Video: The greatest PSA ever?

posted at 9:31 pm on November 17, 2011 by Allahpundit

Via Verum Serum, so riveting is this that I think it ends up having the opposite of the intended effect. I want to fry a turkey now, just to experience that magical frisson of delight that spreads across Shatner’s face as he peers into his brand new frier. Imagine how succulent a crispy-fried bird must be to evoke that much pleasure in an 80-year-old. Good lord. No waiting until next Thursday: I’m going to go pour some oil in the bathtub, shove a little charcoal underneath, and get cracking.

Here’s a State Farm slideshow of Shatner doing things the right way. One last rule he forgot to mention about deep-frying: No smoking.

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Let’s hold a contest: What’s the craziest/funniest food substance you can deep fry? I can think of a couple, but they don’t match the utter insanity of deep fried butter.

I’m still working on a method to deep-fry Jell-O.

Random Numbers (Brian Epps) on November 18, 2011 at 12:39 AM

Ye, I’m serious. I hope to have the recipe set in time for next year’s Texas State Fair.

Random Numbers (Brian Epps) on November 18, 2011 at 12:42 AM

He should have quit while he was on top of his game, singing “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.”

SJBill on November 18, 2011 at 1:19 AM

But what about civil law suits? No problemo, just rely on Rick “pay to play” Perry’s Texas reformed tort system that makes seeking civil damages useless.

Seriously the damages done by these contraptions is not worth a turkey bragging rights win. Just pour over the bird some cheap white wine every 20 minutes or so. It’s a better turkey and has no horrible life altering surprises.

jimw on November 18, 2011 at 12:34 AM

Rick Perry called. He said to remember and play with the lawn darts after dinner.

trapeze on November 18, 2011 at 1:40 AM

Let’s hold a contest: What’s the craziest/funniest food substance you can deep fry? I can think of a couple, but they don’t match the utter insanity of deep fried butter.

Johnny 100 Pesos on November 17, 2011 at 10:24 PM

Try a pair of Schweddy Balls.

trapeze on November 18, 2011 at 1:43 AM

This was awesome! :) :) :)

Theophile on November 18, 2011 at 3:03 AM

I’m still working on a method to deep-fry Jell-O.

Random Numbers (Brian Epps) on November 18, 2011 at 12:39 AM

: )

listens2glenn on November 18, 2011 at 4:24 AM

Well, it’s a cute video. And bless State Farm for producing it. The one that did it for me, though, was a Alton Brown’s* Good Eats episode on the subject. The whole episode is on You Tube, but the fun part is about 2:30 into this clip.

The smoked turkey option: I’d never thought of doing that. It’s now on my to do list.

*Or as he’s known in our home, Lawgiver.

apostic on November 18, 2011 at 5:44 AM

Smoke the Bird, works every time and its a real delicacy. The biggest problem is timing the cooking just right so its ready for the table.

rob verdi on November 18, 2011 at 6:03 AM

Shatner-Cain 2012!!

Bradky on November 18, 2011 at 6:34 AM

I just love Shatner.

shick on November 18, 2011 at 6:53 AM

“Denny Crane”.

mrt721 on November 18, 2011 at 7:27 AM

…I’ve never tasted deep-fried turkey.

Allahpundit on November 17, 2011 at 9:33 PM

Neither have I. My roasted turkeys are fabulous, wouldn’t have them any other way (with lots of fresh garlic, olive oil and fresh rosemary and other herbs, can’t top them).

For anyone who may not have the ability to purchase their very own kitchen fire extinguisher for grease, flame and electric fires, A WHOLE LOT OF SALT POURED OVER THE FLAMES WILL PUT A FIRE OUT.

So keep a tub of salt near your stove…

Meanwhile, roast your turkeys, it’s very simple: 375 degrees, washed, dried and fresh (or defrosted) turkey covered with the above seasonings (plus salt and pepper), one-half hour roasting per pound, cover it up in the last half of the roasting.

Put some potatoes and carrots all around it in the roasting pan for the last hour of the roasting, you won’t be sorry…and you’ll have an entire neighborhood of neighbors, including all their cats and dogs, over at your place by draw of aroma by the time the bird is cooked.

Lourdes on November 18, 2011 at 7:56 AM

Lourdes on November 18, 2011 at 7:56 AM

Forgot to mention important aspect of a well-roasted turkey (or chicken, for that matter): you have to baste the foul about every 3/4 hour, baste it with the pan drippings from that olive oil I mentioned earlier.

To start, you pour olive oil all over the bird before you sprinkle it generously with garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper, enough olive oil to coat the bird’s surface overall and let it collect in the roasting pan around the bird.

Then you use the pan drippings for the basting afterward throughout the roasting of the turkey (or chicken).

It produces a very tender, moist turkey (or chicken) and your home will waft with roasted garlic and rosemary and turkey for hours afterward.

‘Course, won’t work for those who don’t like garlic or it’s aroma.

Lourdes on November 18, 2011 at 7:59 AM

Grilling your turkey also works well.

My Bro-in-law is a pro chef, and he makes a MEAN BBQ grilled Turkey. Much safer, and just as juicy and tender as the fried kind.

wearyman on November 18, 2011 at 8:08 AM

He should have stayed in the Nexus.

50sGuy on November 18, 2011 at 8:19 AM

Deep frying turkey is very easy and very safe if you have a trait that seems to be more and more rare:

COMMON SENSE

single stack on November 18, 2011 at 8:25 AM

Sorry, but why would you want to give up turkey gravy? Give me a perfectly roasted turkey with dressing, mashed potatoes, and gravy any day.

Deanna on November 18, 2011 at 8:26 AM

Shatner always cracks me up.

jeffn21 on November 18, 2011 at 8:37 AM

Hey, is the thing really called a “dingle-dangle”? If not, it will be now. I understand, by the way, that Shatner has a very active dingle-dangle for an 80 year old….

radjah shelduck on November 18, 2011 at 8:50 AM

BTW, he shouldn’t have thrown away the turkey fryer. It could come in handy if he ever has to battle a Gorn again.

radjah shelduck on November 18, 2011 at 8:52 AM

Just pour over the bird some drink cheap white wine every 20 minutes or so.
jimw on November 18, 2011 at 12:34 AM

FIFY. Then you won’t care how the turkey tastes.

Stuff your bird with sliced apples and herbs. Juciest, moistest bird (chicken or turkey) you ever had without any extra fat.

msjake on November 18, 2011 at 8:52 AM

A deepfried bird is the moistest turkey you will ever eat. IF you do it right, which includes getting the oil HOT.
You want introduction of the bird to the oil to pull the oil temp down to about 350-375.
Too many people have the oil at those temps before the bird is put in and get greasy bird as the oil will drop to the 300 range *bleck*

Tastiest turkey is done by stuffing the bird with diced aromatics, I use garlic, onions, leeks, and some medium Hungarian peppers. Then smoke it! Amazing flavors.

Nathan_OH on November 18, 2011 at 9:03 AM

I wonder if you can beer grill a turkey? You’d have to use a 40, but I bet it’d be AWESOME!

wearyman on November 18, 2011 at 9:07 AM

I’m still working on a method to deep-fry Jell-O.

Random Numbers (Brian Epps) on November 18, 2011 at 12:39 AM

Dude…

patch on November 18, 2011 at 9:21 AM

Eureka! William Shatner didn’t get it yet!

Captain Kirk needs to study Terran history: Stardate Negative Zero-212: Archimedes: A submerged object displaces its weight in liquid, such as a submerged turkey displaces its weight in frying oil.

Spock: How illogical!

Maybe the real fried turkey was Shatner!

Steve Z on November 18, 2011 at 9:54 AM

Tried frying turkey’s while still in my own home. Awesome and well worth the effort — hey, the effort put in makes it taste better anyways.

Now i can’t since I am in a condo. =/ So I brine my turkeys for 24hrs prior then roast them in a bag, stuff it with oranges and pineapple rings.

Just as juicy, though I miss the crispyness.

exsanguine on November 18, 2011 at 10:05 AM

Smoke the Bird, works every time and its a real delicacy. The biggest problem is timing the cooking just right so its ready for the table.
rob verdi on November 18, 2011 at 6:03 AM

I do all the smoking the day before and then throw it in the oven on 450 for an hour and a half right before dinner. Works great for me and no guessing at that point. Delicious birds the last three yeas. Definayely smoke it if you can.

oddjob1138 on November 18, 2011 at 10:12 AM

Johnny 100 Pesos on November 17, 2011 at 10:08 PM
==========================
Can’t tell if trolling or really Canadian.

TexasDan on November 17, 2011 at 11:03 PM

TexasDan:I AM Canadian,interesting,Peso’s are a long way from
Canada,unless its a snowbird,retiring in Mexico!:)

canopfor on November 17, 2011 at 11:24 PM

I am Canadian, married to a lovely lady from Chile (celebrated our 10th anniversary last week!), hence the handle. I live in downtown Toronto.

Johnny 100 Pesos on November 18, 2011 at 10:27 AM

Good to see Captain Kirk still at it so many years later.

As someone else posted above, turkey fryers are perfectly safe if one uses common sense. Anybody who manages to catch a house on fire is a potential Darwin Award candidate, such as the doofus portrayed by Shatner in the video.

Besides filling the fryer too full and not using the “dingle dangle”, the fryer setup there was all wrong. Far too close to the house on some kind of covered patio with the fryer sitting on a table?

When you drop the bird into the right amount of oil, it starts to boil like crazy as the water in the turkey releases. There’s a great chance that the fryer assembly would vibrate right off the table, spilling oil everywhere and the flame would ignite it.

So put the fryer on a level surface, not under a roof or tree or anything else, and away from any structure. If your home doesn’t have such a place, no problem: DON’T DEEP FRY THE TURKEY!

EconomicNeocon on November 18, 2011 at 10:43 AM

Great stuff. A role that Bill was born to play: Turkey + Oil + Fire warning spokesman.

ChipDWood on November 18, 2011 at 10:44 AM

I am Canadian, married to a lovely lady from Chile (celebrated our 10th anniversary last week!), hence the handle. I live in downtown Toronto.

Johnny 100 Pesos on November 18, 2011 at 10:27 AM

Take off, you hoser.

listens2glenn on November 18, 2011 at 12:00 PM

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