Thursday, November 23, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving from MAKE!
November 23, 2006
In this issue: MAKE Video Podcast: Fold your own turkey plus DIY Thanksgiving: How to fry a turkey, turkey fryer kits, safety, and more!
Greetings Makers,
Welcome to a special Thanksgiving Day edition of the MAKE newsletter. We have a lot to be thankful for this year--but most of all, we're thankful for our readers and community of makers who make MAKE what it is. Have a great holiday folks, and enjoy this Thanksgiving-themed email filled with projects and more for turkey time.
- Phillip Torrone
Senior Editor, MAKE Magazine
It's that time of year--but this year, don't just buy stuff, buy stuff to MAKE! The MAKE Holiday Gift Guide: Download great gift ideas for the incorrigible makers and inquisitive tinkerers on your list!
From the MAKE Blog
Make Video Podcast: Make Your Own Thanksgiving Turkey Out of Paper!
Are you tired of the same meat-based turkey every year? This year, do something different: instead of killing your own, or frying your own, or building a nuclear reactor to heat it up, you can make your own turkey out of paper!
In this weekend projects video, my dx-arts pal Allison Kudla and I break it down for you by teaching you how to use Blender to decimate a turkey and output it to Pepakura, which will flatten it, add tabs, and get it ready for papercrafting. Big thanks to the folks over at Alibre, who modeled up our our turkey and made an awesome 3D exploding turkey for the PDF. Watch the video to learn how to build one from scratch, print out the instructions if you want to learn how to make your own model out of paper, or you can just print out the plans and fold them on up! This could make a g reat activity for the family while the meat-based bird is cooking!
Make sure to take pictures and upload them to the MAKE Flickr Pool, and have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Make Your Own Turkey Plans!
You can make a turkey from our turkey pattern. Watch the video, check out the instructions and then just download the plans and print it on out, glue it to some card stock and you're good to start cutting and gluing! - PDF Link
Thanksgiving Turkey-Making Instructions
Download the free PDF to get the full instructions on how to make the paper turkey! You'll learn how to get started making or modifying 3D models, import them into Pepakura, and then print them out as papercraft plans! - PDF Link
Update: check out the 3D explodable turkey that Alibre made for us!
DIY Thanksgiving: How to fry a turkey, turkey fryer kits, safety and more...
OK makers, here are some turkey fryer kits, how-tos, safety tips, and all around do-it-yourself projects, recipes, and more for Thanksgiving...
First up, Instructables has a how-to on frying a turkey. Check out the comments and cautions for lots of good advices/tips - Link. And if you're planning on sharing any recipes, DIYs, how-tos or whatever, Instructables is also having a contest & group.
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." - Link.
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" - PDF.
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." [via] - Link.
How Stuff Works has an uber collection of all things Thanksgiving-related, from stain removal to how pop timers work. - Link.
And last up, a sneak peak at something we'll be posting about very soon!
