[Spontaneo]

I can never open jars and cans. I run the jar under hot water. I bang the jar with a butter knife.

I then give the jar to my roommate to open. She then can rarely open the jar or can.

So, there are days when she simply drives to her boyfriend's place to have him open the jar or can!

Do you ever have days like this when attempting to open a simple jar or can? What do you do?

[Jem Smith]

I like to open jars by breaking the seal with a butter knife. You just stick it under one of the bumps at the base of the lid until it goes 'pop'. I've also used a piece of bumpy foam to grip better when opening a jar.

[Spontaneo]

I like to open jars by breaking the seal with a butter knife. You just stick it under one of the bumps at the base of the lid until it goes 'pop'. I've also used a piece of bumpy foam to grip better when opening a jar.

My spaghetti sauce jars, for example, do not have a seal surrounding the lid.

[Jem Smith]

I like to open jars by breaking the seal with a butter knife. You just stick it under one of the bumps at the base of the lid until it goes 'pop'. I've also used a piece of bumpy foam to grip better when opening a jar.

My spaghetti sauce jars, for example, do not have a seal surrounding the lid.

I mean under the lid. Usually there are some bumps (I think four) on the underside of the lid. That's the seal. Liquid things in jars you buy in a shop have to have some kind of seal for freshness.

[OldGuy]

I have had problems opening jars in the past, but I recently learned a trick that has made it easy. Turn the jar completely upside down and smack it directly down on the lid against the counter. They almost always open easily with a single smack. Try it a second time if the first hit does not do the trick. Make sure it is a flat direct hit on the whole lid, not an angled contact.

[Spontaneo]

I have had problems opening jars in the past, but I recently learned a trick that has made it easy. Turn the jar completely upside down and smack it directly down on the lid against the counter. They almost always open easily with a single smack. Try it a second time if the first hit does not do the trick. Make sure it is a flat direct hit on the whole lid, not an angled contact.

Thank you! What about cans?

[Jem Smith]

I have had problems opening jars in the past, but I recently learned a trick that has made it easy. Turn the jar completely upside down and smack it directly down on the lid against the counter. They almost always open easily with a single smack. Try it a second time if the first hit does not do the trick. Make sure it is a flat direct hit on the whole lid, not an angled contact.

Thank you! What about cans?

Do you not have a can opener? I use a manual one.

[OldGuy]

What about cans?

There are mechanical can openers but there are also very different levels of quality. A common type is a cheap metallic opener that frequently slips off the edge during use. There is a handle that you twist to run around the edge turn by turn. They are so flimsy they often bend during use. There is another low cost device that you hold like an eating utensil, It has a piercing edge and a flange to work around the edge and you work it by moving it around the edge as you lift and plunge the cutter end around the can. Those are both very commonly found at dollar stores and often at regular grocery stores for a buck or two. Both are hit or miss and often difficult to use.

This is one item that is worth spending more on a higher quality device.

Look for a store that specializes in kitchen ware. You can find much higher quality can openers that will do the job much easier. There are still mechanical devices that work much the same as the cheap versions but they are of a much higher grade design, heavier metals that don't bend and don't slip off the edge as you work with them. There are even electric can openers to simplify the process. These even come with a magnet to automatically lift off the lid when it is fully cut. You just have to spend a little more on a device to make it easy.

[Jem Smith]

What about cans?

This is one item that is worth spending more on a higher quality device.

Absolutely. Cheap ones will drive you mad. I have one that was about $30 which seemed like a lot at the time but it reliably works and has done so for years now.

I'm not a fan of the electic ones but I imagine you can get good reliable ones of those too. My husband's family had one that lasted for over a decade, and they used it every day.

[Spontaneo]

We do have an expensive can opener but if we attempt to turn the handle? The handle refuses to turn. I like the cans with pull tabs and find those as much as possible. I do not like electric can openers.

[Giftmichael]

We do have an expensive can opener but if we attempt to turn the handle? The handle refuses to turn. I like the cans with pull tabs and find those as much as possible. I do not like electric can openers.

We do have an expensive can opener but if we attempt to turn the handle? The handle refuses to turn. I like the cans with pull tabs and find those as much as possible. I do not like electric can openers.

if a can opener is expensive its should be able to serve its purpose when its not able to serve its purposes then its shouldn’t be invented in the first place