Are Opening Jars an Issue?

[Mr._Graybeard]

I bought my DW a jar of martini olives (the giant ones) that were on clearance at the local supermarket. They must have been on the shelf for a long time because the cap was stuck on good and tight.

I went out to the garage and got my oil filter pliers. The lid was off in seconds.

The pliers look like this:

 

[ABQ2015]

This one works pretty well.

https://www.amazon.com/Anti-skid-Ar...F8&qid=1524259331&sr=1-29&keywords=jar+opener

I have a similar jar opener but it does not always fit the lid so I have another metal opener that is more adjustable. Someone gave the metal one to me for a Christmas present about 20 years ago and I have been using it ever since. One of the best presents/stocking stuffer ever!

 

[athena53]

Just use a standard bottle opener to gently pry the edge of the lid and release the vacuum. Voila!

I'm not into zillions of household gadgets. This is my tactic. Sometimes I gently leverage a table knife under the lid and twist it, too- same principle.

 

[TimeMeasure]

As crazy as it sounds, a wide rubber band that fits snugly on the cap works miracles!

My wife takes several re-used rubber bands from groceries, puts them around the edge of the cap, and it works like a charm. The occasional jar which still resists gets the hot water treatment and soon yields.

Yes, we are thrifty.

 

[Red Badger]

Yeah, Germans and the French. No surprise. I guess two world wars wasn't enough mischief..........

Luckily, my Curry Ketchup from Bremen Germany comes in a plastic bottles. Yeah, when I encounter stubborn lids, I go for swift and blinding violence (doesn't always end well).

But I'm gonna get these torture devices from Amazon that koogie showed, for my DW.... Seriously; to open jars.

 

[foxfirev5]

You can't be serious. Are you?

Well maybe a little.

 

[Dancer373]

I have a circular piece of thin rubber matting (advertising a local store) that works every time. Just put it on top of the jar and twist. I've had it for years and never found a jar it wouldn't open!

 

[Gumby]

The jar gripper used for home canning will usually work.

 

[davebarnes]

TOPHOME Lid Opener Can and Bottle Opener Kitchen Grippers

Not for us as we have one these.
$8 from The Big A.

 

[haha]

https://www.harborfreight.com/quickview/index/index/id/9190
$5 for the pair of them.

I had something similar to this years ago to remove oil filter from my Volvo. This really works.

Ha

 

[mystang52]

I also just use the hot water technique. Works every time.

 

[Throwdownmyaceinthehole]

I was able to open the sauekraut jar in seconds with a niffy jar popper that looks like the one in the photo.[/QUOTE]

I have that jar popper also, it’s the bomb! I use it all the time, it was cheap!

 

[easysurfer]

I was able to open the sauekraut jar in seconds with a niffy jar popper that looks like the one in the photo.

I have that jar popper also, it’s the bomb! I use it all the time, it was cheap![/QUOTE]

Yes, it is the bomb!

 

[ownyourfuture]

Not for us as we have one these.
$8 from The Big A.

I'd like to get one of these 4 my Mom. What is it called ?
Thanks

 

[LOL!]

It is counterintuitive, but if one presses the lid DOWN onto the jar contents and then twists the lid, it is often much easier to twist the lid off. This is because pressing down reduces the vacuum slightly.

 

[MarieIG]

Haven't had trouble with opening jars or killing bugs since I got married.

 

[W2R]

Opening jars? Please don't tell me this is the next stage of aging that is going to hit me. Father Time has been a real jerk to me in the past few years.

To date, I haven't had any trouble opening jars at all. I attribute this to a combination of mindset and strong hands.

Rarely I might have trouble and when I do, I just tap the lid lightly from a diagonal direction with a knife handle (while holding the jar in my other hand, not on a table). I haven't had to do that for probably two or three years.

 

[Oma_here]

I have that jar popper also, it’s the bomb! I use it all the time, it was cheap!

Yes, it is the bomb![/QUOTE]

I have one of those too. And for bottles that are hard to open I use an old-fashioned nutcracker. Simple tools work great (and it doesn't hurt that they are cheap)

 

[Bestwifeever]

https://www.harborfreight.com/quickview/index/index/id/9190
$5 for the pair of them.

I liberated this gadget from MIL's kitchen when she moved into a nursing home and do use it.

Just run the jar under hot water for a few minutes.

This always works for me too. As does nudging the lid up with a bottle opener. I hesitate to whack the jar on the floor or countertop because it might cause tiny slivers of glass to enter the contents, but it is the most dramatic solution.

 

[Boho]

I bought that same Black and Decker jar opener about 15 years ago for my father. I needed it myself about 10 years ago when I started buying some brand of sauce that had such a tight lid that they were basically defects. I was pretty strong but I had major trouble with it. The jar opener stalled a couple of times but always eventually opened them. It's extremely powerful. I got a display model for a discount without a manual. I can't say it's completely obvious how to use it but I figured it out. I think you have to tighten it a little bit manually before you press the button...something like that.

 

[marko]

1st try - bang on counter top. Next walk out to the garage and use the largest channel locks. Third option big pipe wrench. Never fails.

I take a chef's knife and jam a hole into the top of the lid. Of course, then you have to find some container for what's left in the jar, but at least I get sauerkraut on my dog!

 

[Ronstar]

I use the handle of pliers or put the jar lid in a vise.

 

[Aerides]

I'm not into zillions of household gadgets. This is my tactic. Sometimes I gently leverage a table knife under the lid and twist it, too- same principle.

Oh good I read through 3 pages wondering why someone else wasn't doing what I do! Just jimmy a knife or even a small spoon, whatever fits best, wiggle it a bit and you get that "pop" that tells you some air's been let in - and it comes right off.

I did one time have a wine I liked that was screw top, but seriously needed a wrench to open it would just not come off. I wrote to the company after the third time, and they sent me 3 free bottles!

 

[chris2008]

Spoon is my method of choice.
Take a tea or soup spoon.
Bring the round part between the glas and the lid so that the open side of the spoon shows up.
Lift at the handle.
Done.

 

[chris2008]

Spoon is my method of choice.
Take a tea or soup spoon.
Bring the round part between the glas and the lid so that the open side of the spoon shows up.
Lift at the handle.
Done.

Sorry, do not lift but press the handle down to lift up the lid.