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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:
NeverDropYourMooncup · 04/09/2022 15:47

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

Sometimes you just need your gherkins.

megacat · 04/09/2022 15:38

@ofwarren yes which is why I said carefully Smile

If you lay the jar on a cloth and keep your fingers away from the lid it's not dangerous.

Sandysandwich · 04/09/2022 15:38

Yep, I normally whack it on a table or something but othewise I stab it, I use a sharp knife and brace the jar in a corner so it doesnt move and I dont have to hold it with my other hand

BeyondMyWits · 04/09/2022 15:34

We oldies here just use a jar opener. Cost about a fiver and opens jars, bottles and ring pull cans

MarmiteCoriander · 04/09/2022 15:29

Surely if the lid had a large slit in it- the contents would go off!!! (Unless you are using the jar in 1 go)

No- it would never occur to me to stab the jar and possibly risk stabbing your own hand also! 😱

I use the back of a butter knife and tap the sides and top of the lid to slightly dent it. You can also buy one of these which my nan used to use with great success. Hers was a different brand though.

groceries.morrisons.com/products/morrisons-jar-opener-390179011

Youreastar · 04/09/2022 15:27

Sounds very unsafe to be using a knife. Just pour warm water on the lid and then use a cloth to open. Works every time.

Original poster
YesILikeItToo · 04/09/2022 15:27

Thanks, I feel a little better after hearing that this is a known method of breaking the seal. Glad to hear the knife usually punctures the metal without mishap…

OP posts:
WhizzFizz · 04/09/2022 15:27

Sounds risky to me. Who'd want to go sit in A&E with a self inflicted injury.

I haven't been able to open jars for years due to rheumatoid arthritis. A blue Jarkey does the job 99% of the time. It looks like a big plastic bottle opener and just breaks the seal.

iwishiwasafish · 04/09/2022 15:27

I stand corrected!

Littlemissprosecco · 04/09/2022 15:24

If you look at the edge of the rim, there are ridges, put the spoon tip in there!!

Littlemissprosecco · 04/09/2022 15:23

Use a teaspoon between the glass jar and the edge of the rim. Lever the rim away a little and you’ll hear the seal break. Nothing dangerous and no damage to lid!

ItWasneaMe · 04/09/2022 15:23

Of course they do, but I use a corn on the cob fork as it's less lethal than a knife?

ofwarren · 04/09/2022 15:21

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!

Don't you have the risk of the knife slipping if you do this though?

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.

AthenaPopodopolous · 04/09/2022 15:21

I run the metal lid under hot water so it expands and comes off easier.

picklemewalnuts · 04/09/2022 15:21

Yes. Perfectly normal, though good to find a better way as her dexterity declines!!

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!

fairtrauchled · 04/09/2022 15:21

If I can't twist the lid off ,I hit the lid hard with the sharp end of a metal corkscrew to break the seal.

Lurkerlot · 04/09/2022 15:20

Use a soup spoon to jammy it until you hear it pfft, and then use rubber gloves to open.

LiveintheNow · 04/09/2022 15:20

You can use a knife to insert and twist between lid and jar which breaks the seal and lid will come off easily.

Sorryisjustaword · 04/09/2022 15:20

I use my Mums old fashioned skewer it has a pointy tip, I often have to hit it with the bread board, it breaks the seal.

elaeocarpus · 04/09/2022 15:20

Get a Jarkey, easy to break the seal

Metabigot · 04/09/2022 15:19

Bash it on a hard (non precious) surface

Works every time

Sisisimone · 04/09/2022 15:19

I dont, but reading this has brought back vivid memories of my nan doing it when I was little so it definitely used to be a thing. There's lots of gadgets you can buy her to help her open bottles and jars if she's starting to find it difficult

YellowHpok · 04/09/2022 15:19

It's completely normal in my family.