“how you “Opening a jar is so hard,” I texted a close friend one night after a particularly painful, soul-sapping struggle with a stubborn marinara sauce lid, leaving me with both hands and a bruised ego and wondering how I'd ever managed to feed myself.
“It's a mallet,” he told me. This rubber hammer is under $12As a single person with physical limitations and many life adaptations, I trusted his recommendation wholeheartedly. Five minutes later, my purchase was confirmed. Two years later, my mallet is still proudly displayed on a windowsill above my sink. Friends laugh when they see it. They're missing out.
I have tried every device to open a bottle.These had no effect on me) And there are plenty of kitchen tricks for breaking stubborn seals, including grabbing the lid with a towel, holding the jar under boiling water, tapping on the sides and bottom to dislodge the seal, and even the more daring method of wedging the tip of a knife between the lid and the rim of the jar. These techniques sometimes work.
But if you gently tap the lid in two or three places along the vertical edge with a mallet, it easily twists open, releasing the vacuum. This mallet method is super easy, takes just a few seconds, and works every time. (You can't size yourself with a sharp knife or open scissors, and it's pretty hard to hit your own thumb.)
The story doesn't end there, because after buying a rubber mallet to quickly remove pesky jar caps, I found myself grabbing the handle and swinging the tip around more often than I'd like.
Partially melted, chunky ice crumbles under the weight of the mallet; garlic skins fly off; and meat (in a zip-top bag) is gently kneaded until it's of a uniform thickness. The head of the mallet can easily be covered with a clean bag or cloth or otherwise sanitized, but I primarily cover the food it comes into contact with, rather than the mallet. A heavy-duty tap is usually all that's needed. I have to say, swinging a hammer around in the kitchen is a lot of fun.
Occasionally I use a rubber mallet for practical non-cooking tasks, like assembling furniture (those pesky dowel ends!), but the next time a friend teases me by asking, “Why do you have a mallet in your kitchen?” I'm going to find a jar with a tight lid as best I can, demonstrate it, and send them the link above.
For even better shopping, This handy multi-tool This is what one of my coworkers carries in his emergency bag, and another coworker raves about it. Powrun P-One Car Jump Starter Battery Pack (Here's why she loves it).
