The Consumer Product Safety Commission is informing the public to stop using a Gourmia pressure cooker immediately due to serious burn hazards.
About 43,500 Gourmia Six-Quart Pressure Cooker Model GPC625 units were recalled because they pose a serious injury due to burn hazards, according to a recall report released Tuesday.
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The recall stated that the lid on the pressure cooker can open while it is still pressurized, causing hot contents to spray out, resulting in severe second-degree burn injuries to customers.
Additionally, the pressure cooker's float valve—which is designed to raise when there is pressure and drop when there is none—is located inside the handle, making it difficult to see. Customers may not be able to see that the float valve is still raised, and may think it is safe to open the lid when the cooker is under pressure.
The pressure cooker also has incorrect volume markers on the inner pot, causing customers to overfill the pot. The hot foods and liquids to be ejected when the pressure cooker is vented using the quick-release method or opened while the contents are pressurized.
Most of these pressure cookers were sold at Best Buy.
About 43,500 pressure cookers were sold between 2017 and 2020 at Best Buy, other retailers and e-commerce platforms for between $50 and $80.
A spokesperson with Best Buy said the company first learned of this issue about six years ago, after which they immediately alerted the CPSC and stopped selling the product. Their statement continued:
This product was sold by multiple retailers, and about half of the total products in the market were sold by Best Buy. Nothing is more important to us than our customers’ safety, so we ask that those who purchased the product contact the manufacturer Steelstone for a resolution.Best Buy
According to the CPSC, the importer (Steelstone Group, LLC) and the retailer (Best Buy) have refused to agree to an acceptable recall to address this hazard.
The CPSC received five incident reports in which hot contents were expelled under pressure. Four of these cases reported severe injuries.
According to the CPSC, there have been two lawsuits filed by consumers alleging burn injuries.
The pressure cookers are digital pressure cookers, with a cooking chamber capacity of six quarts, stainless steel and black plastic finishes, a pressure lid, a digital temperature and function display, and button controls. The model number is GPC625.
CPSC urges consumers to stop using the pressure cookers immediately and dispose of them. Do not sell or give away these hazardous pressure cookers.
Report any incidents involving injury or product defect to CPSC at www.SaferProducts.gov.