Best Buy recalls nearly 1 million pressure cookers after reports of 17 burn injuries

NEW YORK (AP) — Best Buy is recalling nearly 1 million pressure cookers and separate inner pots due to a defect that can cause hot foods to spew out, posing burn hazards.

The recalled pressure cookers, sold under the brand Insignia, have incorrect volume markings on their inner pots that can cause consumers to overfill them. As a result, hot food and liquids can be ejected from the device when it’s vented or opened, according to a Thursday notice from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

To date, Best Buy has received 31 incident reports of the cookers’ contents being expelled under pressure, including 17 reports of burn injuries — some of which were second-degree and severe burns.

The 930,000 Insignia Multi-Function Pressure Cookers and inner pots — which were sold separately as replacements — under recall were sold at Best Buy stores nationwide, as well as online on Best Buy’s website and Amazon from October 2017 through June of this year.

Consumers can identify the recalled pressure cookers and inner pots, with six- and eight-quart capacity, by their model numbers. The name Insignia appears on the front of each unit and on its permanent label.

Those owning the recalled devices should stop using them immediately, the CPSC said. Consumers can contact Best Buy for a free replacement of the inner pot and floating locking valve.

Best Buy, which is based in Richfield, Minnesota, will not provide refunds or replacements for pressure cookers returned in stores, according to a notice on the company’s website. To receive a replacement kit, impacted consumers must register online. Only consumers who own the recalled pressure cooker — not just the inner pot — are eligible.

“Nothing is more important to us than our customers’ safety,” Best Buy said Friday, adding that the company is also contacting customers who purchased the now-recalled products directly.