Betty Crocker metal pots and pans

The reports, as CPSC published them

1. No one hurt

   Made May 3, 2018 · , sent to the company May 30, 2018 · , published by CPSC Jun 13, 2018

   The product, in the report: 3 quart Betty Crocker saucepan

   I purchased a 3 QUART SAUCEPAN under the Betty Crocker name. On or around Feb, 2018, I was boiling water with the saucepan and left it running without realizing that there was no water left. When I went to retrieve the saucepan to move it from the kitchen through the dining room to the garage to stop the smoke accumulating all over the house, the BOTTOM FELL OFF THE SAUCEPAN with the separated bottom layer of the pan dropping onto the floor very close to my leg and feet as well as metal from the saucepan spreading all over and damaging a section of my tiled kitchen flooring as well as a huge section of my dining room floor from the little round aluminum balls from the saucepan scattering when the bottom layer of the saucepan separated from the pan. While the bottom layer fell onto the floor, the edges of the pan started catching fire.

   The company- Formula Brands is not willing to acknowledge the problem and below is their response:

   “ warping and separation of an impact bonded base on a cookware (sauce pan/pot) only begins to occur at a temperature of 590C/1094F. If there is substance in the pot, the temperature of the pan/pot cannot exceed 125C/250F. The silver colour of the stainless steel will also change colour, depending how long the pan/pot is left heating with nothing inside; a blue or rainbow tinge along the bottom of the pan will appear if it has been left heating for a little while. If left heating empty for a long time, it will change to a brown/bronze colour. If your sauce pan is a dark bronze colour, then I am sorry to advise you that your flooring will not be covered as the manufacturer is not responsible for misuse. However, if your sauce pan is a stainless steel colour, then please send in your sauce pan to my attention, as I will arrange to have it investigated by an independent 3rd party testing lab that will provide us with an analysis report”.

   Their so called independent 3rd party testing lab is in Hong Kong with company name : [REDACTED]

   Yes, from the pictures that I had sent by email to the company, they already surmise that the color is bronze/brown and by asking me to send them the pot, they are appearing to address my complaint knowing that the pot is likely bronze/brown in color and that they will not cover the damage as they can restate again that it is a case of misuse. The issue is not just a case of misuse but the fact that the saucepan was manufactured to such poor standards (the bottom soldered to the saucepan instead of welded) that there is the potential for serious damage to the consumer should the bottom fall onto a person’s feet or leg or any part of their body resulting in serious burns and bodily harm. There is nothing on the packaging that warns the consumer that there is the potential for this to happen. I have had this happen in the past to other pots by accident and have never had the bottom fall off the saucepan.

   I see Formula Brands saucepan is sold under different names in stores such as [REDACTED] and others under the brand name Betty Crocker, I believe [REDACTED] and others that I am not aware of.

   The damage to my flooring is approximately in the $2000 plus range as such an incident happened as a result of the saucepan being manufactured to such poor standards that the bottom separated from the saucepan under high heat and there were no warning signs whatsoever on the packaging that this could happen. If I had known that, I would have just left the saucepan on the stove until it cooled off and then trashed it and most importantly, had I known that the bottom would separate, I would not have purchased the saucepan in the first place.

   If Formula Brands’ position is that there is nothing wrong with their saucepans, they should pay for a metal inspection and testing lab in the US to check and examine their product and not their Hong Kong based “independent 3rd Party testing lab”. Additionally if the result of the testing shows that there is nothing wrong with their saucepan - they should put a warning sign that the bottom layer could potentially separate from the saucepan when heated beyond a certain temperature. Or if the result of the tests shows a poorly manufactured saucepan that could potentially cause severe harm to the consumer, the products manufactured under the same standard and quality should be recalled.

   I have another saucepan I purchased at the same time from the store that I would be willing to send to a metal manufacturing company in the US to seek their opinion of the quality of the product.

   I would ask that Formula Brands or General Mills that provide licensing authority to market the product under the name Betty Crocker pay for the testing.

   Model

   3 quart

   Bought from

   Fred Meyer

   Bought

   May 1, 2011, about then

   Where

   Bellingham, Washington: Home/Apartment/Condominium

   Who was involved

   Age 64, Female

   The reporter’s relation to them

   Self

   As this report names them

   Brand Betty Crocker, made or sold by E.F. Appliances Canada Ltd / Formula Brands Inc

   How badly, in CPSC’s words

   Incident, No Injury

2. No one hurt

   Made Nov 24, 2016 · , sent to the company Dec 2, 2016 · , published by CPSC Dec 23, 2016

   The product, in the report: small stainless steel fry pan. thick metal, good quality. handle is attached with rivets. Betty Crocker 18710 or 18/10 stainless steel cookware --triple body--copyright 2002 General Mills by HWI Metro. Made in China.

   small frying pan about 8 inch diameter, looks very well made, thick stainless steel. Betty Crocker is the maker. I was standing at the stove frying a hot dog. I walked to the cupboard to get something. Suddenly there was an explosion, like a rifle going off and I felt something go whizzing by my head. Had no idea what had happened. Thought perhaps a kitchen light had exploded. I had turned the stove off, but another explosion followed. Loud enough to be dizzying. Later I found that tops of the rivets from the handle of the pan had exploded and went flying across the room. Very dangerous. I tried to find the Betty Crocker website or the maker of these pans, but cannot find anything on line.

   Model

   unknown

   Bought from

   possibly Ross.

   Bought

   Jan 1, 1995, about then

   Where

   santa cruz, California: Home/Apartment/Condominium

   Who was involved

   Unknown

   The reporter’s relation to them

   Self

   As this report names them

   Brand Betty Crocker, made or sold by BRADSHAW INTERNATIONAL

   How badly, in CPSC’s words

   Incident, No Injury

CPSC’s disclaimer

Sources