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Intro:
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| Lids move counterclockwise to open. Oh! That works much better! It's the old "lefty-loosey righty-tighty" rule, the same principle that's applied to nuts, bolts, and most threaded objects. Hands still slipping? Drape a clean, dry towel over the lid and jar. A thinner towel works better than a thick one. No large kitchen knife or other heavy object? One method some people use is to turn the jar upside down (but at a slight angle) and rap the corner of the lid on a hard kitchen counter or similarly-edged surface. We don't recommend doing this unless you feel like you know what you're doing: a wrong move can break the jar, damage the surface, or jam the lid even more firmly on the jar. Try the easier, kinder methods first. You can always get mad at the jar later. The warm water trick and/or just a few light raps work surprisingly well in most cases. Brute force not an option? If you just don't have much strength in your hands (or if straining them is painful), look in the kitchen appliance stores or catalogs for a jar opener. One model looks like an oversized pair of pliers, costs very little, and can really come in handy once in a while. Another kind is a sort of reverse wedge designed to mount to the underside of kitchen cabinets (you jam the jar in, then twist). If at all possible, try before you buy: some "openers" require only slightly less muscle than the old-fashioned manual method. |
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Heat up the lid
Turn on your hot faucet
and let the water warm up. Being careful not to
scald your hand, run very warm water over the lid
of the jar for a minute or so while holding the jar
itself angled away from the water stream. Metal jar
lids absorb heat quickly, and when they do they
expand. Hot water can serve a second purpose in
loosening any sticky material which may have become
fixed between the threads of the lid.
