RFK Jr.’s rejection of government-issued health and safety standards goes far beyond his opposition to life-saving vaccinations, it appears. The failed politician, who is president-elect Donald Trump’s pick for US secretary of health and human services, eschewed the official—and, frankly, common fucking sense—guidance that a cook wear shoes while performing challenging tasks in the kitchen. Instead, the proposed boss of American health care opted for bare feet as he pulled a turkey dripping in boiling oil from a deep fryer while announcing, “This is how we cook the MAHA way.”
It all went down in a post published to Robert F. Kennedy’s X formerly Twitter account Thursday, captioned with a simple “Happy Thanksgiving,” followed by a turkey emoji. As the video began, RFK Jr. unwrapped a box of beef tallow—a rendered form of beef fat embraced by many cooks for the flavor it adds to dishes—then gestured to an adjacent deep-fryer where more of the fat bubbled. “This is beef tallow fat,” he said redundantly, as he lowered a raw turkey into the oil, one of three he had resting on a nearby cardboard box. “This is the dangerous part,” he said as his wife, actor Cheryl Hines, cowered behind a bit of outdoor latticework.
“Honey, are you going to eat some of this?” Kennedy asked Hines, who responded, “Um, no, I don’t eat turkey.” Kennedy chuckled in response as he continued to gaze into the bubbling, crackling oil. He did not explain, if Hines refused to partake, just who would be eating the three turkeys he had lined up for their boiling baths.
During that portion of the cooking demonstration, the political scion wore fairly sensible-looking hiking-style shoes. Sure, Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules require chefs on the job to wear safety-toe footwear with leather upper and oil-resistant soles, but who among us hasn’t eschewed professional guidance when at home? If home cooks like you or I occasionally cook in trainers, it seems like a lot to assume a man who was credibly accused of sexual assault, engaged in beachfront whale decapitation, and staged a bear death scene might follow safe and sensible guidance.
But another thing cooks—home and professional—also know is that the real “dangerous part” is when you are removing your piping-hot dish from the stovetop, fryer, or oven. That’s why it seems so odd that in the second half of the video, which takes place after the turkey has fried for 40 minutes, Kennedy returns to lift the dripping bird in bare feet.
According to the deep frying guidance from the big bird bosses at Butterball, the fat Kennedy was using should have been heated to a cozy 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Liquids begin to burn human skin at 140 degrees F, making this moment in the cooking process especially dangerous for RFK Jr.’s little piggies. (Hines was not visible in part two of the video—perhaps she was taking this opportunity to check her spouse’s phone for errant texts.)
Kennedy is a longstanding opponent of seed oils for frying, and has vocally supported the use of beef tallow as a healthier alternative. Experts are divided on this, with the use of the (delicious to many) animal fat just the latest random thing to become weaponized in the MAGA culture war. As of publication time, however, all sides of the political continuum seem to agree that wearing shoes while working with dangerous, boiling substances is a non-partisan issue. But who knows what the future holds as Kennedy strives to remake America in his clearly reasonable and healthy image?
