Aldi Is in Trouble Over This Exploding Turkey Burger

Generally, Aldi is praised for its award-winning wine selection and bargain-friendly groceries, but the German import is now facing some much-less-flattering press: A Pennsylvania woman is suing the grocery store chain, claiming that a turkey burger she purchased there exploded while she was cooking it, causing burns and scarring.

Pittsburgh’s Action News Four reports that the woman, Gloria Besley, bought the Kirkwood brand turkey burger patties in July of last year. Just a month later, she took the patties out of her freezer and followed the cooking instructions to a tee, placing one patty in vegetable oil on a medium hot skillet. But as soon as the patty hit the oil, something terrifying happened: it exploded. It’s unclear if that means that the cold patty itself blew into tiny pieces on contact with the hot pan, or if the oil in the pan sprayed all over the kitchen and Besley herself.

The instructions indicated that Besley did not need to thaw the patties before frying, so she didn’t, simply adding it to the hot pan straight from the freezer. Under these circumstances, one can imagine the amount of hot oil that would splatter off the pan, potentially hitting exposed skin. This commonly happens in the cooking process when there is a hot pan in play, and while it’s important to be cautious under these circumstances, that doesn’t mean Besley could have predicted or even protected herself from a barrage of hot oil and chunks of flying turkey burger, as the case may have been.

Besley is now suing Aldi for damages because she suffered second-degree burns on her hands and arms following the incident. Let this be a warning to everyone: If you’re dealing with hot oil, even a couple flecks on the arm can be painful, so no matter what you’re cooking whether it be burgers or chicken, be sure to stay a safe distance from the pan or even wear gloves to protect your skin. Apparently, you can never be too careful.