Benjamin Franklin’s  Attempt to Cook a Turkey with Electricity

Most of us know Benjamin Franklin as the statesman with bifocals, the face on the $100 bill, or the brave, slightly reckless soul who flew a kite in a lightning storm. But few realize that Franklin was also a pioneer of what we might call "extreme cooking."

In the winter of 1750, Franklin decided to combine his two greatest passions—scientific inquiry and a good meal—to host what he envisioned as the world’s first "electrical dinner party." His goal? To kill and cook a turkey using nothing but electricity.

Why Shock a Bird?

By 1750, Franklin was obsessed with electricity. He had been experimenting with Leyden jars, which were the earliest form of capacitors (devices used to store an electrical charge).

Franklin had noticed a curious phenomenon during his laboratory work: when small animals were accidentally killed by electrical shocks, their meat seemed to undergo a physical change. He theorized that electricity would "render the flesh of animals uncommonly tender."

He wasn't just looking for a faster way to kill the bird; he was looking for a culinary breakthrough. He believed that the electrical current would break down the muscle fibers more effectively than traditional aging or marinating.

The First Electric Kitchen

Franklin didn't do things halfway. For his electrical feast, he planned an entire menu prepared with the help of "electrical fire." His plan included:

• A turkey to be killed by electrical shock.

• The bird to be roasted on an electrical spit.

• Side dishes served in "electrified" containers.

To achieve the "dispatching" of the turkey, Franklin wired together a "battery" of six large glass Leyden jars, capable of holding a massive amount of static electricity. He intended to pass the current through the turkey’s head to kill it instantly and humanely.

The Notorious Blunder

As the guests gathered and the experiment began, disaster struck. While Franklin was handling the wires to position them against the turkey, he accidentally touched the lead to his own hand while his other hand was grounded.

Instead of the turkey receiving the massive surge of electricity, Franklin took the full force of the six-jar battery through his arms and chest.

In a letter to his friend Peter Collinson, Franklin described the experience with his trademark wit:

"The company present say that the flash was very great and the crack as loud as a pistol... I neither saw the flash, heard the report, nor felt the stroke... I felt a universal blow throughout my whole body from head to foot, which seemed within as well as without; after which the first thing I took notice of was a violent quick shaking of my body."

Franklin was nearly knocked unconscious and suffered significant bruising and soreness for days. He was deeply embarrassed by the accident, famously writing, "I am ashamed to have been guilty of so notorious a blunder."

Was the Turkey Actually Tasty?

Despite nearly killing himself, the party (eventually) proceeded. Franklin did manage to shock the turkey into the afterlife, and it was roasted for the guests.

Did it work? According to Franklin’s notes, the experiment was a success—at least gastronomically. He reported that the turkey was indeed "uncommonly tender" and suggested that the electrical discharge had somehow "relaxed" the muscles in a way that traditional slaughtering did not.

The Electric Legacy Lives On

While we don't typically use 10,000 volts to prep our Thanksgiving dinner today, Franklin’s experiment was a precursor to modern food science. He was one of the first people to think about how physical energy, beyond just heat, could change the chemical composition of what we eat.

Today, industrial food processing sometimes uses "pulsed electric fields" (PEF) to pasteurize juices or soften vegetables, proving that Old Ben was, as usual, about 250 years ahead of his time.