How do you get your jars open?
Me: "Sure, you can have some juice. Let me just open a new bottle."
Fifteen minutes later, red-faced, sore-wristed, and rassafrassing under my breath: "Um, how about milk."
Note to self: Time to start lifting weights. (Bahahahaha. Like THAT’S going to happen with all this free time!)
We once had a really great jar opener, but I broke it. From overuse. Hmm, maybe it’s time to redeem those ClubMom points for a Bed, Bath, & Beyond gift card.
This thing? No help at all.
Lissa, Pampered Chef sell this thing called the Easy Opener for $3.75 that breaks the vacuum seal on a jar. If you have a bottle opener, that might work too. Once the vacuum is broken, it’s easy to open the jar.
And it’s not just military wives — don’t forget that most of the rest of us are at home with our kids and no daddy all day long — the kids don’t wait until work is over to want juice! Better get used to it!
Lissa, I was going to post the same as Laura…my Pampered Chef jar opener takes the place of my hubby when he’s not here. I have an extra one if you want me to pop it into the mail?
True, Laura, but I had already learned to have Scott pre-open anything I might need during the day so I wouldn’t have to run down to the basement and bug him while he was working.
You know, I have more trouble with the plastic lids (like on the juice container I was struggling with this morning) than the metal ones. Salad dressings, stuff like that. Makes me crazy! But the glass jars are hard too and that Pampered Chef thingie sounds like a lifesaver. Thanks for the suggestion.
Oh, Jennifer, that is so incredibly kind of you! Thank you!
My grandmother takes the jar outside and beats on the cement. I don’t recommend it.
I take the back edge of a butter knife and tap it (kinda hard) all the way around the edge. Seems to help. That and running it under hot water, but then it’s wet and slippery.
If it has a metal lid, try hot water on just the lid (to make lid expand); if it’s plastic, you might have to warm the whole thing to expand the air inside and reduce the vaccuum seal. Using a metal tool to break the little connections between plastic lid and the little ring-thingy that stay on the jar can also help– sometimes those threads are a little to strong. Friendly neighbors might be happy to help with a jar, if you can stand the injury to your pride. In moments of true desperation, you can use a (clean) screwdriver and hammer to put a hole in the lid. Not really recommended, but effective. Make sure the jar is really held steady. Don’t ask how I know this…
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Mine is actually not like that – mine is just more like really long tongs with a rubber coating on them; the arms are bowed out to fit around a circular lid. They are nice and long & so you get physics on your side.
I buy the cans of “Juicy Juice” concentrate and use the old “already opened” bottle of juice to mix it in- my younger kids can only handle white grape juice (otherwise they get diaper rash). It’s much cheaper, 100% juice, and only as difficult to open as a soda can! Which by the way, the pampered chef opener will open.
I was going to recommend the Pampered Chef opener too! But, using a butterknife and “wacking” the lid of a jar four times (once on each “side” of the lid) often helps soften the seal so it can open.
But I LOVE the Pampered Chef opener!
I use a screwdriver or a pry-type can opener, depending on the lid size. Sometimes, it destroys the lid, but if you’re desperate, it’s a small price to pay. You can cover it with a baggie and a rubber band!
arthritis runs in my family (crippling in the women and early! yay!) so I feel your pain. I can’t even open a bag of chips without scissors.
Someone bought me an automatic jar opener and I just gave it to goodwill because it just seemed like such a silly thing. Plus I am laaaaazy.
However I *did* find myself standing in front of my neighbor’s door last week with a jar of mayonnaise begging him to open it. So my answer is: make nice with the neighbor boys.
I don’t. I cook out of a can (http://livingonthecorner.blogspot.com/2006/07/on-my-culinary-expertise.html). Oh – and I open boxes, and cracker bags (which can be just as difficult if you get a tricky one). And I serve lots of fruits and veggies which usually don’t need to be opened at all.
I do the old bang on the lid with a knife trick. I need to check out the Pampered Chef opener.
What do I Miss the Most?
Lissa at The Lilting House asked how we military wives opened hard to open lids without our husbands home. She received quite a few answers. I mostly bang on the lid with a knife and it loosens it somehow. This
This almost always works for us (similar to what a couple of others have said): take the metal can punch/bottle opener (the one you’d use to punch two holes in the top of a can of apple juice), push the sharp end under the edge of the lid, and push down a bit to break the vacuum seal. The lid almost always opens easily.
I hope that works for you!
If arthritis runs in your family, give up caffeine. It works for me. It may save you osteoperosis trouble too.
There’s nothing like ten years of piano lessons to build up your jar opening strength.
The reason jars can be hard to open is often because you can’t get a grip on the lid. It’s slippery. They sell this rubber gripper things that can help alot. I’ve also seen a widget that clamps into the lid and has a handy handle to turn.