<p>I have a white hard plastic thingamajig that looks like a bottle opener, but larger. It works great. You just hook it over the edge of the jar, lift up, and it breaks the vacuum seal so you can open the jar. It was only a couple of dollars at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. It works like sticking the point of a regular bottle opener under the edge of the lid, but it is much safer because it isn’t pointed.</p>
<p>My god, I’m like going after it with a butcher knife and just praying I don’t slice a finger off and can’t put a dent in the stuff.</p>
<p>Even better- that plastic that Costco packages stuff in. I have to use a hacksaw.</p>
<p>The hot water works well, cause often times my hands are too small anyway for rubber gloves to make a difference.
I also use the point of a spoon to break the seal.</p>
<p>
Oh yeh – definitely at the top of my all-time pet peeves. Drives me crazy how hard it is to open some of those packages – not to mention dangerous.</p>
<p>Try putting the impossible plastic seals from China under the guillotine blade of a bagel-slicer. Be sure to stand on the other side of the room when the blade drops. Very “Les Miserables.” I usually cheer to represent the crowd.</p>
<p>The topics you find in the parents forums are ridiculously practical…not to mention funny.</p>
<p>I have two of the square pieces of textured rubber. Both have advertisements on them and were give-aways. And they open the hardest of jars. And I use the hot water trick and the prying with can opener trick also.</p>
<p>I was actually at The Container Store today and saw this:
[The</a> Container Store > Easi-Twist Jar Opener](<a href=“http://www.containerstore.com/shop/kitchen/foodPrep/tools?Ntt=lid+opener&productId=10023943]The”>http://www.containerstore.com/shop/kitchen/foodPrep/tools?Ntt=lid+opener&productId=10023943)</p>
<p>Almost bought it, but I’m not quite there yet.</p>
<p>A rubber glove placed over the lid works well.</p>
<p>How about the device used to remove oil filters from cars?</p>
<p>WOW–that would probably open anything!</p>
<p>[Jar</a> Pop? Opener Blue - Handy Helpers - WalterDrake](<a href=“http://www.wdrake.com/WalterDrake/Shopping/ProductDetail.aspx?CID=Kitchen&SCID=Handy+Helpers&ProductID=0000140626&SourceCode=20509000002&mr:referralID=df0414cf-4b3c-11df-bf2c-000423bb4e79]Jar”>http://www.wdrake.com/WalterDrake/Shopping/ProductDetail.aspx?CID=Kitchen&SCID=Handy+Helpers&ProductID=0000140626&SourceCode=20509000002&mr:referralID=df0414cf-4b3c-11df-bf2c-000423bb4e79)
this gadget lets air into the jar and makes it very easy to open. A great thing for $5 or less</p>
<p>One of the problems that I’ve noticed with older friends (much older than me) is that they don’t have the hand strength to grip an easy twist opener. Sucks to get old…</p>
<p>Well, then you get leverage to help you out. All you need is an o-clamp connected to a handle that’s long enough.</p>
<p>Old fashioned churchkey.</p>
<p>Jar lids are tight because of the seal - so all you have to do is slightly pry away the metal, enough to let some air in. I’ve never found anything better for that task than this:
<a href=“http://absolutegalore.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/church-key-can-and-bottle-opener.jpg[/url]”>http://absolutegalore.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/church-key-can-and-bottle-opener.jpg</a></p>
![http://absolutegalore.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/church-key-can-and-bottle-opener.jpg[/url]](http://absolutegalore.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/church-key-can-and-bottle-opener.jpg%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
<p>ellemenope, hat’s why the Un-Skru Jar Opener that treetopleaf recommended, or the under cabinet opener I recommended, work especially well. You just have to grip the jar or bottle.</p>
<p>I’ll have to remember that when I lose my grip on life. :)</p>
<p>SlitheyTove, I couldn’t find the under cabinet opener - the metal “v” with teeth - online. Did you? That is what I have, and it’s Absolutely WonderFUL to not have to screw around with jar lids. Yeah, you can pry open a little air gap, but then the lid doesn’t reseal well, if it’s the sort of jar you return to the fridge. I often spilled when trying to mess around with jar lid removal. The undercabinet thing is going with me when I move :)</p>
<p>I usually do the tip of the spoon routine to loosen the lid, but my failsafe solution is…my husband, who will never admit he’s met a lid he can’t open.</p>
<p>My usual approach to opening a jar is just to use the fingers to open the jar rotating the wrist around it. The wrist is generally loose with this approach. For difficult jars. I put it on a flat surface and hold it steady with the left and and stiffen the right wrist and then push with the entire arm so basically I get a huge amount of leverage against the jar.</p>
<p>The reason why tennis helps is that the wrist has to support the force of the rest of your body coming to meet the ball and you develop a lot of wrist strength and the ability to stiffen the wrist so that you can use your arm as a lever. Some people hit with wristy shots which develops the wrist and forearm too.</p>
<p>ellemenope, lol.</p>
<p>Treetopleaf, here you go: [under</a> cupboard jar opener - Google Product Search](<a href=“under cupboard jar opener - Google Shopping”>under cupboard jar opener - Google Shopping)</p>
<p>I can’t find the version I have at home, which is mounted on wood, not plastic or metal. I agree that it’s moving with me if/when we ever leave our current abode.</p>