Lidl sell a great bargain jar of pickled gherkins - nett wt 1550g.
Trouble is, I always have great difficulty getting the metal lid off. Perhaps I'm losing my strength. I have one of those rubber strap gadgets that is supposed to help, but it is useless here with a cap diameter of 10cm. Is there a vacuum to release here?
Any suggestions? I've tried heating the cap with boiling water. Or is it a job for the WorkMate?
DJ
There may well be a vacuum, so try sticking a nail through the lid before you start. Duct tape over the hole when you've got it open.
In message , David J writes
You take a shoe and ...
Bottle opener on the rim will lift it. Or there's a 'proper' gadget from places like Lakeland...got one for 89 year old mother in law who has arthritis..
This gives the idea even if you don't buy one...
There are two ways that work for me. Push a pointed knife between the edge of the jar and the lid or press down hard on the centre of the lid. Alan>
I bought one of those just the other day. I was demonstrating the electric pickle experiment (JFGI) and these are the biggest gherkins I know of. I got my lid off by levering at the side of it with a spoon handle, then once the vacuum was released, the lid turned easily. I can only grip properly with one hand at present.
It works remarkably well - I've had one of those for years.
keep a good lid, and put a nail through the new one to release the vacuum.
You lie the jar on its side on the floor and put your foot on it, over the lid; then roll the jar back and forth a few times applying downward pressure with your foot (ie the lid is trapped between the floor and the sole of your foot.
You need very little downward pressure; presumably it works by slightly deforming the side of the lid vs the glass. Very effective anyway, including with vaccuum-sealed jars.
Another way which sometime works is simply to lightly tap all round the lid of the jar with a knife handle, which can be bizarrely effective - I suppose it works in the same way.
David
Angle grinder.....
This is surprisingly effective, given that it looks like something that would have appeared in the Innovations catalogue
Cool the jar in the fridge and then try boiling water, or use a small gas torch.
j
Me too - simple but effective, and less likely to end in tears than jamming a knife under the lid.
Chris
While I know someone who swears by the Culinare opener, would the OP need to double-check the lid size and also check the jar size? IIRC the LIDL jar is fatter than the lid while the opener is advertised for "jars with lid diameters of 32mm to 101mm and jar diameters of 21mm to 95mm"
Fits the lid, but the jar is very wide with broad "shoulders" and they're in the way.
Assuming that it's the sort of lid which you have to rotate slightly to release (as opposed to lever off) one of these should do the trick.
It has little spikes which dig into the edge of the lid in order to grip it.
Whilst one person *can* operate it, it's much easier with two on really tight lids - one holding the jar and one using the opener.
As a possible alternative, I see that Argos do a hands-free battery-operated jobbie for 20 quid.
Take a table knife and smartly hit the corner of the lid at 120 degree intervals (i.e. three times round the lid) with the blunt side of the blade, such that it makes a small indentation. This deforms the lid enough to break the seal. Alternatively, you can get openers that work a bit like crown-cap bottleopeners - they lever the side of the lid out and up slightly - you used to buy them with a pointed end and a blunt end, and the pointed end was used to make holes in tins of fruit juice (one each side of the top) to allow you to pour the contents out.
Here's a random pic of a modern version, without the pointy bit at the other end.
Sid
Many thanks guys for the many suggestions of a solution to my problem.
The one that worked to me today was this one from Roberts, who suggested a knife under the rim of the cap. I up-ended the jar, and poked a blunt dinner knife into the gap in a few places, and suddenly a stream of bubbles showed the vacuum was broken. Success without cost or violence!
As always, when faced with a workable solution, I had to say: why didn't I think of that myself? Great forum, this one!
David J :
I see many suggestions in this thread, and that you've now got it open, but here's my advice FWIW. When trying to open a stubborn screw thread, enlist the aid of a left-hander. Right-handers are strong when turning clockwise (that's why the standard screw thread is the way round it is), and left-handers are strong when turning anti-clockwise.
BTW, not pickling your own gherkins?
Grasp the body of the jar in both hands and rap the edge of the lid smartly against a hard surface (I usually use the edge of the worktop). If it doesn't work the first time, rotate the jar 90 degrees and do it again.
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