How To Easily Open A Glass Jar With A Screw Cap + Video

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-17 22:26

All the clever ways to open a twist-top jar easily

Jars with screw caps for canning have become very popular. They are very convenient, easy to use, and save time and effort compared to seaming machines. But here's the problem: twisting such a jar is as easy as shelling pears, but opening it is often very difficult. Why is this happening and how to cope with such a nuisance - we will talk about this in today's article.

Content

• 1 Why don't they open

• 2 How to easily deal with a twist-off lid

  2.1 Photo gallery: helpers in opening curling glass jars

• 3 Video: The fastest and safest method to open a screw-top jar
• 4 Video: several methods of unscrewing the caps
• 5 Video: shock method of opening a jar with a tightly tightened lid
• 6 Tips and reviews of hostesses

Why don't they open

The reusable twist-off canning lids are very convenient. The principle of their operation is quite simple: when heated with hot water or steam, the polymer coating of the inner side of the lid becomes softer, due to which the can closes tightly. After that, the lid begins to cool down, its top retracts, creating a vacuum effect. In this case, a polymer strip acts as a sealed gasket.

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

To reuse the cover, you must carefully unscrew it. 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 these forces that the mistress lacks, and a strong muscular man is not always there. The reasons that the bank is difficult to open can be the following:

• slippery hands or the surface of the can;
• the lid fits snugly to the neck of the jar, simply sticking to it, usually this trouble happens with jars of honey or jam;
• the pressure in the can is below atmospheric, which makes the lid retract more than necessary.

Before you start unscrewing the lid, take a closer look at the entire jar: maybe you shouldn't open it to serve the contents on the table? If the lid is swollen, then the canned food is already spoiled. When you unscrew the lid, it may even fly off the can and hit your face, and then all the contents will go.

If you find a crack on the surface of the jar, then you should not open it either. Perhaps air got inside, spoiling the food; even worse - glass micro fragments

How to handle a twist-off lid easily

Most often, such banks open without much difficulty, but sometimes, no matter how hard you try, nothing works. One friend of mine constantly shows a funny trick: with the words "Open, police!" taps the lid with his finger, and then unscrews it with a slight movement of his hand. How she does it - I don't understand, it doesn't work for me. But luckily there are many other proven methods.

1. Use a special key. It's good if you have a special tin key for these lids in your kitchen drawer. It works both for twisting and unscrewing, without damaging either the glass of the jar or the lid. Maybe you should buy it, especially since it is quite inexpensive?
2. Hit. The easiest way to open a jar without a key is to turn it over and, while holding it in weight, slap on the bottom, or vice versa, placing it on the palm of your hand, hit the lid. It works almost always, except in too difficult cases, when it is not a vacuum, but the fact that the lid is stuck.
3. Increase the hitch. If the cause of the difficulty is slipping your hands, proceed as follows. The jar, lid and hands must be dry and free from grease. Put on a rubber or silicone glove (regular gloves are good for washing dishes). In mild cases, you can do with a kitchen towel. The plastic film increases the grip of the lid and the hand very well. Sandpaper can help too. Put 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 considerable 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, thread it into the buckle. Place the resulting loop over the cover and tighten it counterclockwise. Then rotate so that the can is clockwise and the lid is counterclockwise.
5. Knock. Tap the top and sides of the tight lid well with something wooden or plastic - a spatula, knife handle. Do this carefully so as not to damage the jar. If the reason is not that the lid is too worn down, after such manipulations, the bank will open without difficulty.
6. Take a ride. A simple method often helps: put the jar on its side, and roll the edge of the lid around the edge of the countertop several times back and forth, slightly pressing from above with your hand. The tightly pressed surface of the edge of the lid will relax slightly, emitting a soft pop, after which the can will open quite easily.
7. Heat up. Fill a bowl with hot water and place the jar in it, lid down. Leave it there for 10 minutes, then remove and open. Running hot water will do well, if you substitute an ill-fated can under an open tap. Heat expands the lid and makes it easier to unscrew. You can also place a hot towel on top of 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.
8. Depressurize. Is the problem the lid retracted too much due to the vacuum? This means that you need to provide air access to the inside of the can. Insert a cutlery knife between the neck and the lid and twist gently slightly, moving the edge of the lid away from the glass. A gap of 0.5 mm is enough for depressurization to occur.
9. Lubricate the threads. For jars of honey and jam, this method is suitable: put the jar upside down, and drop a little vegetable oil in several places between the neck and the lid. Leave it on for 15-20 minutes. This time should be enough for the oil to get into the cracks, lubricate the surfaces and make it easier to unscrew the cover.

Photo gallery: helpers in opening curling glass jars

Screw cap wrenches work on the principle of minimizing your unscrewing efforts

Take a knife with a thick round end to avoid chipping or scratching, and pry off the lid to let air in underneath.

Try opening a screw-top jar with household gloves on

Vegetable oil perfectly lubricates the threads of the twist can and makes it easier to unscrew

The belt method is very old, but effective.

Hot water perfectly heats the lid and the air inside the can, after which it will not be difficult to open it

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

Video: several methods for unscrewing the caps

Video: shock way to open a jar with a tightly tightened lid

Hostess tips and reviews

Surely you have come across the problem of unscrewing the lids from cans with conservation, which means that our advice will help you. Maybe you know of some other simple methods? Tell us about them in the comments. Good luck and easy work!