How to Open a Stuck Jar Lid
January 19, 2008
It’s Sunday afternoon and you are sitting in your man chair, in your man robe, reading your man newspaper. It’s your wife’s turn to cook today. (That’s right. You share in the cooking duties at your house. Manly men know how to cook. Especially meat.) To keep things simple, she’s whipping up some spaghetti and a nice side salad to go with it. And then you hear it: “Dear, I can’t get the lid to the spaghetti sauce jar to open. It’s stuck. Can you open it for me?”
Are you ready for moments like these? Here are five techniques to show off your man skills and open a stuck jar lid every time.
1. Brute force. This technique simply requires you to use your manly strength to twist open the jar lid. You get extra points if you do it without the assistance of a rag.
2. Wrap the lid in a dish towel or rubber glove. If brute force doesn’t work, give your self some extra traction by wrapping the lid in dish rag, or better yet, a rubber glove.
3. Break the vacuum seal. If the bottle is new and still vacuumed sealed, breaking the seal makes the lid easier to open. You can do this by using a bottle opener and pulling the lid away from the jar.
4. Run the lid under hot water. Running the lid under hot water for a minute will cause the metal to expand so the lid comes off more easily.
5. Tap the lid with a spoon. Sometimes food gets stuck in the lid which in turn causes the lid to get stuck. Give the lid a few quick taps on the side with a spoon in order to dislodge any food.
Image by How Can I Recycle This?
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Stumbled across your blog. Good reading. I use to bang the side of the lid on the counter, would work everytime, until I broke a tile….not so good.
Tip the jar upside down and whack the bottom of it with the palm of your hand. Do this two or three times. Then open the jar. Works like a charm every time.
Easiest way ever is to grab a knife, hit the lid with the blunt edge of the knife all the way around the jar. Opens like a charm.
If it’s a small enough lid, turn your right hand upside down before grabbing it. The thumb sides of your two hands should face each other. This method gives a better grip.
You can also use a small strap wrench if hot water and tapping the edge doesn’t loosen it up.
@KBK:
Thanks for the additional tips!
Just as xer said….the easiest way to break the seal and get the jar open is a couple of good whacks on the bottom of the jar. I don’t know how many times my wife has struggled with getting something open….I’d take it….smack it on the bottom a few times…and then open it up with very little resistance….of course my wife always tells me:
“I loosened it for you….”