Wolfgang Puck toasters recalled after burning instead of turning off
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Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck isn’t known for burning much of anything.
But his retail products are gaining a fiery reputation.
About 1,500 Wolfgang Puck Toaster Oven Toasters have been recalled by W.P. Appliances Inc. and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The reason? The toaster part of the Toaster Oven Toaster can remain on after the toast pops up, causing the elements to overheat and then catch fire, said commission spokesman Scott Wolfson.
W.P. Appliances received three reports of the toaster remaining on after the toast popped up, Wolfson said. No injuries were reported.
In 2006, Wolfgang Puck self-heating lattes were pulled from store shelves by the Food and Drug Administration after complaints that the canned beverages would overheat or explode from time to time.
Puck doesn’t make the toasters, lattes and a shopping cart full of other products; he licenses his name through his company Wolfgang Puck Worldwide Inc., for a fee, to companies that build, distribute and sell the branded consumer items, said Stephanie Davis, a spokeswoman for Wolfgang Puck Worldwide.
W.P. Appliances is a division of Wolfgang Puck Worldwide and is run by another division of the company, W.P. Productions, which handles the licensing of Puck’s name on consumer appliances and other products, Davis said.
The toaster ovens were built by in China by Kingpower Electrical Appliances of China and sold by Kingpower through catalogs from Frontgate of West Chester, Ohio, from November 2008 to March 2009 for about $100, the commission’s recall statement said.
The recalled toasters have model number WPTOT010 and date code 3608 or 3908 on a label on back of the unit, the statement said.
The black and silver toasters have “Wolfgang Puck” stamped on the lower front right corner and feature a silver handle on the oven door, black knobs for controlling cooking heat and time and a black push-down lever for the toaster, the commission said.
Owners of the toasters are asked to stop using them immediately and contact W.P. Appliances for a free replacement at (800) 275-8273 or by e-mail at ovenrec@wphousewares.com, the statement said. All known purchasers have been notified directly by mail, the commission said.
Wolfgang Puck toasters with model number BTOT0010 or WPTOT010 and date codes 0207, 0407, 0607, 0807, 4508, or 0309 are not included in the recall, the statement said.
-- Nathan Olivarez-Giles