Electric and stovetop pressure cookers trap superheated steam (often 240-250°F) inside a sealed pot so food cooks faster. That stored energy turns even a minor design defect into an explosion risk. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has recalled millions of units in the last two years alone:
These recalls highlight the four most common failure points:
- Faulty Lid-Lock Mechanisms: If the interlock sensor allows the lid to twist before pressure drops, the pot can burst like a kitchen grenade.
- Deteriorating or Misaligned Gaskets: Rubber seals that dry out or seat unevenly let jets of 250-degree steam escape sideways.
- Incorrect Fill-Line Markings: Overfilling increases internal pressure far beyond design limits, turning soups and stews into high-velocity projectiles.
- Defective Electronics or Firmware: Bad pressure sensors, corrupt firmware updates, or power-surge damage may disable automatic shut-off features, letting pressure climb unchecked.
Because hot liquid is denser than steam, when a cooker fails, the contents blast outward at up to 30 feet per second—fast enough to shatter glass cabinet fronts and cause life-threatening burns before you even realize what happened.
