Can a Pressure Cooker kill You? (Things You Must Know)

A pressure Cooker is surely one of the most helpful kitchen equipment. But it can also become one of the most dangerous ones when not handled in the right way. If you are new to pressure cookers, the question must have come to your mind, can a pressure cooker kill you? 

Yes, unfortunately, pressure cookers can cause death if not opened or used carefully. The explosion of a pressure cooker can cause lethal incidents such as blindness, burns, amputations, and sometimes, even death. Not to forget, death because of cooker explosions happens rarely. 

A pressure cooker is an essential kitchen appliance but can become hazardous. So, it is important to be careful while handling them. Otherwise, you might end up in the hospital. There are many reasons for pressure cooker explosions, for instance, the lid not being sealed properly, or opened without all pressure release. 

Let’s dig deeper and get to know why pressure cookers explode and how to avoid cooker explosions. Stick by us because we are about to save you from unwanted explosions. 

How Likely Do Pressure Cookers Explode?

Pressure cooker explosions won’t happen if you use them carefully. Such incidents only happen when you’re being careless and sloppy while using them. Also, it’s very rare to experience fatal or deadly pressure cooker incidents. But you must have heard about someone’s burned or died due to a pressure cooker blast. Following are a few reasons for exploding cookers. 

• When the lid of the cooker hasn’t been sealed properly it allows water or inside content to come outside. Such a situation can cause serious burning when they explode.
• Opening the lid too soon can also cause a pressure cooker explosion. 
• Opening the cooker during the high-pressure point is one of the main reasons for the cooker’s explosion. It can also cause severe face burning. 
• Faulty gaskets can also lead to explosions as they allow the premature opening of the pot when there is tons of pressure inside the cooker. 
• Another reason for the explosion is the drying of water. When the water inside the cooker dries out quickly and the steam starts expanding it causes a huge cooker blast. 

Related Read: How to Reduce Pressure Cooker Noise? Helpful Tips

What Happens When a Pressure Cooker Explodes?

The exploding cooker can never be a likable situation as it causes a lot of destruction and even hurts human life. 

The exploding cooker can release a lot of boiling content and also an enormous amount of pressure having a lot of power released to the environment. The pressure-releasing process causes the cooker to go straight up to the ceiling of the kitchen.  Face and body burning happens due to the ejection of boiling content. 

In addition to that, such incidents can also break the kitchen interior such as glass or metals. This can hurt human life by cuts and bleeding or even blindness. Not to forget that brain injury can also happen, especially when a lid of a cooker hits the head of a person. 

How to Avoid a Pressure Cooker Explosion?

The following are points you must keep in mind to avoid a pressure cooker explosion. 

• It would be better if you thoroughly check your cooker before buying. 
• Always use a decent amount of water inside the cooker. Neither go with too much water nor use too less. 
• Always seal the lid of the cooker properly to avoid any unwanted incidents. 
• Never open the cooker lid too soon and also make sure that all pressure has been released. 
• Also, don’t overfill your cooker as it can cause the blocking of gaskets and valves. Maintain the water up to ⅔ and leave it empty up to ⅓. 
• Always keep a distance from the cooker when it’s on the stove. 

Conclusion

To keep it simple, pressure cookers can kill you but it is one of the rare cases. Pressure cookers can become lethal only when not used following the precautions. You have to be careful and attentive while using pressure. Otherwise, you’ll end up having burning scars all over your face and body. 

Can a pressure cooker kill you? Yes, it can but that would be an extreme case and rare too. So, next time you should be careful with a pressure cooker.