Table of contents
- Latest Cook’s Essentials Pressure Cooker Lawsuit Updates
- June 29, 2021: Theresa Ann Salup Files Burn Lawsuit
- What Is a Cook’s Essentials Pressure Cooker?
- Who May Be Affected?
- Reported Injuries or Damages
- Evidence to Preserve
- Filing Deadlines
- Potential Compensation
- Frequently Asked Questions
- What Claims Does the Cook’s Essentials Pressure Cooker Lawsuit Make?
- Who Sold Cook’s Essentials Pressure Cookers?
- What Causes Pressure Cooker Burns?
- Does the Burn Study Show Cook’s Essentials Cookers Are Defective?
- Does the Complaint Say the Pressure Had Been Released?
A Cook’s Essentials pressure cooker is at the center of a burn lawsuit. An Illinois woman alleges the lid of her Cook’s Essentials Programmable Pressure Cooker, model CEPC6005, opened while the unit was still pressurized.
She filed the case against IC Marks, Inc. and QVC, Inc. in federal court in June 2021, alleging third-degree burns to her chest and stomach. No recall, CPSC warning or MDL names Cook’s Essentials pressure cookers.
If a Cook’s Essentials cooker burned you, stop using it and keep it, along with the model number, purchase record and medical bills, because they show what happened and when.
Latest Cook’s Essentials Pressure Cooker Lawsuit Updates
June 29, 2021: Theresa Ann Salup Files Burn Lawsuit
Theresa Ann Salup filed a complaint naming QVC, Inc. d/b/a Cook’s Essentials, and IC Marks, Inc., in the Northern District of Illinois, No. 1:21-cv-03469.
She alleges a July 2, 2019 burn injury from a Cook’s Essentials pressure cooker whose lid opened while it was still pressurized.
What Is a Cook’s Essentials Pressure Cooker?
According to a 2024 study in the Turkish Journal of Trauma and Emergency Surgery, pressure cookers manage steam pressure. The study says “these kitchen devices ensure controlled cooking, releasing excess pressure in a regulated manner” [1].
The Cook’s Essentials Programmable Pressure Cooker is a brand name of QVC. The lawsuit alleges its lid could be opened while the unit was pressurized.
Who May Be Affected?
The Salup case involves a Cook’s Essentials Programmable Pressure Cooker used for cooking dinner in an Illinois home. The plaintiff alleges scalding contents were ejected onto her chest and stomach.
You may share these circumstances if you own or used a Cook’s Essentials (QVC) cooker. The lid would have opened or come off under pressure, and you would have been burned.
A CPSC notice shows QVC recalled about 900 Welbilt Electronic Pressure Cookers on June 14, 2006, over lids that could open under pressure [2]. That is a different brand.
Cases over other brands are covered on our pressure cooker lawsuit page. Whether you qualify for any claim depends on an individual legal review with a lawyer.
Reported Injuries or Damages
The Salup complaint alleges that on or about July 2, 2019 the lid “suddenly and unexpectedly” came off. It says hot contents were “forcefully ejected” onto her. These are allegations, not findings.
She alleges “3rd degree burns to her chest and stomach.” She claims medical expenses, wage loss, physical pain, mental anguish and diminished enjoyment of life.
The same 2024 study covered 32 patients treated for pressure cooker burns in Turkiye between 2017 and 2020. Of these, 28 had second-degree burns. The average hospital stay was 10.5 days.
Ocular injuries occurred in 11 cases, and no patient died. The authors write: “Reports of unintentional explosions involving household pressure cookers are rare, but associated burns seem to be on the rise.”
A separate 2026 review by Tuzun and Tas of 41 pressure cooker burn patients at a Turkish burn center found 92.7% had second-degree burns, most often to the head and neck [3].
Evidence to Preserve
If a pressure cooker burned you, keep these items and records:
- The pressure cooker itself, with its lid, gasket and manual
- The model number, such as CEPC6005, and any purchase record, order confirmation or QVC account history
- Photographs of the cooker, the scene and the injuries
- Medical records and bills
- Records of missed work
- Messages with the seller or maker
- The names of anyone who saw the incident
Filing Deadlines
Filing deadlines for injury claims come from state law, so they vary with where you live and when the injury happened.
Missing a deadline can end a claim even when the facts are strong, so ask a lawyer promptly about the filing deadline that applies to you.
Potential Compensation
If a claim succeeds, damages can cover categories such as medical expenses, lost wages and pain and suffering. The Salup complaint seeks compensatory damages for these losses and also demands punitive damages.
Compensation amounts vary by case. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Your own facts shape potential compensation in each case.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Claims Does the Cook’s Essentials Pressure Cooker Lawsuit Make?
The Cook’s Essentials pressure cooker lawsuit pleads four counts in the complaint against its defendants: strict liability, negligence, and breach of the implied warranties of fitness for a particular purpose and of merchantability.
Who Sold Cook’s Essentials Pressure Cookers?
Cook’s Essentials pressure cookers were sold by QVC, a West Chester, Pennsylvania retailer, according to the complaint. It names IC Marks, Inc. and QVC as companies that allegedly designed, made, marketed, imported, distributed and sold the cooker.
What Causes Pressure Cooker Burns?
Pressure cooker burns have common causes, according to the Bagcilar Training and Research Hospital study. It names overfilling and premature lid opening and urges clear lid instructions, such as letting pressure release naturally.
Does the Burn Study Show Cook’s Essentials Cookers Are Defective?
The burn study, published March 13, 2024, does not show that Cook’s Essentials cookers are defective. It did not study this brand. Its authors attribute 5 explosions to product defects and 26 to user error.
Does the Complaint Say the Pressure Had Been Released?
The complaint says the pressure only appeared released. It alleges the cooker let the lid be removed with normal force while pressurized, despite the appearance that all the pressure had been released. That is an allegation.