How do you open canning jars?

[EddieWalker]

We've had a really good year in the garden this year, and my wife has gone crazy canning stuff. Her salsa is AMAZING!!! But now I'm struggling to open the jars.

I had a plastic handled thing that was OK, not great, at getting them lids open, but I broke it last night. Today I really struggled to get the lid off of a jar of salsa for my eggs, and I need to find something that will do this for me.

What do you use? Or even better, what could I buy for my wife to use so I'm not the jar opening guy?

After reading your replies, I'm editing this to clarify that it's the ring that I'm struggling to remove. Some are easy, others take some effort and a few feel like they are welded on.

 

[TnAndy]

I assume you mean the ring, right, not the lid... ?

We remove our rings after the jar has sealed....wife washes the jars them and puts them up....then washes the rings for another run. If we get one that won't come off (most do....the longer the are on the jar, the worse they set up...like glue), we simply run it under hot water for a short time....and if that doesn't do it (rare), tap the ring with the back side of a case knife in 3-4 places....that always works.

 

[jaydee325]

Maybe this will help:

JAR OPENER BUYING GUIDE: how to choose jar opener that works • Jar and Can Openers % %

We've had a really good year in the garden this year, and my wife has gone crazy canning stuff. Her salsa is AMAZING!!! But now I'm struggling to open the jars.

I had a plastic handled thing that was OK, not great, at getting them lids open, but I broke it last night. Today I really struggled to get the lid off of a jar of salsa for my eggs, and I need to find something that will do this for me.

What do you use? Or even better, what could I buy for my wife to use so I'm not the jar opening guy?

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I assume you mean the ring, right, not the lid... ?

We remove our rings after the jar has sealed....wife washes the jars them and puts them up....then washes the rings for another run. If we get one that won't come off (most do....the longer the are on the jar, the worse they set up...like glue), we simply run it under hot water for a short time....and if that doesn't do it (rare), tap the ring with the back side of a case knife in 3-4 places....that always works.

Case knife? That brings back a lot of memories...but I haven't heard a table knife called a Case knife in 60 years! My Mom always referred to it as a "Case knife".

 

[RNeumann]

Bottle opener breaks the seal.

 

[Deere Dude]

I assume you mean the ring, right, not the lid... ?

We remove our rings after the jar has sealed....wife washes the jars them and puts them up....then washes the rings for another run. If we get one that won't come off (most do....the longer the are on the jar, the worse they set up...like glue), we simply run it under hot water for a short time....and if that doesn't do it (rare), tap the ring with the back side of a case knife in 3-4 places....that always works.

My wife, Arnold, also removes the rings easily after they are sealed and reuses the rings for the next patch. Worked that way for 40 years.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

We remive the ring after they seal and cool down, then simple opener to pop the lid. We also make salsa, yummmm.

If the ring is a problem, i would think oil filter plyers would work great.

 

[TnAndy]

Case knife? That brings back a lot of memories...but I haven't heard a table knife called a Case knife in 60 years! My Mom always referred to it as a "Case knife".

Well, we're kinda ole fashioned here.......

 

[oosik]

If you mean the ring - run under hot water. If you mean the lid - a "church key". Be gentle with the church key and don't deform the lid.

If you are a brute and DO deform the lid & seal - two layers of Suran Wrap and the ring.

 

[5030]

Maybe it's self defeating but my wife cans a bunch and we leave the sealing rings on. When it comes time to open a jar of say spaghetti sauce or pickled beets or Kraut (we make a lot of kraut here, I do the work on that), I take a pair of needle nose pliers and grip the rolled edge of the sealing ring and wind the pliers up (just like an old ham can key) from the bottom of the ring to the top and that removes the ring from the jar and then I use an old school can opener to remove the lid. Wife is very particular about her jars and she has many very old blue glass Ball jars.

Works every time and I've never broken a jar. Sealing rings and lids are cheap anyway. Wife buys them in boxes of 50 each.

 

[txdon]

Eddie, this one mounted under a cabinet or shelf in the pantry is the best. My wife can open any jar with it.
https://www.amazon.com/EZ-Off-Opene...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=207VE19J60ABWD8GSP1Q

Five stars from over 2800 customers!!!

 

[Egon]

More Wheaties for breakfast. Build up your strength!

A couple of strap wrenches should work. Easiest is to pry up one side of the screw on rim to break the vacuum seal with whatever is handy. Fork handle, knife tip, fork teeth etc.

We have a lot of kitchen knives with the point bent or broke off!:ashamed:

 

[Gunny]

I do a lot of canning and after the jars have cooled off and the lids set, I make sure the bands are loose, but I leave them on the jars. You don't want to set the ring down hard before you run it through the canning process, so it can vent, but if a ring is too stubborn to loosen after the jars are cool, the back side of a kitchen knife has always done the trick for me.

 

[Deere Dude]

\
Works every time and I've never broken a jar. Sealing rings and lids are cheap anyway. Wife buys them in boxes of 50 each.

Why not just buy lids and reuse rings. Even if they are cheap every dime saved over time can buy a new tractor.

 

[JasperFrank]

Oil filter removal/install tool.

 

[the old grind]

Well, we're kinda ole fashioned here.......

My compliments!

And mine. ("I've seen your work." )

Arthritis limits my grip strength. Those 'grippers' let me apply the muscle, and they clean so easily to maintain their tack. :thumbsup:

Mom tapped tight lids firmly against a counter edge, never left a dent that I noticed, always works for me.

Under warm water the lid should expand more than the glass, so tapping with anything need not be as energetic.

Store-bought lids will never 'stick' like old galvanized or tin Ball-type rings where we've canned. (We go thru' more lids.)

The under-cabinets openers pretty much demand a two handed grip. Reviews are obviously biased toward .. how well they work.

btw, add grip to clean strap wrenches & lids with a pinch of powdered rosin, or single wrap of double-stick tape. ..

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Well, we're kinda ole fashioned here.......

Good for you! My compliments!

 

[randy41]

chanellocks work good

 

[Thomas]

I've had good luck tipping jar upside down than couple 2 finger stern taps than lid right side up cloth with nubs follow with firm grip remove the lid.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

You guys actually destroy lids/rings...!?

On purpose!?

Not around here. And not when I was growing up. That would have (and will) get you killed dead.

I've rapped them (as in tapped them) against the corner of the kitchen counter, and used the under cabinet "gripper" thing if that didn't work.

Worst I've had to do is run the top of one under hot water for a few minutes and do the tapping on counter thing and "gripper" thing again.

But destroying one... bbrrrrr... that sent shivers down my spine. I can feel the cold, clammy hand of Death Himself reaching for me just thinking about it.