Kitchen Tip: Stubborn Jar Lids and When to Apply TNT

Most of us have been there. The jar lid is too tight. The jar opener is not working or can't be found (and you swear you just saw it yesterday). 

Time to explore other methods: 

You bang it on the edge of the counter, tap the sides with a spoon, run hot water on it...but nothing is working! It is still not budging. 

The next step is to ask someone for help, but if no one who can help is around, you are stuck waiting. Well, before you activate the Bat Signal, try this out: 

Get out your bottle opener, if you have one. If you don't, then get one. 

The simple one. No bells & whistles. Pointy end; straight end. It looks like this:

These are still being manufactured and can be purchased at some department or grocery stores, but if you see one in the wild at a garage sale or estate sale, grab that thing! The vintage version isn't as flimsy. We actually have one of those, but it wasn't where it was supposed to be, so I had to grab the stand-in. 😆 

I am glad these are still in production. Pop tops cans are more prevalent now, but that pointy end still comes in handy for some cans, like evaporated milk, if you only want to use a small portion of it. (History note: I remember when we used to use these to open cans of motor oil. Big poke on one side, small poke on the other so the oil would flow freely.)  

And now, back to the lid: 

Place the jar on a flat surface. Gently work the pointed end underneath the side of the lid as depicted in the photo below. You might have to try a couple of spots before you find a void. Then, while holding the tip in place, just push down on the bottle opener. You don't need to strong arm it - just slow and steady until you hear the seal pop. After that you will have no problem unscrewing the lid. 

You could try the method with a flathead screwdriver, but using the bottle opener is much safer. If you use the flathead, you have to force the tip under the side and it can slip and possibly cause an injury (trust me on this - BTDT, got the T-shirt & a bandage too. 😁). 

And yes, we still get Pace Picante sauce from time to time. Go ahead and laugh it up. 😆 Nostalgia flavor. It's legit! It still tastes the same after all this time (at least the original does) and sometimes that's just the comfort we need. 

*Please note: This method works for one-piece lids. If you need help with a two-piece Mason jar lid, go ahead and activate that Bat Signal. 😆 Just kidding! Go into the garage and get that oil filter remover. That should work. No incendiary devices necessary. 😆