Deep fat frying is a method of cooking turkey submerged in oil and fried at high temperatures. This cooking method started in the Deep South several years ago and has grown in popularity across America. Deep-frying your turkey is much faster and easier than spending hours cooking the turkey in the kitchen.

But cooking turkey in oil at high temperatures does pose its health risks and cooking turkey in oil can be a fattening proposition.

The good, the bad and the ugly of deep, fat frying

First the positive aspects of deep fat frying

Currently, the USDA has not given any information on the fat or calorie content of cooking a turkey in a large degree of oil, which is probably a good thing. Sure cooking a turkey by deep fat frying it creates a very moist, tasty delight to consume, but that doesn't mean it's the healthiest way to prepare.

One of the perks of a deep-fried turkey is that it's quick and it's easy. So if you're in the mood for a no-fuss Thanksgiving feast, this is the way to go. The best part is that you can place an entire thawed turkey into the deep fryer if it is not stuffed. You can even put a wonderfully tasty marinade into the turkey to make it taste even more delicious!

Of course, there are some drawbacks: