Ok – so this little tid-bit of info is pretty tiny, but pretty impressive!
You know those super tight, super sticky lids that just don’t always come off of those darn jars very easily?!
Well maybe you have super big muscles and can open it yourself?! Or maybe you’re like me and you just get your husband to do it for you?!
But, what happens if your husband isn’t home?
Well, don’t panic! I’ve got the quickest and easiest little solution for you, right here!
All you need is a super knife. Sounds super scary, right?!
(Super, super, super, super, supper, oops… I mean super. I’m just so super excited for this trick! Can you tell?!)
Hehe, ok enough silliness… here’s what you do!
You really do need a knife…
You take this knife and very, very, very carefully stab, (yes, stab!), it into the top of the lid on your jar.
And – Poof! That’s it!
You’re done. You’re in. Pretty neat, right?!
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An easier and safer trick is use a bottle opener to pry up the edge of the lid just enough to break the seal. As soon as the lid pops, it will easily unscrew.
Putting a hole in the lid isn’t the best way to protect the contents of the jar and it is surely not good for the knife.
Hi Lisa! That’s a great point! I always try to use the same knife for this task… And, I only use this quick trick for jars that I’m not planning on resealing because I am using up the whole contents all at once… like small jars of artichokes or sun-dried tomatoes! Love your idea about using a bottle opener to pry up on the edge of the lid! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
I bought one of these jar openers for myself and my Mom. (We are 70 and 93, and opening jars is not easy!) They work super great on pickle jars and such. A jar with an exceptionally large or small lid will defeat it though.
https://www.amazon.com/Brix-JarKey-Opener-Original-JarPop/dp/B00167Z2UO
The lid on the jar is being held on by the difference in air pressure between the air outside the jar, and the partial vacuum inside the jar created when the canned food cooled. Anything that breaks that seal makes it much easier to open.
Old trick is to run hot water over the lid to soften the plastic or rubber of the seal. Another is to turn the jar upside down and strike the lid on a flat surface. Sometimes using a chunk of that soft plastic shelf and drawer liner adds enough grip to get the job done, especially if the lid has already been treated to hot water or a thump.
But, if I had to resort to putting a hole in the lid, I’d wash a nice nail and hammer it in before I’d use a knife like that!
Oh wow Mary B! I did not even know that jar openers like that existed! I will have to pick one up. And yes… I used to use the hot water and rubber grip tricks all of the time, and still do when I don’t want to ruin a lid. Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
This is one hell of a trick. My husband is out of town my daughter had me buy the biggest jar of huge pickles at Sams club. My 12 year old twin sons and myself are wrestling with this crazy jar, the lid won’t budge. Looked up your trick and my son took kitchen scissors from butcher block and one stab through the lid, pop off it came. Thank You!!!!!!!
Sharon, I am so glad that this trick worked for you! Finding myself in a similar situation is how I actually figured it out… Definitely a life-saver when the hubby isn’t home! 🙂