Fish & Chips, Fried Chicken, Stir Fry...Is It Safe?

weco

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Nov 24, 2010
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Nanday, suns, parrotlet, Patagonian
Several days ago I responded to a thread about the use of Febreze & incense around birds & the thread discussion went the gamut, including candles, when I interjected:

ā€œā€¦..The particulates given off by the burning can lodge in a bird's air sacs and cause infections.....do you cook French fries in a pan of oil, on the stove? Every time you do, you subject your birds to the possibility of their air sacs being blistered, or at the very least, coating their air sacs , which will lead to infections.....ā€


Well, a combination of weather & illness conspired to delay my response to all the questions for clarification of my postingā€¦..boy, am I glad that when titles were being assigned, Mother Nature was properly designated & assignedā€¦..can you imagine all of the extraneous negativity that we of the male specie would be forced to endure otherwise ? ? ?

OK, on to clarifying my earlier statementā€¦..at some point in our indoctrination into living with companion birds, we are counseled that we will need to make some lifestyle changesā€¦..the thing is that too many of us only make the changes that are convenient to us, often compromising on others because they may not fit into our particular lifestyle or we have allowed our feathered companions to dictate to us, rather than the other way around.

Do you allow your birds in the kitchen when you are cooking? You shouldnā€™t, it is dangerous. Boiling water creates steam, while boiling/frying oil creates aerosolized oil droplets. Do your own researchā€¦..check the bottom of cabinets. Cabinet facings, even the ceiling around your cabinets. If there is oil residue, you have allowed your frying foods to reach too high a temperature and if you allowed your bird(s) to help you during the preparation, you have endangered their health every time. Even using an over-the-stove vent hood is of little value if the venting is back into the room/house.


I realize that in some cases moving large cages at every meal may not be practical.....in those instances, completely cover the bird's cage, to preclude oil/grease residue.....







I guess the saving grace here, if there really is one, unless a bird flies directly through hot, aserolizing grease, there is little chance of its air sacs being burned, however, there is every chance of your birdā€™s air sacs will receive a small coating of cooled oil/greaseā€¦ā€¦andā€¦..none of the cooking oils on the market are safe/suitable for coating a birdā€™s air sacsā€¦..


 

Birdlover11

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Aug 23, 2012
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Pepsi and sprite, both are American male budgies
Thank you ! I have always smelled something funny when mom makes fries or fried foods, will have to cover cage ! And thanks for the clarification
 

BoomBoom

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May 2, 2012
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Boomer (Sun Conure 9 yrs), Pewpew (Budgie 5 yrs), Ulap (Budgie 2 yrs), Eight & Kiki (Beloved Budgies, RIP)
Do you allow your birds in the kitchen when you are cooking? You shouldnā€™t, it is dangerous. Boiling water creates steam, while boiling/frying oil creates aerosolized oil droplets. Do your own researchā€¦..check the bottom of cabinets. Cabinet facings, even the ceiling around your cabinets. If there is oil residue, you have allowed your frying foods to reach too high a temperature and if you allowed your bird(s) to help you during the preparation, you have endangered their health every time. Even using an over-the-stove vent hood is of little value if the venting is back into the room/house.

This is very true. I rarely cook but when I do, I tend to overcook things so that the oil gets in the very air. When I did a meticulous cleaning of my kitchen a few months back, I was shocked to see oil residue coating where I didn't expect any to be. That made me realize the oil can easily be inhaled by Boomer. Luckily I was never one to cook anyway.

Thanks for confirming it with this post though.
 
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WharfRat

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Jul 3, 2012
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2 Bolivian Green Wings-ReaRea & Miri,
2 Yellow Naped 'Zons- Shiloh & Halo,
Hahn's Macaw-Kalani
IMO only! First off, having loose birds while cooking is like asking for an accident, I learned early on, especially if you're cooking something they like! Any frying should only be done in a stainless steel or uncoated pan and even then keeping the birds in mind. A vent fan does NO GOOD if it doesn't ventilate OUTSIDE!! The best check for that is to look for a hose running above your venthood and verify it runs outside. Leave the fan running and go outside where the stove is and see if it does vent outside and not into the room or attic space. (you can listen for it as well)

Frying with birds loose...........ain't even even gonna go there.........DON'T DO IT!!
 
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weco

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Nov 24, 2010
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Nanday, suns, parrotlet, Patagonian
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Can't agree with you more WharfRat, but as we read everyday on this & other forums, not everybody marches their ducks in the same row.....

You and I enjoy cooking areas that probably are equipped with vent fans.....that's not the case for all members of this forum, so I chose describe dangerous situation potentials so that we might make necessary safety accommodations as might suit our individual needs.....
 

HalfInsane

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Dec 23, 2011
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British Columbia, Canada
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Pixel: female senegal, hatched Dec 15, 2011
Totally agree. But I also agree having your bird with you with any kind of cooking, and there are hot surfaces, is asking for trouble. Now if I make a nice salad on the other hand Pixel is right there. Kindly 'sampling' (stealing) the ingredients.
 

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