Ok gang, here it is the largest collection of DIY Thanksgiving projects on the web from MAKE past and present – from how-to make a paper turkey, to how to fry one up, a real one that is…
First up, how-to on frying a turkey. Check out the comments and cautions for lots of good advices/tips.
Underwriters Laboratories has some background on why they don’t certify turkey fryers along with scary photos & video —
“A longtime food favorite in the southern United States, the delicious deep-fried turkey has quickly grown in popularity thanks to celebrity chefs such as Martha Stewart and Emeril Lagasse. While some people rave about this tasty creation, Underwriters Laboratories Inc.’s (UL) safety experts are concerned that backyard chefs may be sacrificing safety for good taste.
“We’re worried by the increasing reports of fires related with turkey fryer use,” says John Drengenberg, UL consumer affairs manager. “Based on our test findings, the fryers used to produce those great-tasting birds are not worth the risks. And, as a result of these tests, UL has decided not to certify any turkey fryers with our trusted UL Mark.”
Still want to fry a turkey? Check out Alton Brown’s Turkey Derrick – “Ask any professional fire fighter – they’ll tell you — every Thanksgiving they answer a slew of emergency calls… Maybe you’ve seen the videos of decks or houses going up in flames because of careless turkey frying? After some thinking, sketching, a few trips to the hardware store… the Turkey Derrick was invented as an ideal way to intelligently and safely fry a bird. Download the instructions to construct the derrick and fry the bird”.
Here’s a “kit” for turkey frying, also can fry 3 chickens at once (Jake) … – $100:
“Bayou Classic Stainless Steel Cookware is the premium choice for those who demand the highest quality products for their outdoor cooking needs. The 30-Quart polished Stainless Steel Stockpot allows you to fry a whole turkey in as little as 45 minutes. With the included Skewer Set, this item transforms into a Gourmet Chicken Fryer, making it possible to fry 3 chickens in 20 minutes! The Stainless Perforated Basket is perfect for boiling seafood, crawfish, clams, and vegetables.”
How Stuff Works has an uber collection of all things Thanksgiving-related, from stain removal to how pop timers work.
Make Your Own Turkey Plans!
Make Your Own Thanksgiving Turkey … (M4V).
Thanksgiving Turkey-Making Instructions (including the 3D turkey PDF!!).
Made: Paper Turkey
Hack the Paper Turkey
HOW TO – Handprint Turkey Softie
A smoked turkey with an IP address…
HOW TO – Turkey Treats
HOW TO – Turkey Pops
Turkey baster head mounted musical instrument
Four Thanksgiving Knitting Patterns …
Interview with a turkey fryer
HOW TO – Harvest a turkey
Making a thermocouple (measure turkey temperature)
Hah, this is awesome – a teaching assistant for a Psych class adds an extra page to an exam and says “draw a turkey” – here are the results, hundreds of hand-drawn turkeys (scanned, posted to Flickr)….
- 9 hungry folks drew a cooked Butterball turkey
- 5 had their turkey saying “eat me!” … but 6 had the turkey protest “don’t eat me!”
- 17 turkeys were gobble, gobble-ing
- 21 wished a Happy Thanksgiving
- 8 wore a hat
- 108 were “left handed” … 72 were “right handed” … although I counted freehand-drawn hands too, and wasn’t very exact about how I chose some of the blobbier ones
Here’s a useful Excel sheet you can use to calculate how much stuff you’ll need to buy for Thanksgiving… Spacejockey writes – “Shopping calculator that will present a complete Thanksgiving shopping list, and how much to cook of each menu item, after just entering a few variables.” – Link.
I happen to have Excel on this computer, but it should work in OpenOffice too…
Did we miss anything? Post up in the comments!
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