Wolfgang Puck Pressure Cooker = A stay in the burn unit

16 years ago

Yep, it happened...

In spite of the locking top that shouldn't open if there's still pressure in the cooker, it does! Be ware.

Spent days in the burn unit in the Houston medical center and still recovering from second and third degree burns on my arms, chest and tummy. Let me tell y'all, burns are the most incredibly painful injuries to recover from. It's been almost two weeks now and some of the wounds are still extremely painful. I feel very fortunate that my eyes and throat were spared. Can't even imagine what that would have been like. Our medical center sees some pretty awful injuries and I feel like I shouldn't complain after what I have seen in the last 10 days. There are some very brave people out there, both the injured AND the caretakers.

Be very, VERY careful. My pressure cooker is going in the trash. Never, ever again.

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Comments (46)

loves2cook4six
16 years ago
OMG!! How awful!! Prayers for a speedy recovery.

I suffered burns all over my chest from a kitchen accident when I was a teen and, while I was only in the hospital overnight, they took months to heal.

You MUST report this to the correct agency, I'm drawing a blank to the exact name but possibly Consumer Protection Agency. This may result in a recall and hopefully prevent someone else suffering the same injury.

Finally, I hope you've told the manufacturer what happened and that they are at least covering your medical bills.
lindac
16 years ago
Beyond awful! I am so sorry
Put that pressure cooker in the sink and run cold water on it before you try to open it!
Linda C
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annie1992
16 years ago
OMG, Dreamhouse, that's awful. I hope you heal quickly and completely.

I agree, report the accident, both to the Consumer's Protection Agency and the manufacturer. I think here in Michigan you start with the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division and they go from there, but I'm not really sure.

I'm still using my 30+ year old Presto, I think I'll just hang onto it and not replace it!

Annie
shaun
16 years ago
Wow that's incredible. Hope you heal quickly and the pain goes away.
kframe19
16 years ago
If the unit is defective and opens when it shouldn't, you should, as others note, report it.

And, if it is truly defective, you may wish to retain an attorney.
mustangs81
16 years ago
How awful, I can't imagine the pain you are going through!! I concur, once you get through this file a report.

*I will never complain about burning my fingers on the oven rack again.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery,
Cathy
lowspark
16 years ago
I'm so sorry to hear this! If I'd known, I'd have come to visit you... I'm in Houston too. I wish you a speedy recovery.
May
doucanoe
16 years ago
OMG....that is so terrible!

I am so sorry this happened to you and hope those wounds heal quickly.

OH YES! Burns are the worst pain ever. When I was in junior high, I burned both of my feet with scalding water. The burning sensation lasted weeks! Luckily I had no permanent scarring. I hope you are as lucky.

Take care....Linda
cookebook
16 years ago
Wow! How terrible. I was considering buying one but was a little scared. I think your story convinced me that I can live without it.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery!
mtnester
16 years ago
How awful! I'm so sorry you're in such pain, and I hope you recover quickly.

I've always been afraid of pressure cookers and didn't believe the hype that the modern ones were perfectly safe (unlike the ones in my mother's day that could explode). Your experience reinforces that impression. There are lots of dangers that we face every day when we use kitchen equipment (knives, appliances, broken glass, hot stove/oven, etc); I can get along quite well without another one.

I don't think that every kitchen accident should lead to a law suit, but in this case, I agree with kframe: your medical and hospital costs will be very expensive, and your pain and suffering was tremendous and long-lasting; the accident was not your fault. If the equipment was defective, you should consider hiring a lawyer and seeking compensation.

In any case, I'm glad you're on the mend and hope you feel better soon.

Sue
goldgirl
16 years ago
So terrible dreamhouse! Continued prayers for a speedy recovery.

Sue
sushipup1
16 years ago
How terrible! I hope you continue to recover quickly, and I admire your view on the other patients in the burn unit. So keep on with your recovery and you have all my healing thoughts heading your way.

I'm with Sue about being afraid of the things. I usually add a snide little note to threads raving about pressure cookers, by saying "Nasty exploding things", which is what my Mother always said, for as long as I can remember. I learned that lesson very early, and I'll never forget it, and I'll avoid PC even more in the future. There's nothing that we cook that would be done better/different by using this method, IMHO.

Continue to get better!
caliloo
16 years ago
I am so sorry you had to go through this! I've never had a burn worse than a sunburn and even that made me miserable - I hope you heal quickly. And yes, I think you sould report it.

I'm another one that is truly terrified when it comes to pressure cookers and I also believe I can get along without one, especially after reading your story.

Healing thoughts headed your way!

Alexa
dedtired
16 years ago
Oh how awful! Was someone home to help you? I'm so very sorry that you went through this and I hope you have a complete recovery. You have been very brave.
jimster
16 years ago
I cannot image what you are going through. It must take unbelievable strength on your part. I hope it helps a little that you are in the thoughts and prayers of so many of us on the Cooking Forum.

We should all be grateful for every day we get through happily, healthily and safely.

Jim
lsr2002
16 years ago
I'm so sorry to read this and hope you are beginning to feel better; burns can take a long time to heal.

Lee, sending positive and soothing thoughts your way.
dreamhouse1
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you to all for your wonderful wishes and prayers, never can have enough of those.

Yes, I feel like it is my responsibility to let someone know about the accident in the hopes that others can be spared. Still have recovery on my mind right now, but will not let that go.

There were people home when it happened. As a matter of fact it happened right before the eyes of two of my children, my husband and in-laws. Rather traumatic for the kids, needless to say. Horrible for everyone. It is amazing how quickly your skin can burn. I ripped off my shirt immediately, but the damage was done. Not sure if long sleeves helped or hurt the situation. Perhaps a splash would have been better, on the other hand I have to believe the shirt helped by absorbing some of the heat. Don't really want to experiment with which would have been better!

Always looking for the bright side, my daughter that wants to be a doctor got a firsthand account of paramedics, first aid and a ride in the front of the ambulance. She was the ONLY one that kept her cool, took the situation under control and never batted an eye. I was extrememly impressed with my 14 year old. Ya just never know!

Now if only the itching would stop!

Thanks again for the well wishes and prayers.
jimster
16 years ago
Your daughter will be a life saver to a lot of folks in the future. Not everyone can keep presence of mind in situations like that. When I was young, I could. As I get older, I am bothered more by such things. I guess I could stay rational in a pinch, but I would have difficulty with it on a regular basis, such as police, firefighters and medical personel face.

Jim
centralcacyclist
16 years ago
How horrible! I'm so sorry. I know how truly painful burns are. Wishing you a speedy and complete recovery.

Eileen
jessicavanderhoff
16 years ago
How awful! I hope you feel better soon. Take lots of pictures of your injuries, and if your doctors are asking about your daily pain level, have them keep a written record.
jessyf
16 years ago
((((hugs))) - gently!

I'm so sorry about your accident and injuries. Heal well!
elisamcs
16 years ago
All my best wishes for a speedy recovery.
sheshebop
16 years ago
I can commiserate. When removing a lid, I burned one finger. The skin ended up sliding down my finger. It was awful. So, I can imagine how much worse it was for you. I do, however, still use mine. My accident was my stupidity not a defect with the cooker.
I hope your recovery is full, and I don't blame you for not using one again. When I was young, my Mom's pressure cooker blew up, just after my baby sister had crawled out of the kitchen into the living room. The explosion and ensuing mess was unbelievable.
Sorry you had to go through this.
Sherry
kframe19
16 years ago
Unlike many here, I'm not afraid of pressure cookers. I find them to be an extremely useful addition to the kitchen.

That said, I also recognize that they must be treated with MUCH respect.

Modern pressure cookers are supposed to be designed so that what happened dreamhouse doesn't happen. Unfortunately, as dreamhouse found out, no design is foolproof.

There's no way of telling what the problem was with this particular cooker. It could have been deficient design, or it could have been something as trivial as the pressure vent leading to the lid lock becoming clogged, making it non-operative. Impossible for any of us to say since we don't have the device.

Pressure cookers require more care and attention than the average pot. You have to keep after the seals, make sure the vents aren't plugged, and essentially baby sit it until you get the heat level correct to maintain the pressure.

I understand if people aren't willing to do that, or if they're afraid of the devices, but I'm not going to surrender mine.

Cooking time of 8 to 10 hours to make homemade chicken stock reduced to about an hour?

What's not to love?

Best of luck, dreamhouse, I hope you recover quickly!
cookie8
16 years ago
I got one for my birthday, read the manual and returned it because it scared me. I'm sure as careful as you can be it can happen. So sorry, you must have been terrified and I can't even imagine the pain. I hope your recovery will bearable. Ugh, sounds so horrible. Take care.
beanthere_dunthat
16 years ago
If there is an injury more painful than burns, I hope I never have to experience it...and I'm sorry that you did experience it.
daylilydayzed
16 years ago
I am so sorry to hear that you were injured so badly. My prayers are going out for you to heal with no scars.

After the 3 hurricanes in 2004 my husband was at work , and he was installing a fuse in box unit that powered the lights in the parking lot where he worked at. When he opened the box, something arced across the box and a ball of fire came out at my husband. He threw his hands up to block his eyes and it burned the back of his hands, a spot the size of a softball on his stomach lower left side and a 50 cent size spot on his groin with 3rd degree burns. He was in the Tampa General Hospital 's Burn Unit for a week. The he came home to have a home nurse to change the bandages every day until they healed. After the burns healed , he had to wear pressure gloves on his hands to prevent scarring of his hands. The burns on the stomach and groin did not get pressure garments so scars formed there.

If you do not want scars to form , ask for pressure garments as the burns heal. If you could see my husband's hands now , you would not even know they had been burned that badly. So please ask for the pressure garments and wear them 24 hours a day for 1 year, so scars do not form on your body, Only take them off to get a bath.
readinglady
16 years ago
I am so sorry to hear of your burns but very relieved to know that your eyes were not injured.

Like kframe19 and Annie, I'm not at all worried or fearful of pressure cookers. Kitchens are full of risk, from knives and cleavers to stovetop fires.

I think, if I'm not mistaken, that the Wolfgang Puck cooker is a digital electric model, which really falls into an entirely different category than the Presto, Fagor, Kuhn Rikon and other standard pressure cookers available.

Anytime I think of "digital" and "electric" I imagine all kinds of possible failures.

However, while I'm comfortable with pressure cookers, I understand why others aren't. I grew up with them, including the large canning models; not everyone has that advantage.

I do hope when you feel better that a report is sent in to any appropriate agencies. It sounds like a recall might be in order.

Carol
lakeguy35
16 years ago
Sending you healing thoughts and prayers. I can't imagine what kind of pain you must be having. I don't have one and stories like this keep me from getting one. I would like to start pressure canning some day but have the same fears of that.

David
beachlily z9a
16 years ago
I was raised by an aunt who canned and pressure cooked a lot. After one exploded on her, I would never buy a pressure cooker of any sort. I can cook just fine without the risk! If a canning project needs a pc, too bad, I don't do that!

I'm so sorry you are going through this. Your family must be scared silly! Take care and get well!
jonsgirl
16 years ago
I'm sorry you were so badly burned, I hope you feel better very soon!
jojoco
16 years ago
Add my well wishes to your growing list. Hope you are on the mend soon.
Jo
BeverlyAL
16 years ago
How horrible for you. I'm so sorry this happened to you and hope you are feeling much better soon.

I had a bad burn from boiling oil on one of my feet and it was bad, not nearly as bad as yours though. I can't even imagine.

I have used both the old fasioned type of pressure cooker and the newfangled things that are not supposed to explode. I can tell you I like the old fasioned ones best, have a great respect for them and have been using one for over 45 years with no accident. If you obey instructions and there is no problem with them.
monaw
16 years ago
You poor thing...how frightening. I sure hope you're recovering quickly.

I just read description on Amazon for Wolfgang pressure cooker and it says it has a safety lid. I also checked youtube and watched one with Wolfgang himself talking about how safe it was.
It sounds to me like you may have grounds for a law suit.
It should not have exploded.

I've had two pressure cookers, one a Fagor I used for years with no problems and now a Kuhn Rikon. They are straight forward pressure cookers that are used directly over the stove. The Rikon has a couple or so safety features on it so that if one fails the others will work. If the steam hole gets clogged, the rubber gasket will roll and let the steam out there instead.

I think those fancy electric ones like Wolfgang's with all the electronic "brain" settings are bound to malfunction sooner rather than later....but still it should not have exploded and you should not have to be suffering right now.

Best wishes to you and God bless.
Islay_Corbel
16 years ago
Just wanted to add my thoughts and prayers. What a terrible accident. Get well soon.
mitchdesj
16 years ago
I also want to offer my best wishes for a good recovery, this is awful.
acdonna
16 years ago
Adding my thoughts and prayers for a very speedy recovery.
Your daughter does sounds like a doctor in the making. I'm impressed too, because I wouldn't have handled it as well as she did.
monkeymamaof4
16 years ago
I am sorry to hear of your accident. It can happen to the most experience too. Our high school home ec teacher had one explode on her when teaching canning to students. That day my DH's dad came home and threw his mom's canner away. I use my mom's and keep the kids out of the room when ever I am doing anything with the pressure canner. If I hurt myself that is okay, but couldn't live with hurting my little ones. I am so glad that no one else was hurt ( But sad that you are having to suffer)

Stacie
nancylouise5me
16 years ago
Wow, dreamhouse what a terrible thing to happen to you! So glad to read you are on the mend and recovering. I have a problem with the quality of his appliances to begin with. We had purchased one of his fryers a some years ago. The 2nd time using it the plastic hinge for the lid broke off. Contacted the customer number and they sent a new one. Same thing happened again, so I'm not a fan of his products. Take care and sending healing prayers to you. NancyLouise
dlynn2
16 years ago
So sorry you've had to go through this. I'm terrified of burns. I used to work at the Shriner Burn Institute in Galveston, and nothing was worse than watching those children with burns. I can't even imagine being burned like that. It was the most difficult place I've ever worked -- having to watch, and listen, to those kids in such pain. Dreamhouse, you will be in my thoughts as you heal ( and itch).
sheesh
16 years ago
As a long time fan of pressure cookers, what do we mean when we say a pressure cooker "blew up?" I think you mean the rubber gasket blows out and allows the steam to escape at an enormous rate, not that the locked-on lid actually blew off the pot. Am I correct?

A few months ago I forgot to turn down the gas under my pc and left the kitchen, causing the gasket to blow out and amazing amounts of steam to flood the kitchen. The noise was tremendous, the mess huge. Had I been in the way, I would have been seriously burned. As it was, the kitchen was flooded with bean liquor, making an enormous mess. That was strictly user error, and I had to buy a new gasket. I admit I was a little gunshy for a while, but I do continue to use my pc.

So, I am wondering what we mean by "exploding" pressure cookers, and whether most of these "explosions" are really faulty pressure cookers or, as my experience was, user error. Either way, the results are pretty scary.

Sherry
kframe19
16 years ago
That's what I've been assuming the whole time, Sherry, that the "blow ups" that people are talking about are either the gaskets letting loose or the pressure plug blowing out.

Either can, as you found out, be bad and can lead to burns.

That's one reason why the gaskets and pressure plugs must be replaced regularly, usually every two years.

I'm coming up on replacement for my gasket and plug.

When I was choosing a pressure cooker the other year I also decided to go the extra strength route and get a heavy stainless steel one instead of an aluminum one.

We're also coming up on St. Patrick's Day, and a pressure cooker makes the fastest, most tender corned beef I have ever had.
lisazone6_ma
16 years ago
Well count me in as someone who's terrified of pressure cookers. I've never even seen one, but just the thought makes me shudder. My husband talks about his mom making pressure cookers full of this and that, but I just don't trust them. I used to work at Mass General Hospital back when I was an Operating Room Tech and I had to do a rotation in the burn unit. Just too horrible to even put into words. And having given myself a very bad steam burn just a few months ago, I "feel" your pain!!!

Thankfully you weren't burned more seriously or, as you said, injured your eyes!! I hope the 3rd degree burns weren't too extensive. Oh I don't even want to think about it! Take care and heal up! And since I work for lawyers now, I agree - report this and contact a lawyer. You certainly would have more than a "nuisance" suit - burns are nothing to dismiss casually. All the best and kudos to your daughter!! She might just make a grand doctor if she can keep her cool like that!

Lisa
eandhl
16 years ago
I am so sorry this happened to you and wish you a speedy recovery. I will be even more careful with my Fagor PC's which I do use for a few things.
dreamhouse1
Original Author
16 years ago
Shermann-
No, not the gasket, the top. I had let all the steam escape through the vent valve. I asked my husband to help me get the top off as the top is tricky both getting it on properly and off. Many times we have had to turn it off and reposition the top because the steam would escape, and getting it off has never been easy. I was holding the bottom as we have 'slippery' counters and he twisted the top off. It came off with a loud pop and the broth and grease sprayed out in one large wave....all over me. I was basically soaked in the greasy broth. I think the grease is what gave me the third degree burns, the broth the second degree ones. Yes, it exploded. Horrible.
WINKER1
14 years ago
So very sorry about your burns! I now consider myself lucky as I sit here healing from only 2nd degree burns when my Cuisinart pressure cooker spewed hot food all over my arm and stomach! I have about a 5 x 9 inch blistered area on my stomach and about 4 x 9 area on my arm and hand. With my cooker the red indicator was down which means all the pressure should have been gone from the unit which then opened easily. Cuisinart offered to replace the unit free if I would send it back and pay shipping and handling. No thanks! I've used pressure cookers for about 40 years and I'm sure I will again but not theirs!

Wolfgang Puck Pressure Cooker = A stay in the burn unit

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