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

[YesILikeItToo]

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.

I do. It breaks the seal.

No, people do not do this.

get her one of these

Jar Opener Bottle Opener and Ring Pull Can Opener for Weak Hands Arthritis Hands, Elderly and Children amzn.eu/d/9TJKY3d

No. I knock the side of the lid on the kitchen counter to break the seal.

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.

I do... I am aware it's not the safest idea, but never had an accident and it always works.

I do it!

It's completely normal in my family.

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

Bash it on a hard (non precious) surface

Works every time

Get a Jarkey, easy to break the seal

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

I stand corrected!

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.

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…