These days, airport regulations regarding security are tighter than ever before. Plenty of items that you and I think of as harmless aren’t considered safe to bring on an airplane.
If you’re traveling with your beloved kitchen appliances, here’s a little bit of information for you.
Can you take a pressure cooker on a plane? Yes, pressure cookers are allowed on an airplane in both carry-on and checked bags as long as they fit in the overhead bin or underneath the seat, and are empty, according to the TSA. These rules apply to the US, other countries may have other rules.
Even with their permission to bring the appliance onboard, one should expect the pressure cooker to cause a little bit of commotion. The metal that it is made of may prevent or make it harder for the x-ray to look through the cooker.
If that were to happen, your items will be flagged and you’ll have to undergo a manual inspection until your items are considered safe.
To ensure that you run into as few problems as possible along the way – I suggest you pack your pressure cooker in one suitcase and the lid in a separate suitcase.
To figure out if the pressure cooker fits in the overhead bin or underneath the seats on the plane, I recommend getting in contact with the airline you’re traveling with.
What to Think of When Bringing a Pressure Cooker on a Plane
You may be wondering why airport security personnel around the world are causing such commotion for a simple kitchen appliance. In the case of the pressure cooker, there’s a good reason for their precautions – pressure cooker bombs. These appliances have, in combination with explosives, been used in multiple terrorist attacks in the 21st century.
I understand that it may be frustrating to unpack your entire suitcase to display a kitchen appliance that you plan on using for nothing else but cooking. However, the TSA employees are just trying to do their work, and people have been put on watch lists for carrying even more harmless items than pressure cookers before.
Keep this in the back of your head when transporting a pressure cooker:
- Don’t lock the pressure cooker: During a flight, a pressure cooker should never be sealed shut. In fact, as the bullet below says, the lid and the cooker should be kept in separate suitcases.
- Transport the lid in a separate suitcase: Without the lid, pressure cookers are very harmless. Packing a pressure cooker together with its lid may cause problems when going through customs. To prevent a delay when checking in, I recommend packing the lid in a separate bag.
- Don’t pack the cooker along with items you need immediately: The chances are that your bag containing the pressure cooker is flagged and delayed until airport security can verify that it is indeed safe to transport it. Any items packed along with the pressure cooker will also be delayed. Items that you need immediately after landing should be packed in another bag.
- Check it as checked-in luggage: Seeing as you won’t need the pressure cooker during the flight, it’s much smarter to keep it in the checked-in luggage as the appliance itself is rather large and impractical to carry.
- Contact the airline: If you’re feeling worried about transporting your pressure cooker I recommend you get in contact with the airline you’re flying with to inform them of your situation. They will be able to provide the best answers as they have their own regulations.
- Wrap cords tightly around the cooker: Neatly packed bags are easier for officers to inspect if the need for it should arise.
- Pressure cookers can be heavy: Both checked-in bags and luggage have weight limits. Anyone who’s traveled before probably knows how easy it is to surpass these limits. Keep this in mind when packing your pressure cooker.
You can get in contact with TSA through Facebook and ask your flight-related questions there. Click here to visit their Facebook page.
Taking a Pressure Cooker on a Flight May Not Be Worth It
Seeing as you may run into problems that delay you enough to miss your flight just by carrying a pressure cooker makes me question the need for it. There are other options, such as sending the pressure cooker through a box parcel to your destination. It’s not as speedy as transporting it yourself but it’s a much more comfortable way of doing it.
If you’re staying at a hotel for a long period of time you can notify the hotel that you’re going to send a pressure cooker to their adress and have them store it for you until you arrive.
The next option is to purchase a new pressure cooker at your destination. Unless you’re looking for the best of the best, you can get a good stovetop pressure cooker for no more than $50 – while electric pressure cookers may stretch closer to $100.
Cooking in a pressure cooker can save a lot of money while traveling. Considering buying one when on the road can, therefore, be justified. Even at $50-100, the pressure cooker will eventually pay for itself.
Conclusion: Flying With a Pressure Cooker
If you wish to pack your pressure cooker and bring it on a flight, you can. According to the TSA, passengers can pack their beloved pressure cookers as long as they follow the guidelines.
To make sure that the pressure cooker actually makes it on board I would suggest that you get in contact with the airline too. While the TSA has the last say, the airline has more information regarding the size and weight limits, and other restrictions.
Following the TSA’s guidelines, and the airline’s regulations should prevent your bags from being flagged and delayed, hopefully.
Have a nice flight.