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What is the Prestige Pressure Cooker?
The Prestige Pressure Cooker is an airtight instant pot that cooks food at a rapid rate by the use of steam pressure. The manufacturer guarantees that Prestige Multi-Cookers will prepare your favorite recipes at rates as high as 70% faster than conventional cooking options.
What's the Problem With Defective Pressure Cookers?
The problem with modern electric pressure cookers is that some manufacturers have been mass-producing faulty designs in their safety features. Because these defective pressure cookers operate at such high temperatures with scalding hot steam, just one bad part can result in defective pressure cookers. For example:
- If the pressure valve on electric pressure cookers is faulty, it may cause the lid to open prematurely, causing all the pressure to escape, making the pressure cooker dangerous.
- If the lid on recalled pressure cookers does not seal properly, steam may eject the lid, causing the pressure cooker to malfunction resulting in boiling hot food and metal pieces exploding all over the kitchen.
- If there is no manual safety shut-off for Tristar pressure cooker usage, or if the automatic shut-off is defective, the appliance may release pressure and cause a fire or pressure cooker explosion.
Cooking Time vs. Potential Injury
Using a Prestige cooker sounds pretty convenient, especially considering how little time you have during the week to prepare a home-cooked meal for yourself or for your family. When the appliance arrives, you prepare your favorite meal and allow it to sit in the kitchen and cook.
Just hours later and without warning, pressure cooker lids blow off, exploding scalding hot contents out of the pot and all over the kitchen and all over you. In a matter of seconds, you have gone from cooking a quick and easy meal to being rushed to the hospital and suffering from severe burns all over your body.
Related Article: Pressure Cooker Lawsuit Update
Injuries
- Serious burns
- Hot steam burns
- Second-degree burns
- Third-degree burns
- Eye injuries and blindness
- Traumatic brain injuries (concussion)
- Scalds
- Permanent scarring
- Disfigurement
- Emergency medical treatment
- Kitchen and/or property damage
Tips for Using Pressure Cookers Safely
- Inspect the Pressure Cooker Before Cooking – The rubber gasket between the instant pot and lid is critical to the proper functioning of a pressure cooker. Before cooking, ensure the gasket is clean and is not cracked or dried out. Some manufacturers suggest replacing the rubber gasket once a year, depending on how frequently you use your pressure cooker.
- Don’t Overfill the Pressure Cooker – A pressure cooker should never be over two-thirds full. This is to prevent food from blocking the vents in the lid of the cooker. For foods that swell or froth (i.e. beans, rice, pasta), only fill the cooker halfway.
- Use Enough Liquid – Pressure cookers are designed to cook food by using steam under extreme pressure. Steam cannot be created without some form of liquid. At least half a cup of liquid is needed to create enough steam to properly use the cooker.
- Be Mindful of the Type of Food Being Cooked – Froth produced during the cooking process by certain foods (i.e. pasta, split peas, oatmeal, applesauce, and cranberries) can block the steam valves and vents of the cooker. Before cooking these foods in a pressure cooker, ensure your recipe calls for the same size cooker as yours, and do not overfill the cooker. Never fry food in a standard pressure cooker. Some pressure cookers are specifically designed for the purpose of frying. A small amount of oil can be included in a recipe, but frying in a cooker that is not made for frying can melt the gasket and other parts.
- Release Pressure in a Safe Way – Pressure can be released in three ways: Natural release by removing the cooker from heat and allowing it to sit until the pressure reduces; cold water release by running cold water over the lid of the closed cooker; or quick release by using the steam release valve to expel steam. Always be sure to protect your face, hands, and body when releasing pressure, and remember that steam may still escape when opening the pressure cooker—even if you believe you have properly released the pressure.
- Clean the Cooker Properly – When you have finished using your pressure cooker, remove the gasket and clean it separately from other parts of the cooker. Clean out the release valve with a toothpick. To reduce unnecessary wear on the gasket, store your cooker with the lid upside down on the instant pot rather than locked in place.
Related Article: Why Do Pressure Cookers Explode?
How a Product Liability Lawyer Can Help Victims Injured By Pressure Cooker Burn Injuries
Federal and state laws ensure that if it is discovered that a product was so dangerous that it led to a person’s bodily injury or death, the manufacturer will be held liable.
For the manufacturer to be held strictly liable for a defective product, we would generally have to show that the product was unreasonably dangerous and that there was a defect in its design, manufacturing, or marketing. A pressure cooker with safety features should not open easily while still pressurized.
Our team of product liability attorneys at Schmidt & Clark, LLP, advocates for consumer safety and the production of safer products. We believe that the manufacturer of a defective product should be held accountable if your pressure cooker exploded.
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Get a Free Prestige Pressure Cooker Lawsuit Evaluation With Our Lawyers
The Product Liability Litigation Group at Schmidt & Clark, LLP law firm is an experienced team of jury trial lawyers that focus on the representation of plaintiffs in Prestige Pressure Cooker Litigations. We are handling individual litigation nationwide and currently representing consumers in Prestige pressure cooker lawsuits in all 50 states.
Free Confidential Prestige Pressure Cooker Lawsuits Evaluation: Again, if you or a loved one suffered serious burns or other serious injuries caused by a defective pressure cooker, you should contact our law firm immediately for a free review of your legal rights and potential case. You may be entitled to a pressure cooker settlement and a lawyer can help with a free Prestige pressure cooker lawsuit evaluation.
