Struggling To Open A Jar Lid

[Jazzy1]

What's your method of opening a jar when the lid is stuck?

 

[Aunt Bea]

Having a pretty salty vocabulary helps!

I struggle, tap it with a knife, run it under hot water, rummage through the junk drawer until I find my old jar opener.



The worst jars for me are Better Than Bouillon.

I’m afraid that it won’t be long until I become my mother and have to wait until I can flag down a stranger in the hall to open my jars for me.

 

[robin416]

I use a strap oil filter wrench. I need to change to a legit lid remover because the wrench is awkward.

 

[hollydolly]

 

[GoodEnuff]

Yes, the Better Than Bouillon lids. I run it under hot water, whack it with the back edge of a large knife, cover it with a towel and twist. So far, that works.

 

[JustDave]

My last resort is to put the jar and lid in hot water. The heat will expand the lid faster than the glass.

 

[Michael Z]

Hot water works, but that blue contraption that hollydolly would work better since it gives you a nice lever arm to work with. Force x Length (of lever arm) = Torque!

 

[PeppermintPatty]

I’m fortunate enough to flag a man down in my house and ask him politely if he can open it. He seems to like feeling needed.

 

[Paladin1950]

I bought one of these on Amazon. Works like a charm. Opens anything!

 

[Tommy]

Normally, for a metal lid on a glass jar, tapping the edge of the lid to break the seal generally works fine. My nemesis is a previously opened jar of Marmite. If a small amount of Marmite gets onto the plastic lid threads it can set up like epoxy!

Then I resort to channel locks . . .

 

[Been There]

I never found a jar lid I couldn’t open. The only thing I ever did besides using my rubber lid opener was to use the handle of a knife and tap around the lid. It would let loose enough so the rubber pad would open the lid.

My Gramps made a lid opener out of a piece of metal that was laying around. It was a weird looking thing. The first time Grandma used it, she let go of the jar and the lid came off while the jar was flying across the kitchen and made a mess. Good bye homemade jar lid opener.

 

[JustDave]

Then I resort to channel locks . . .

Do those fit in a kitchen utensil drawer, or do you have to out to the garage?

 

[Tommy]

Do those fit in a kitchen utensil drawer, or do you have to out to the garage?

I keep a small toolbox in the laundry room just off the kitchen. So far I've never needed to go to my workshop for an 18" pipe wrench.

 

[IrishEyes]

Yeah, makes me feel like I have hands like Patrick

 

[stretch5881]

I would need 2 of hollies gizmos. 1 for the lid and 1 to keep the jar from spinning.

 

[MACKTEXAS]

I had that experience this morning, trying to open a new jar of strawberry preserves. Some very loud grunts and a few choice words, followed by a bruised palm seemed to do the trick.

 

[Imogene]

I use rubber grip pads like these, but compliments of my insurance company

Robot or human?

 

[Llynn]

Gilhoolie

 

[jujube]

I just yell, "Honeeeee! I need you in here for a second!"

Works every time.

 

[DebraMae]

Church key - I use the pointed end to barely slip it under the jar lid and break the seal (hold it upside down) or the rounded end in the same way you would use it on a bottle. It only takes a little pressure to break the vacuum and does not affect the lid.

 

[MountainRa]

Had to laugh at @DebraMae use of the term ‘church key’
I haven’t heard that said since I was a teenager. It was the only term we knew for that particular tool.

I currently have a bruised thumb joint from trying to open a jar. I seem to take it as a personal challenge — no #*%=** jar is going to get the better of me. The jars are beginning to win.

 

[Jules]

My last resort is to put the jar and lid in hot water. The heat will expand the lid faster than the glass.

None of my tools or techniques were working last night. Even hot water wasn’t. I finally resorted to soaking the jar upside down in an inch of boiled water.

 

[gamboolman]

We keep these laying around the Kitchen. There is beaucoup types available and they are all basically the same thing.
We got these off of Amazon
Do recommend

 

[Lawrence00]

The butter knife tapping helped with some pickle jars some months ago.

 

[Cailin]

The elastic band method worked for me.