Kitchen utensils

I don't now about you, but I've had to add new utensils to my usual kitchen stuff: things like knives, scissors, pliers, channel locks, screwdrivers, hammers, etc., because more and more foodstuffs are virtually un-openable. E.g., I recently tried to unscrew a cap from a 2-liter bottle of soda. It had to be welded on. The only way I could open it was with pliers. You?

Nothing extraordinary yet.

On this topic, I can no longer find the kind of jar opener I prefer; I bought something else and, the one time I needed it, I had no idea how to use it!

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I like this kind:

opener1.png

I apparently do not understand this kind:

opener2.png

For commercial jars of stuff, if I can't open them, I turn them upside and forcibly strike them three times on the counter (flat, not cocked, of course). Works every time. Very rarely I might have to do it twice. Striking them flat loosens the seal. Very effective.

I've seen v-shaped with teeth devices that are attached to the underside of cabinets for opening jars. The mystery tool you show, I assume you rachet it to the size of the jar lid and then use the upper bar as a cheater bar while holding the jar with the other hand.

Giving them a knock is good. If the lid is metal, a little warm water is also good.

I assume the use of the mystery device is to size the thing, like a channel wrench, to the size of the lid, and then twist it. But I couldn't make it stay and it isn't obvious to me where the pivot is. (The first one is pretty clear! And I also understand the mathematics of the leverage on that one.)

I found the instructions: Swing-A-Way Jar Opener Step-by-Step Instructions

Adjust the size: Open the handles to expand the metal loop. Place the loop over the jar lid or bottle cap. It fits lids up to 4.5 inches wide and adjusts to fit most sizes, from small nail polish bottles to large mayonnaise jars.

Secure the grip: Squeeze the ergonomic handles firmly. The spring-loaded design will clamp the steel teeth securely around the lid.

Twist to open: Hold the jar steady with your other hand (you can use a rubber jar gripper pad if the base slips). Turn the opener counterclockwise to break the seal and unscrew the lid

Perhaps you didn't squeeze the handles while turning. FWIW, this would have been a good entry in the 1988 book, Psychology of Everyday Things, which uncovered designs of objects that didn't make sense. You've run into one example frequently: facing a door with a handle to grab and pull, but you have to push instead.

I have yet to need anything more than hot water, a towel, or a knock or two on the counter to open a jar. I will note, though, that my hands seem to hurt a lot more when opening a tight lid than they used to.

With some arthritis in my right thumb, I can't grip strongly enough to pull apart many plastic film containers. And, if I do, I have to be like Hercules, which still only stretches the plastic and might might lead to an explosive opening.. Out come the scissors or a knife.

And those rigid plastic berry containers. Their male/female snaps are strong enough to dock at the ISS. But if you bump or drop the container, it springs open and berries fly everywhere.

I am so happy this subject came up; I thought it was just me. Here is what I have used for year for opening jars with screw lids.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Brix-Origina ... njEALw_wcB

I also run jars like V8 juice under hot water; it opens right up. Yes, almost everything is hard to open now. I really hate those plastic zip closures that are on sacks of dog food and other things that are supposed to zip shut with a few squeezes; many don't work.
I still use a handheld can opener for canned foods, which only works if the can is not dented around the top, which I find seems to be happening more and more.

I found the instructions: Swing-A-Way Jar Opener Step-by-Step Instructions

Thanks!

Now to find a jar that needs opening....

And those rigid plastic berry containers. Their male/female snaps are strong enough to dock at the ISS. But if you bump or drop the container, it springs open and berries fly everywhere.

Totally true.

I also find Mason jars are harder to open than they used to be. The metal ring is just slippery and it has very little 'give'. Then, assuming all is well, the seal is so tight that I have to pry at it with my thumbnail.

[Jenise]

I am a weak old woman and have never found any jar I couldn't open by 1) prying under the lid with a butter knife or similar to break the seal and/or 2) twisting it off with a round flexible rubber mat with a rough surface on one side designed for just this kind of duty. However, I rarely need it.