some sorts as the staple, the iconic stu -yourself, all-youcan-eat mentality remains no matter how the turkey is prepared or what dishes are spread out beside it. e deep-fried turkey is an increasingly popular way of preparing the centerpiece of anksgiving dinner. It is a staple of Cajun thanksgivings, with the Times-Picayune of New Orleans claiming to have a record of deep-fried turkeys dating back to 1984 — though it is probably most known for its infamous safety incidents. At one point, accidents became so prevalent that the New York City Fire Department released a safety guide for dealing with deep-frying turkeys. e National Fire Protection Agency even warns against the practice of deep-frying turkeys without proper emergency re gear and someone ready to call 911 on standby. is deep-fried turkey tradition has inspired me to spread this treatment to the whole of anksgiving dinner: a three course meal. I planned to deep-fry the essential parts of a meal: an entree, a side, and a dessert. My choice for the entree was a turkey breast, because my deep fryer could only t a turkey breast. For the side, I choose mac and cheese because I nd it to be the quintessential anksgiving side. In research conducted by GrillCookBake across all 50 states, mac and cheese tied mashed potatoes as the two most popular sides, based upon the most popular side dish Google searches around anksgiving. e dessert of choice was pumpkin pie, because no other dessert is as iconic to the holiday. e Entree With the turkey breast, I took a pretty simple approach to frying it. I simply breaded it and fried it until it reached a safe temperature. It came out dry and tough to chew. It was quite painful and disheartening to eat. I feel there is a reason that turkey is baked and roasted rather than fried. I would not recommend trying this recipe, and would instead recommend using a darker meat, like leg or thigh, if you want to fry a piece of turkey. is should maintain moisture and not be nearly as tough as the white meat cut I used. e Side Frying mac and cheese is a less straightforward process. You cannot just throw mac and cheese into a fryer and have it come out edible. In order to deep fry the mac and cheese successfully, I decided to ball them up and fry them. I chilled them so that they would be more malleable and easier to shape. en, I simply breaded and fried them. ese mac and cheese balls came out really well. ey were crunchy and wellseasoned on the outside and nice and cheesy on the inside. In spite of this, how well the mac and cheese balls come out depends on the quality of the mac and cheese used in the core, so make sure you use a recipe and ingredients that you like. e Dessert At rst, I thought of approaching this recipe by simply taking a frozen pumpkin pie, hacking o a piece, then breading and frying that slice. However, I felt that it would not be very good. e approach I ended up taking is a hand pie, which has a built-in shell so it does not require additional breading to be fried. I also added a sugar coating to make the little hand pie even better. I have to say, if you try anything from this article, please let it be this pie. It is one of the best things I have personally ever made, and one of the best pies I have ever tried. Additionally, taste may change from person to person, so use what spices you would like in the lling. You could also make the dough from scratch, but it is a lot of additional labor for not much reward, especially since it is being fried. Safety Precautions While deep-frying food can be delicious, it can sometimes turn disastrous. Per Morrow & Sheppard trial injuries group, every year deep-fryer res are responsible for ve deaths, 60 injuries and the destruction of 900 homes. It is important to take measures to protect yourself and your home when using a deep-fryer. Make sure your turkey is fully thawed before cooking to avoid an explosion in the fryer. Also check that your fryer is placed away from ammable objects, pets and children to avoid injuries and damage. Always wear protective clothing such as ame-retardant clothing and eye protection, and use properly functioning equipment.

Benjamin Grantonic grantben000@hsestudents.org

Ingredients: 1 turkey breast (bone out) 1 large egg 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs (or other breadcrumb of choice) Coating: ½ cup of flour ½ tablespoon of hot paprika ½ tablespoon of garlic powder ½ tablespoon of oregano ½ tablespoon of sage ½ tablespoon of onion powder Directions: On one plate crack your egg and whisk until properly combined . On another place the ingredients for the coating and mix . On a third plate spread your breadcrumbs. Place your turkey breast into the egg, then into the coating, then back into the egg, then into the breadcrumbs. Then fry in the 325 degree oil, flipping halfway through (or until it reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees).

Fried mac and cheese balls

Ingredients: 4, 1-inch balls of Mac and Cheese, chilled until solid and sticky 1 large egg 1 cup of panko Coating: 1 cup of flour 1 tablespoon of garlic powder ½ tablespoon of onion powder 1 teaspoon of dried ground basil 1 teaspoon of dried ground oregano 1 teaspoon of dried thyme 1 teaspoon of dried sage 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary Directions: Take 4 scoops of mac and cheese. Roll into round 1 inch balls. Crack egg into bowl and whisk until mixed fully. Mix together the coating and spread onto a plate. Dip balls into egg and then roll in coating until fully coated. Then roll in panko. Place into 375 degree oil and fry until the outside is golden brown.

Fried pumpkin hand pies

Ingredients: One sheet of store bought pie crust Filling: Half a can (about 1 cup) of pumpkin puree 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract ½ teaspoon of ground ginger ½ cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice Directions: Slice sheet of pie crust in half. On one half one half of your new half crust, place a dollop of the filling. Make sure to leave space around the edges. Fold over the pie crust so that the filing is covered. Crimp the edges so that the pie pocket is sealed, trim excess, and re-crimp as needed. Place into 350 degree oil until the outside is golden brown. While still hot, place into the sugar coating. Let cool and enjoy!