Any or all of the following:

A clean, dry kitchen towel

Very warm tap water--heck, make it hot, so long as you don't burn yourself or others.

A large kitchen knife (or object of similar weight and dimension, such as a metal spatula or bottle opener). It doesn't have to be sharp, because you won't be using the blade.

Give each jar-opening strategy about five minutes before moving on to the next one.

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.

2torial #0489: Learn2 Open a Jar Lift that lid...without flipping yours! Things were going just great in your kitchen. Then you tried to open that innocent, perfectly functional-looking jar: now there's a thin corkscrew of metal holding fast between you and your bliss. Stuck? In a jam? Here are a few handy hints for loosening that lid. Wash your hands. Often our hands have a natural, oily residue which makes it difficult to get a good grip on slick, metallic things. Wash your hands with a mild detergent and dry them thoroughly on a clean towel. Wash the jar. Jars, especially those lurking at the back of the shelf over the stove for weeks or months, may have accumulated an oily residue from kitchen grease and smoke. Paying particular attention to the lid, rinse the jar under warm water to loosen and remove any oily residue. Use a drop or two of liquid detergent if the jar feels particularly greasy, and dry thoroughly with a clean towel. Do the twist! Yes, everybody knows that you're supposed to twist it open, but not everybody knows how to maximize their own body leverage. In these steps dominant hand refers to the hand with which you write and eat. For left-handed folks this refers to the left hand. Non-dominant hand refers to the other hand.   Hold the jar in your dominant hand up at about chest-level. The back of your hand should be facing out away from you. Hold your palm along the side of the jar (not covering the lid), and line up the thumb and index finger parallel to the lid. Wrap the thumb of your non-dominant hand around the side of the lid that's facing you, and curl your fingers around to the opposite side.   Feel the lid wedged firmly in your hand. Now try and turn the lid by moving your hands in opposite directions at the same time. Your dominant hand (on the jar) will move clockwise, and your non-dominant hand (and the lid) will move counterclockwise.   Elbows up, relax, and take a deep breath. As you exhale grip tightly while turning your hands. Don't strain yourself now, but do remember that it's just a jar, and you're certainly better than the jar!   Didn't work? Don't sweat it. Simply move on to Step 2. 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.   Turn off the tap. Dry the jar, lid and your hands thoroughly, and repeat Step 1. Bring me the big knife! Okay, now we're getting serious. But first, calm yourself. Repeat the thought, "It's just a jar, I'm better than the jar" while fishing through the drawers for a large kitchen knife or any heavy, flat-edged object.   Set the jar on the counter and hold it steady with one hand. Using the back of the knife (no slashing!), rap the rim of the jar lid twice, firmly on the edge. Turn the jar 1/4 to 1/3 the way around and rap the lid twice again. These sharp raps should break most stubborn seals.   Now put the knife down (you should be feeling better already) and return to Step 1. Turn your hands squarely opposite each other and do the twist.   Rap on: You may repeat the rapping maneuver every inch or so around the jar as necessary, but be advised that this method often permanently dents the jar lid. Once open, even a battered lid should be serviceable for re-closing, but may never again hold an airtight seal.   Did you finally get it? Well done! Now enjoy the fruits of your labor. It was the right jar, wasn't it? -end- Learn More!