Pressure cooker explodes spurting steam and boiling soup towards family

15 March 2024 , 15:00

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Pressure cooker explodes spurting steam and boiling soup towards family

This is the terrifying moment a pressure cooker exploded - spurting steam and boiling soup across the room.

Onika Ranft, 47, was chatting with her partner Johan Van Zyl, 40, in their open plan kitchen living room when the device exploded just meters away. Daniel's daughter, 13, who wasn't named, was also in the room watching TV at the time of the incident. CCTV shows the pot exploding meters away from Onika and Johan but luckily neither were harmed.

According to Onika, the rubber seal in the lid flew out, which caused the explosion. Pressure cookers can reach temperatures of around 250 degrees Celsius - more than twice the boiling point of water. Onika, a revenue manager from Port Alfred in Eastern Cape, South Africa, said: "It could melt your flesh right off.

The moment that Onika Ranft's pressure cooker exploded whilst boiling soup in her families kitchen (Onika Ranft/SWNS)

"The amount of pressure that builds up for the whole big pot to leap up like that you can imagine how hot it was. You know that feeling when you are driving and you just avoid an accident. Your whole body goes ice cold and your legs go numb. That is how I felt."

Onika had only been using the cooker for six months after replacing one she had had for 25 years. According to Onika, there were no signs that the pressure cooker was damaged. She said: "On the lid, there is a little square hole that the ring fits over. When the pressure became too much, the seal popped through the hole and the pot took flight. It had no nicks, cuts or damage."

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She added: "I grew with pressure cookers. I inherited my mum's and had that for 25 years without replacing the rubber seal. I just find that older cookware lasts longer."

Rom Preston-Ellis