How to Open a Tight Jar Lid
There are instances when you buy a stubborn jar of pickles (Learn how to pickle), peanut butter or mayonnaise that you can’t open with your hands. It can drive you nuts, not to mention take up your precious cooking time. If you often encounter this dilemma, don’t worry; here are a few effective ways to open a tight jar lid.
What You’ll Need:
Kitchen towel
Hot water
Thick rubber band
Sponge
Can opener or ice pick
Jar opener
Put Some Muscle Into It
Maybe you only need more strength to get the jar open. Grab the jar, put one hand around the lid, then the other around the middle or base of the jar. Put it to your chest, then twist. As much as possible, don’t put too much pressure on the hand that’s around the glass, otherwise it will break and you’ll end up hurting yourself. If you’re just not strong enough, see if you can ask another person to do this for you.
Use A Towel
When your skin is in direct contact with the jar, chances are it’s more difficult to open because there’s less friction, and your hand just slips and slides over the lid. You can add more friction on the lid by wrapping a towel or cloth around the lid before twisting it. Try the previous step, but with a towel wrapped around the lid.
Use A Rubber Band
The problem can also occur because your grip is too weak or too slippery to get a firm grasp on the lid. Add more traction by wrapping a thick rubber band around the lid of the jar. Try twisting it again. If you’re lucky, it will come off.
Pound On The Jar
tight jar lidSometimes, the lid has slipped off from the threads at the jar’s top, making it difficult to remove. You can solve this by realigning the lid to the threads. Get a heavy butter knife or kitchen knife, then hold it with the handle pointing away from you. Use the knife’s blunt end to firmly and carefully pound around the jar’s top edge. You can use your other hand to turn the jar slowly, so you’ll pound it down around the whole lid’s top perimeter.
Poke A Hole In The Lid
Air pressure build up may be the reason why the lid just won’t come off. To solve the dilemma, remove the air inside the jar by punching a hole at the top. You can use an ice pick or a can opener works great, but avoid using a knife, since it can be dangerous. Make sure you only make a hole in the lid, and not in your hand.
Run Hot Water Over It
You can expand the lid enough by running hot water over it. Turn on your hot tap water, then let it pour all over the lid, from different angles, for 30 seconds. When you’re done, use a towel to dry it, then see if you can twist it. If not, repeat the process again.
Use A Jar Opener
When all else fails, you can get a jar opener. This handy kitchen gadget is made of metal, with a vice like grip that opens even the tightest and toughest of jar lids. If you find yourself stuck with this dilemma all the time, this is the best solution. Jar openers aren’t very expensive and can last for a long time.
Tight jar lids shouldn’t be such a dreadful bother. Try any of these methods, and you’ll get that stubborn jar lid open in no time. If you enjoy reading this article, you might as well read how to can fruits and vegetables.