1,500 Puck toasters recalled

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, commission spokesman Scott Wolfson said Monday.

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 or 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 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 the back of the unit, the statement said. The toasters have “Wolfgang Puck” stamped on the lower front right corner and feature a silver handle on the oven door, black knobs for controlling 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.

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nathan.olivarezgiles@latimes.com