How to open a tin can with your hands?

Today, housewives with screw caps for preservation are very popular with housewives. They are convenient, easy to use and save power compared to rolling machines. But here is the problem: tightening it is not difficult, but opening it can be a problem. It’s good if, at the time when you were going to put on a plate a delicious salad, pickles, eggplant, mushrooms, a representative of the strong half of humanity is present next to you, who will help out. But if you have to cope on your own, you need to know about some methods and even tricks, how to open a tin can with your own hands. We will share them with you in this article.

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Why don't they open?

Twist-off reusable screw caps are very convenient for canning. Their principle of action is quite simple:

• When heated with steam or hot water, the coating on the inside softens, so that the jar closes tightly.
• When the lid cools down, its top is drawn in and a vacuum effect is created inside.
• In this case, a strip of polymer acts as a sealing strip.

To reuse the cover, unscrew it carefully. To do this, you can use a special key or gently open it with your hands, taking into account that you have enough strength. But it often turns out that it is precisely these forces that the hostesses lack, and a strong strong man who is able to open the can with his hands does not always appear nearby.

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Why can’t I open canned food?

The reasons that a tin can is difficult to open may be:

• Slippery surface of a jar or hand;
• The lid is stuck - this happens with preservation with jam or honey;
• The pressure inside is lower than atmospheric, which is why the lid retracts more than necessary.

Important! You need to know in which direction the lid is spinning - it closes clockwise and opens in the opposite direction.

Before you begin to unscrew the lid, pay attention to the jar and its contents:

• If the lid is swollen, it means that the products inside are already spoiled and can not be served.
• If you find a crack on the surface, then opening it is also not worth it. Perhaps the air got inside and ruined the food, even worse - glass micro-shards.

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How to deal with a screw cap?

Often, such banks open without any problems, but sometimes, no matter how hard you try, nothing comes out. But, fortunately, there are many proven methods. So, how to open a tin can with your hands. We offer you several methods that are sure to help solve the problem.

Method 1

If you have a can key in your kitchen drawer, that’s just great. It works both to twist and unscrew them, without damaging either the jar or the lid. Such a key can be purchased at any hardware store, especially since its price is not so high.

Method 2

Striking is the easiest option to open conservation without a key. It must be turned over and kept on weight, slam on the bottom, or - on the contrary, put it on the palm of your hand, tap on the top. It acts almost always, with the exception of particularly difficult cases when it is not at all in a vacuum, but that the lid is stuck.

Important! There is a little secret: you should turn the lid, not the jar.

Method 3

If the reason for the difficulty of opening is slipping hands, do so.

The lid, jar and hands should be fat free and dry. Put a rubber or silicone glove on your hand, and then try unscrewing the cap. In mild cases, an ordinary dish towel may help.

Method 4

Use the laws of physics to open a tin can with your hands, no one forbids. Let's remember them:

1. Take a belt (preferably leather), thread it into a buckle, and then put the resulting loop on the cover and tighten it well, counterclockwise.
2. Rotate it so that the can is clockwise and its lid is against.

Method 5

Tap on the tight top and sides of the jar with something plastic or wooden - a knife handle, a spatula. Do this carefully so as not to damage the jar.

Method 6

Sometimes it helps to open a tin can with your hands in a very simple method: put the problem can on its side and several times roll the curled top edge along the edge of the countertop back and forth, slightly pressing with your hand.

Method 7:

1. Pour in a bowl of hot water.
2. Lower the jar into it for 10 minutes with the lid down.
3. Then take it out and open it.

You can also substitute the jar under running hot water. Under the influence of heat, the lid will expand and give in to unscrewing.

Important! Use caution. If very hot water gets on a too cold can, the glass may burst.

Method 8

If the problem is that the lid is too retracted under the influence of vacuum, it is necessary to ensure the flow of air inside. Try to insert a table knife between the lid and the neck and carefully turn it, pushing the edge of the lid away from the glass.

Method 9

For preservation with jam and honey, this method will be suitable: put the jar upside down, and between the lid and neck in a few places, drop a little any vegetable oil and leave it for 15 minutes.

Important! This time will be enough for the oil to get to the crack, lubricate the necessary surfaces and facilitate opening.

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How to open a canned food with a sealed lid?

All of the above methods apply to cans with screw caps. But, besides those, there are also iron cans, which also require opening. Next, we will look at how this can be done.

How to open a tin can with a knife?

If there is no opener in the house, this method will be easiest to do. At the same time, follow these recommendations:

• Open the jar with a knife very carefully. At the same time, you can’t keep it between your legs or on your knees - the knife can slip and you cut yourself,
• You can open preservation with any knives - camping, penknife or simple kitchen. To do this, put the tip of the knife to the edge and, holding the handle of the knife with one hand, carefully, but hard hit with the other hand from above.

Important! Do not hold onto the blade at the moment of opening - even a blunt knife can cause cuts.

• After you punch a hole in the lid, carefully cut it with a knife along the entire diameter. Next, gently pry the edge of the lid with a knife and lift it.

How to open canned food with pliers?

The tin can is a container with a lid. The bottom is the smooth side with oval edges, and the top is the side with sides. So, to open the can, you just need to protrude the sides to the sides with the help of pliers. After that, you can easily open canned food.

How to open canned food with a flat stone?

To open a tin can, you just need to “erase” the soldered places between the lid and the can. For this:

1. You should turn the jar upside down, and then rub it on a flat rough stone for a couple of minutes.
2. Next, press on the walls of the can, and the lid will bounce off by itself.

Important! This option is especially relevant in field conditions when there are no openers or knives at hand.

How to open canned food with your bare hands?

If at your fingertips there is absolutely nothing suitable for opening a tin can, do not despair. This can be done even with bare hands. Proceed:

1. On the side of the jar you need to make a deflection. To do this, press the edge with your fingers with force - the side will bend in the middle.
2. After that, visually divide the side surface into three parts to make another deflection, which will become the second face of an isosceles triangle. One more - the third, the line does not need to be done.
3. When you have two folds on the side edges, you will need to bend the jar to one side of the face, then to the other. Do this many times until the angle between the faces is soft. After such manipulations, the tin will simply tear between the folds.

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Stock footage

The tin can only at first glance seems awesome and impregnable. Many people think that nothing but a special can opener can be defeated, but knowing certain tricks will help you open canned goods even without an opener. And now you even have several such methods, so in any situation you will not be left without the expected food.