How to open jars with different types of lids, useful tips. How to easily open a jar with a screw cap How to open a plastic screw cap

Plastic bottles are usually designed so that anyone can open them with minimal effort. Not only an adult, but also a child. True, there are exceptions, and sometimes even defects. Because of them, the lid is clogged very tightly.

For example, in cases where a sweet drink or soda is poured into a container made of thick plastic. Or when a defect occurred in the production process. In these cases, you will have to use more force to open the plastic bottle. Perhaps some secrets you will learn about in this article will help you unscrew the lid.

Ways to open a bottle:

1. Ask someone. The most banal method is especially relevant for a child who does not have as much strength in his hands as an adult man. That is, if dad is nearby, you can ask him to unscrew the cap of the bottle.

2. Use a hard cloth, which will act as a spacer between the hand and the lid, creating a better grip. It will prevent your hand from slipping and rubbing calluses, which means that it will make it easier to open a tightly fixed lid.

But be careful with the fabric you use. You can stretch it. It will be especially unpleasant if you took your fashionable clothes as it, and this caused them to become deformed. For hard fabric, you can take a rag, a towel, or a thick shirt.

The main thing when unscrewing a tight lid is to reach the moment when the fixing ring that holds it back is torn off. After this, you can relax your efforts and calmly unscrew the lid with your fingers.

When the fixing ring is torn off, a barely audible crack is heard. This means you have won this fight! And as a gift you can enjoy the purchased drink.

To better grip your hand with the bottle cap, you can use not only fabric, but, for example, an elastic band for money. It should be wrapped tightly around the lid several times. And then start turning the lid counterclockwise by hand.

Do not open the bottle at an angle, as there is a risk of spilling its contents if the lid suddenly gives in to your efforts and instantly opens. A similar result can occur from squeezing (squeezing) a bottle in your hands. So don't put pressure on her.

Also, take care of your teeth and do not grab the lid with them.

3. Run hot water over it on the bottle cap for about a minute. You can use it from the tap or boiling water from a kettle. Then, to avoid getting burned, you should use a cloth (for example, a shirt, a towel). Wrap the lid with it and try to unscrew it.

Under the influence of high temperatures, physical bodies expand. The same thing will happen with the stopper (lid). Therefore, it will be easier to open it. If it doesn't work on the first try, try again. Usually, on the second or third try, this method is guaranteed to work.

4. Use pliers and pliers, which can be used to tightly grip the lid. Even if in this case it does not give in, then with the help of these tools the bottle cap can be thoroughly deformed and then it will have no choice but to obey your will.


A similar option is to clamp the lid with a vice.

You can resort to a trick and place the cover in the gap between the door and the frame. Then start closing the door a little. In this case, the lid appears as if in a vice. Hold the door with one hand and twist the bottle along its axis with the other. When you feel that it gives in, then pull the bottle out of the “grip of the door” and unscrew the rest of the bottle with your fingers.

5. Buy special openers for plastic bottles. Yes, yes - they exist! Some types of openers are somewhat similar to pliers that can be used to grip the lid. There are different options, different shapes. Both cheap ones made of plastic and expensive ones made of metal.

6. Tap with a heavy object on the lid. For example, brick. As a result, it will become deformed and will be able to succumb to efforts to unscrew it. A similar option, but more risky and done in reverse. If you don’t have a hard object at hand, you can try using a hard surface that is under your feet. For example, asphalt, concrete. You need to turn the bottle upside down and hit the lid on a hard surface.

7. Use a knife. Just be careful and this tool is exclusively for adults. Because he is very dangerous. If the bottle itself is not important to you, but just wants to drink its contents, then you can pierce the plastic with a knife and cut off the neck. Or you can use this knife to try to cut off the retaining ring on the lid to make it easier to unscrew it later.

In general, strong tenacious hands are capable of unscrewing even the tightest lid. If it slips, use a towel to catch it. And to pump up the corresponding muscles, exercise with dumbbells, kettlebells, and wrist expanders. Then you won’t be afraid of any elastic lid and any drink will open with a slight movement of your hand. The main thing is to control your strength and do not go too far.

Canned food has become a part of our lives. And now it’s hard to imagine your existence without this. Neat tin cans are very easy to use. They allow you to store the desired product for a long time without requiring special conditions. Many special devices have been invented to open such containers. But sometimes situations arise when these necessary items are simply not at hand. What to do in this case? How to open a tin can without an opener? It turns out that there are several interesting ways to do this. As an example, we can consider some of them.

With a knife

People do not always use some items for their intended purpose. Their ingenuity allows them to use the simplest things for the right purposes in a difficult situation. For example, there is a tin can of stew, but there is no way to open it. What to do in this case? How to open a tin can without an opener? This is where an ordinary kitchen or

You just need to follow a few simple steps:

  1. First, the jar itself needs to be placed on your knees or held tightly between your legs. Otherwise, it may jump to the side, and the person risks getting hurt.
  2. After this, the tip of the knife should be placed at the very edge of the jar, positioning it vertically to the surface.
  3. Holding the handle with one hand, you need to strike it with a strong blow from above with the other. In this case, part of the tip will be inside the container.
  4. Then, using forward movements, you should carefully cut the lid, moving the knife strictly along the diameter of the circle.
  5. Pry the cut edge with the tip and lift it up.

This is one of the most popular options for how to open a can without an opener. Most men use it. As you know, many of them constantly carry a knife with them. And having a certain physical strength, it will not be difficult for any of them to perform simple actions.

bare hands

Sometimes, by the will of fate, people find themselves in situations where they have nothing in their hands that could help solve such a problem. In this case, they have to rely only on themselves, deciding how to open a tin can without an opener. There is a method that only a strong and physically developed person can use. To do this, he will only need his own hands. The whole process consists of three stages:

  • Holding the jar between your palms in a horizontal position, use the fingers of both hands to make a dent on the side surface exactly in the middle. After this, press the edges again so that the container bends even more in this place.
  • Repeat the same steps on the opposite side.
  • Firmly grasping both bottoms with your hands, make counter forward movements. As a result, the deflection points will crack and the can can be divided into two equal parts.

True, this method is applicable only if there is not a large amount of liquid inside the container. Although even this circumstance will not stop a hungry person.

Subtleties of design

But the use of force is not the only way out of such a situation. Yes, and the knife may not be at hand. How then to extract its contents from a tin container? In this case, don't throw it away. Sometimes the clue lies in the technical side of the issue. Understanding the technology of sealing food in tin containers, you can figure out how to open a tin can without an opener and a knife.

As you know, in industrial enterprises the process of rolling tin containers involves bending the edges of the lid around the cylindrical base of the container using a press. To remove it, you need to remove the protruding layer of metal. This is very easy to do:

  1. You need to take the jar in your hand so that its bottom lies in your palm.
  2. Turn it upside down.
  3. Pressing the jar onto a hard, rough surface (concrete, stone), make circular movements. Literally in 2-3 minutes the “side” will be erased. After this, all you have to do is lightly press the container from the sides, and the lid will pop off to the side.

This method can be useful for those who find themselves far from civilization and do not take care of everything they need in time.

Non-standard use of cutlery

People always try to stock up on all sorts of clever gadgets to make their lives easier. But sometimes the situation gets out of control, and it becomes necessary to look for a non-standard way out of the situation. For example, you need to decide how to open a tin can without an opener at home. To do this, you can use the simplest tablespoon.

The whole process will, of course, take some time. But this problem is fading into the background. To open a regular tin can:

  • Hold the container tightly with one hand. It can be placed on a table or held on your lap.
  • Take a spoon in your other hand and rub it with its edge along the lid in the place where it comes into close contact with the “side”. Tin is a relatively soft material, so after just a few minutes a gap will form in that very place. It is advisable to do this around the entire perimeter.
  • After this, you can use strong pressure to expand the resulting hole as much as possible. And then, using the spoon as a lever, lift and remove the lid.

It is better to do this work with cutlery made from more durable material. Therefore, an aluminum spoon will not work for this.

The process of food preservation goes back many, many thousands of years. Even during excavations of ancient Egyptian pyramids, canned food was found that was placed together with the sarcophagus of the deceased pharaoh. These canned foods have not lost their nutritional properties, although about three thousand years have passed since their burial. Bird carcasses were embalmed with a special compound, filled with oil and tightly sealed in clay jugs. Thus, the air supply to the canned goods was blocked, and they were preserved for a long time.

France and canned food

Then Napoleon Bonaparte, the Emperor of France, for a large monetary reward, invited everyone to invent a way by which food would be preserved for a long time. This was done so that in the French army, during campaigns, there was always fresh food, so that the soldiers were vigorous, and also the lack of normal food was the cause of many diseases that literally mowed down the soldiers even before they entered battle.

This method of canning was invented and the principle of operation has not changed to this day. Heat the food to a boil (that is, kill all microorganisms that contribute to the decomposition of the food) and then transfer it to a sterilized container. Then seal it hermetically and thus the canned products can be stored for a very long time.

In our 21st century, little has changed in the ways of canning at home. The products undergo heat treatment, and glass jars are boiled and the lids are screwed on.

How to open a jar?

A special can opener was invented to open iron lids from cans. With its help, all canned food was opened perfectly, but progress did not stand still and jars with twist-off lids were invented. These lids have significantly speeded up the process of canning at home, but problems can arise with the process of opening the screw caps on the jar.

To easily cope with unscrewing the lid, you need to thoroughly degrease your hands and the lid and wipe them dry. For a good grip of the hand with the lid, cling film is used.

You can also use an ordinary rubber band that is placed on the lid of the jar. And the most exciting thing: you need to twist not the lid, but the jar, rotating counterclockwise.

In order to easily open a jar with a screw-on lid, you need to use some sharp object (knife, fork, screwdriver) and carefully pry the edge of the lid until you hear a pop. This means that air has entered the sealed jar and now you can easily open the lid from the jar.

Screw-on canning jars have become very popular these days. They are very convenient, easy to use, and save time and effort compared to seaming machines. But here’s the problem: screwing such a jar is as easy as shelling pears, but opening it is often very difficult. Why this happens and how to cope with such a nuisance - we’ll talk about this in today’s article.

Why don't they open?

Reusable twist-off screw lids for canning are very convenient. The principle of their operation is quite simple: when heated with hot water or steam, the polymer coating on the inside of the lid becomes softer, due to which the jar closes tightly. After this, the lid begins to cool, its top retracts, creating a vacuum effect. In this case, a strip of polymer acts as a sealing gasket.

Glass jars with screw-on lids are the most popular today for storing a variety of pickles and preserves.

To reuse the cap, you need to unscrew it carefully. To do this, you can use a special key or open the jar with your hands very carefully, if, of course, you have enough strength. But more often than not, it is precisely these strengths that the hostess lacks, and a strong, muscular man is not always nearby. The reasons why the jar is difficult to open may be the following:

  • slippery hands or jar surface;
  • the lid fits tightly to the neck of the jar, simply sticking to it; this problem usually happens with jars of honey or jam;
  • The pressure in the jar is below atmospheric, causing the lid to retract more than necessary.

Pay attention! It is very important to know correctly which way to turn the lid. It closes clockwise and unscrews in the opposite direction.

Before you start unscrewing the lid, take a closer look at the entire jar: maybe you shouldn’t open it to serve the contents? If the lid is swollen, it means that the canned food has already spoiled. When unscrewed, the lid may even fly off the jar and hit you in the face, followed by the entire contents.

If you find a crack on the surface of the jar, then you should not open it either. Air may have gotten inside, spoiling the food; even worse - micro-shards of glass.

How to easily deal with a screw cap

Most often, such jars open without much difficulty, but sometimes, no matter how hard you try, nothing works. One of my friends constantly performs a funny trick: with the words “Open up, police!” taps the lid with his finger, and then unscrews it with a slight movement of his hand. I don’t understand how she does this, it doesn’t work for me. But fortunately, there are many other proven methods.

  1. Use a special key. It's good if you have a special can opener for such lids in your kitchen drawer. It works both for twisting and unscrewing, without damaging either the glass of the jar or the lid. Maybe it’s worth purchasing it, especially since it’s so inexpensive?
  2. Hit. The easiest way to open a jar without a key is to turn it over and, holding it suspended, slap the bottom, or, conversely, place it on your palm and hit the lid. It almost always works, except in very difficult cases when the problem is not the vacuum, but the fact that the lid is stuck.

    It’s worth knowing this secret: it’s better to twist the jar, not the lid.

  3. Increase hitch. If the cause of difficulty is your hands slipping, proceed as follows. The jar, lid and hands should be dry and grease-free. Put a rubber or silicone glove on your hand (ordinary gloves you use when washing dishes work well). In mild cases, you can get by with a kitchen towel. Polyethylene film increases the grip of the lid and the hand very well. Sandpaper can also help. Place some kind of “gasket” on the lid and start unscrewing the jar from the lid, and not vice versa. True, you still have to apply a considerable amount of torque. And if your hands also hurt, then this method is definitely not for you.
  4. Use the laws of physics. Take a leather belt and thread it through the buckle. Throw the resulting loop over the lid and tighten it tightly, directing it counterclockwise. Then rotate so that the can goes clockwise and the lid goes counterclockwise.
  5. Knock. Gently tap the top and sides of the tight lid with something wooden or plastic - a spatula, the handle of a knife. Do this carefully so as not to damage the jar. If the reason is not that the lid is too worn in, after such manipulations the jar will open without difficulty.
  6. Take a ride. A simple method often helps: place the jar on its side, and roll the edge of the lid along the edge of the countertop several times back and forth, slightly pressing on top with your hand. The tightly pressed surface of the edge of the lid will relax a little, making a quiet pop, after which the jar will open quite easily.
  7. Heat. Fill a bowl with hot water and place the jar in it with the lid down. Leave it like this for 10 minutes, then remove it and open it. Running hot water will also work well if you place the illumination jar under an open tap. When exposed to heat, the lid expands and is easier to unscrew. You can also place a very hot towel on the lid. And the fastest way to heat the lid is boiling water: just pour it over the sink directly from the kettle for a few seconds.

    Please use caution. If too hot water hits a very cold jar, the glass may crack.

  8. Depressurize. Is the problem that the cap has retracted too much under the vacuum? This means you need to ensure air access inside the can. Insert a table knife between the neck and the lid and carefully turn it a little, moving the edge of the lid to the side, away from the glass. A gap of 0.5 mm is enough for depressurization to occur.

    You can do this with a can opener, or in general with any one that you don’t mind, but if you plan to use this jar with a lid further, it is better to take a table knife with a blunt rounded end - it will not damage the glass or scratch the lid.

  9. Lubricate the thread. For jars with honey and jam, this method is suitable: place the jar upside down, and drop a little vegetable oil in several places between the neck and the lid. Leave for 15–20 minutes. This time should be enough for the oil to penetrate into the cracks, lubricate the surfaces and make it easier to unscrew the lid.

    By the way, this “oiling” also has a pleasant bonus: the oiled thread will not stick for a long time in the future. You just need to make sure that the oil does not get inside the product itself.

Photo gallery: Helpers for opening screw-on glass jars

Screw cap wrenches work on the principle of minimizing your effort to unscrew Take a knife with a thick round tip to avoid chips and scratches, and pry the lid, letting air under it Try opening a screw-top jar while wearing household gloves. Vegetable oil perfectly lubricates the threads of a screw-on jar and makes unscrewing easier The belt method is very old, but effective. Hot water perfectly heats the lid and the air inside the jar, after which opening it will not be difficult

Video: The fastest and safest method to open a screw top jar

Video: several methods for unscrewing caps

Video: impact method of opening a jar with a tightly tightened lid

I pour boiling water onto the lid. When it heats up and expands, it opens easily.

water

I bought two different openers at a hardware store, one cheap and one expensive. Both of them crumple the lids. My husband and I now open jars like this: I hold the jar with both hands and he opens the lid with both hands.

http://www.tomat-pomidor.com/newforum/index.php/topic,8441.0.html?SESSID=n30fgq8l326veas10i3f314je7

By the way, I accidentally found out that it is much easier to open cans wearing rubberized construction gloves. Mine are made from Auchan, white thread, and the palm and fingers are covered in green rubber. That's great, your hands don't slip on the glass, the can doesn't break out of your hands.

http://www.tomat-pomidor.com/newforum/index.php/topic,8441.20.html

The surest way is to use a knife or any other object to tap the circle of the lid, along the edges. Will open immediately.

Nastasya

http://www.woman.ru/home/medley9/thread/4477909/

Surely you have encountered the problem of unscrewing the lids of cans of preserved food, which means our tips will help you. Maybe you know some other simple methods? Tell us about them in the comments. Good luck and easy work!

Every housewife uses jars with screw-on lids to preserve food for the winter. They are incredibly easy to use and easy to use. And you can save a lot of time compared to conventional lids for rolling up.

True, there is one difficulty: closing such a jar is very easy, but sometimes opening it is not at all easy. No matter how you try to do it, it just won’t budge. Having tried a lot of methods, we often start asking someone who is stronger to open the jar. e. However, in reality everything is much simpler, and there are many ways to open such a complex lid without outside help.

Why do such banks not want to open?

Twist-off is the name for tin lids used for twisting. Their popularity is justified by the possibility of reusable use. They can be held in place not only because of the presence of threads. The principle is very simple: during the preparation of canned food, the can is doused with boiling water or steam, and at this time the polymer coating softens. During the cooling process, the top is drawn inward, and the strength of the twist is ensured by the vacuum effect. This makes it possible to close the seal extremely tightly. By creating a sealed environment, the entry of microbes into the food is prevented; moreover, the products become suitable for consumption for a long time.

To reuse such caps, they must be opened carefully. You can use a special key or unscrew it manually, applying considerable effort. Reasons that prevent opening:

  • wet and slippery hands;
  • retraction more than the desired value due to low pressure;
  • a jar of honey, preserves or jam may be high in sugar and the lid is simply glued to the neck.

The lid must be unscrewed strictly counterclockwise, as it is screwed in the opposite direction.

Before the unscrewing process itself, it is necessary to inspect the cover. If it is swollen, it cannot be opened. This indicates that the food inside has gone bad. When opened, the cover may fly off and cause injury. You have to be very careful with such a defect.

There is also the possibility of glass getting into the products. If you see chips or cracks, the jar should not be touched. Air is guaranteed to get inside and the contents will deteriorate.

Methods for opening a jar

In most cases, cans open easily, but sometimes you may encounter a number of difficulties. Someone can simply knock, and the lid can be unscrewed without difficulty, but not always. You can suffer for hours and not get the desired result. Fortunately, there are plenty of proven ways to deal with an unruly lid. Let's list them.

  • Hit. This is the easiest way. It is necessary to turn the jar over and hold it suspended. Then you should tap on the bottom. Or, on the contrary, place the jar on your palm and tap on the lid. In most cases, it will open only if your workpieces are not candied and the lid is not stuck.
  • Special key. A canned one will do; every housewife is guaranteed to have it in the kitchen. It acts in two directions: twisting and unscrewing. Its main advantage is that the key does not damage the lid and glass. If you don’t already have one, you can purchase it at any hardware store.
  • Ordinary laws of physics. Use a regular belt, just thread it through the buckle. Insert the jar into the resulting loop and tighten it tightly, while pointing it clockwise and the lid in the opposite direction. The jar will open easily.
  • Improve grip. Hands and the jar itself should be dry and grease-free, as this is often the reason for difficulties in opening. A rubber or silicone glove will do, or you can take a regular kitchen towel. Plastic film or sandpaper also perfectly increases adhesion. You can put them on the lid and start unscrewing. Significant physical effort is required, so if your hands hurt, this method will not work.
  • Roll. A very effective way: put the can on its side and roll it along the edge of the table in different directions. The most important thing is to do this with the edge of the lid. The tightly fitting lid will relax and unscrew easily (you will hear a characteristic quiet pop).
  • Heat. It is enough to take warm water into a bowl and lower the jar into it with the neck down. After 15 minutes you can remove it and open it. No effort required. Running hot water will also work. When exposed to heat, the lid expands and is easily unscrewed. You can also use a heated towel or direct boiling water.

However, in the latter case you should be extremely careful: if the jar is cold and the water is very hot, the glass may crack.

  • Depressurize. The lid is under a strong vacuum and has been pulled in so tightly that it cannot be opened by simply twisting it. The most important thing is to ensure air flow into the jar. You can take a bottle cap remover, knife, or other sharp object and lightly pry the cap off. When you hear a characteristic pop, you can unwind it. A gap of 0.6 mm is enough for air to enter the jar. Be careful not to damage the neck or break the glass, otherwise it will get into the product.
  • Thread lubrication. This method is relevant for containers with honey or jam. Turn the jar over and add a couple of drops of sunflower oil in several places. Then you need to wait 25 minutes (this is enough for the oil to penetrate everywhere and lubricate the surfaces) and unscrew the lid. In the future, it will not stick to the neck for a long time.
  • Knock. You can simply tap the jar with something wooden or plastic. The main thing is not to damage it. If the lid is not glued or stuck, these actions will quickly help you open the jar.