How-to: Unseal Stubborn Tight Jar Lids

It suddenly came to me while struggling with the salsa: I didn't know the secrets to opening a tightly sealed jar. I mean, it's been so easy to open such jars in the past that I simply forgot how to deal with the stubborn ones.

So today I'll share with you what goodness I learned from the web.

Easy Open Tip 1 - Brute Force:
Often when the jar has been closed for a long period of time, the contents inside may become very sticky, commonly in jars containing fruit, juice or jelly. To loosen the cap, you may try either a sharp tap on the side of the cover, in the direction of opening grooves (usually counterclockwise) to dislodge the cap from the sticky substance. This may also help in disrupting the vacuum seal of the jar itself. Alternatively you can turn the jar upside down, and bang it on a hard surface. Be careful not to break the jar itself!

Easy Open Tip 2 - Rubber:
Find a rubber band. Many commercial jar openers have a thick rubber lining, with which they grip the cap tightly. With leverage such jar openers are extremely useful. However, sometimes a simple household rubberband will do the trick. Find one of those thick purple or red bands and slip it around the cap of the jar. Now try to open the jar as you would normally. The extra grip provided by the band may be enough to pry open the top and break the seal.

Easy Open Tip 3 - Hot Water:
Sometimes running hot water over and around the cap is all that's needed to loosen the seal. Immediately after rinsing the top, grasp it with a towel such that your hands are not burned and give a sharp twist - the cap should come right off.

Easy Open Tip 4 - Spoons:
If none of these things work, the seal is just too strong. Find an object like a spoon, and try to leverage the cap off. Slip the spoon underneath the edge of the cap and, going around the circumference, slightly wedge open the cap bit by bit. Do not try to leverage the cap open from a single spot alone - this will damage the cap such that it will not go back on, and the risk of injury is great as well.

Last Resort - The Pros:
If you find yourself trying to open lots of jars and having great difficulty, invest in a commercial opener. Some are quite clever, using automated motion to pry open stubborn lids. Others are simply designed to offer better grip and more leverage, thus making it easier to open a can. Coming in all sorts of shapes and sizes, these items allow you to open virtually any sort of can or jar with a stubborn lid.

More helpful sources:

Video on opening cans: http://lifehacker.com/software/clips/video- demonstration-tricks-for-loosening-up-tight-jar-lids-235606.php

Tutorial on opening stuck lids: http://www.mytutorials.com/learn-9408749

Guide to opening stuck lids: http://www.ehow.com/how_116031_open-stuck-jar.html