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Elderly parents
Original poster

Do people open tricky jars by stabbing them with a knife?

131 replies

YesILikeItToo · 04/09/2022 15:15

I’ve just stopped my mother from stabbing a sharp knife into a metal jar lid directly from above. I was pretty shocked, it seems to me obviously dangerous. She said that’s what her mate does. Do people do this? Or is she covering up the fact that she made a poor decision? I’ve seen a couple of other examples of patently unsafe ‘work arounds’ and I’m starting to wonder what to do about it.

OP posts:
DramaAlpaca · 04/09/2022 16:15

I'm in the whacking the edge of the lid on the worktop camp. No risk of accidentally stabbing yourself.

JellyBabiesSaveLives · 04/09/2022 16:15

No, simply drop the jar on a tiled floor and then pick the shards of glass out. Simple!

or bottle openers also work

pennysarah · 04/09/2022 16:14

I do it but obviously the jar isn't then air tight so only works for things that will be used up quickly and in fridge.
I have an gripper thing for when a knife won't do but it's much harder to use than quickly stabbing the lid. I am clumsy but have yet to injure myself stabbing lids - you only need a tiny hole.

Dadaya · 04/09/2022 16:13

I sometimes do it as a last resort. Only on jars where I intend to use the entire jar and don’t need to re seal it.

Recycledblonde · 04/09/2022 16:12

No wonder I’m busy with people stabbing themselves! Just bash the rim with the handle of a table knife, breaks the seal and avoids the knife slipping and stabbing you.
Either that or buy a jar opener.

Zuve · 04/09/2022 16:12

JustTheOneSwan · 04/09/2022 15:21

I use one of the gripper things, don't have arthritis but it opens bottles and other stuff they're quite useful.

A nut cracker is good for bottle lid

HerRoyalNotness · 04/09/2022 16:11

I bang the lid with a rolling pin to break the seal. Works most times. When not I sigh, put it back in the pantry and think of something else for dinner

WhiskersPete · 04/09/2022 16:11

I do it and I'm in my 30s. It's releases the vacuum keeping the lid on. Not very good for knives though...

Carrotmum · 04/09/2022 16:10

Yes I do it all the time, mainly jars of picked stuff, they seem to particularly difficult to break the vacuum and also the contents don’t go off.

deedledeedledum · 04/09/2022 16:10

Metabigot · 04/09/2022 15:19

Bash it on a hard (non precious) surface

Works every time

Risks chipping off small shards of glass where you bash it. Not safe. Sounds crazy but stabbing lid is actually safer

crumpet · 04/09/2022 16:08

Think someone has already mentioned this - a jar key. So easy to use

Do people open tricky jars by stabbing them with a knife?
moneybeingwasted · 04/09/2022 16:08

Yes I do regularly.

missbipolar · 04/09/2022 16:07

Yes I stab the top of a lid with a knife nearly everytime

Pawpatrolwereonaroll · 04/09/2022 16:05

Use the bit at the top of a tin opener to pull open the lid a bit and break the seal

TiredButAlive · 04/09/2022 16:04

I do it with the pointy end of a corkscrew. Breaks the vacuum seal.

JaneJeffer · 04/09/2022 16:01

Turning it upside down and banging it on the worktop will release the vacuum.

Snoken · 04/09/2022 15:59

No, you take a regular knife, push it in under the lid and bend it outwards until you hear a little pop, then you can open it easily.

BettySundaes · 04/09/2022 15:58

You just need to break the seal between lid and jar - a butter knife slotted between and a small twist does the trick and sounds much less dangerous than the method your mum is using.

BeanieTeen · 04/09/2022 15:57

I do all the time. It lets the air out the top and then it’s easy to open the jar.
I don’t see how it’s dangerous - unless you let a 5 year old do it for you. What do you think will happen??

decafsoyaflatwhite · 04/09/2022 15:56

megacat · 04/09/2022 15:21

Carefully putting a knife between the lid and glass then twisting unlocks the air much easier and safer than stabbing the lid!

I think I found this through Google when I was at uni, and the first time my sister saw me do it when I was home you’d think I’d performed actual magic 😁

I do always use a butter knife though!

Flopisfatteningbingforchristmas · 04/09/2022 15:55

Sandwichgirl · 04/09/2022 15:18

I do that - I'm not certain why it works but it seems to break a kind of airlock at the top of the jar which then makes it easier to undo.

It break the vacuum.

I do it all the time.

Rinatinabina · 04/09/2022 15:53

I jimmy open the lid a little with a butter knife. Just slide between glass and lid, worse case leave jar upside down in hot water for a few minutes before.

RhinestoneCowgirl · 04/09/2022 15:53

I wanted a bottle opener and bought this one www.lakeland.co.uk/12399/zyliss-5-way-bottle-opener-green?src=gfeed&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmdGYBhDRARIsABmSEeOVvtVrUD9s8Oiz9iLyMBb2k2XYhg3QEl-MKx225kr-Rf7zYHM6gpMaAmaYEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds, which I thought was ridiculously over-engineered at the time, but it is in fact brilliant. DH has problems with his hands and it has a bit to break the seal and make jar lids easier to open (sort of makes a dent in it). It also has a bit that you can lever up ring pulls on the top of cans of beans etc.

Whichwhatnow · 04/09/2022 15:50

NeverDropYourMooncup · 04/09/2022 15:47

I've done it when all other techniques have failed.

Sometimes you just need your gherkins.

Ha, exactly

Whichwhatnow · 04/09/2022 15:50

Yes! Have always done this