Saturday 23 June 2007

citizen journalism

I can't get this jar open.









25 comments:

R.H. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
R.H. said...

RH, silly comment.

(how unusual)

boynton said...

baz-lotto!

(not citizen-journo screen shot though, so you'll just have to take a blogger's word for it)

Anonymous said...

Bang the lid firmly on the floor.

R.H. said...

When the girls lived here and couldn't open a jar I asked them what they'd do without me, now I'm disgusted to find out they've done quite well.
Immersing the lid in very hot water might free it (through expansion), or else you could tap around the edge hard in a clockwise direction, maybe with the blunt side of a knife. Cf's suggestion sounds good. I myself have no trouble forcing a seized lid, especially when I'm in a bad mood, but I did sometimes have trouble with those ring pulls on canned food,and would slide a fork handle into the ring and lever upwards. But eventually I saw a small tool to do the same thing. It was L-shaped, and in one of those cheery catalogues poor dears stick in your letter box and collect later with no orders. I wanted to get it, but felt a bit mean just ordering that alone, and so I bought a clock as well.

-Robert.

I'm not really the Dean and am sorry to be up so early but I'm off to the market today with His Majesty, King of Australia.

Wish me luck.

-Robert.
(Vice Chancellor)

Ann ODyne said...

break the airlock
(by inserting a knife with a blade end narrow enough, like a veg peeling one)

I love olives.
The IGA in Edwardes St Reservoir has the most wonderful deli section and I counted EIGHTEEN varieties of them, displayed with about 118 of cheese.

Kerryn Goldsworthy said...

Hot water seconded.

While the lid is still hot, focus in meditation fashion, take three very deep slow diaphragm breaths, and as you breathe out of the last one, turn the lid as hard as you can. This has never not worked for me. I believe it's something to do with an extra rush of oxygen to the bloodstream or something.

You will have had that particular jar open long since, but it's a handy hint for the future.

lucy tartan said...

I put it back in the cupboard and opened a different jar.

The knifepoint under the rim to pierce the seal does work, I remembered that one when Bwca mentioned it.

Anonymous said...

hot water on lid only. Bang with blunt edge of heavy knife in open direction. Don rubber kitchen gloves on both handies and turn. Get large multi grips from shed.

If desperate just get old fashioned can opener and spike through lid. Cover the top with glad wrap and lacker band and put those left back in fridge.

Should do the trick.

Leaving it till next time mostly works too.

Anonymous said...

One of the things I do love is this; Jar lid can't be opened. Hand it around several females to try. Nope. No good. Hand it around again. Nope. The one male who happens to be around reluctantly agrees, only after pleading, to modestly, "have a go". Lid comes off. Always.

NB: If you are said male it is important to not smirk or say anything except "OK I gotta go now"

R.H. said...

Put the lid in a vice and turn the jar.

Anonymous said...

fxh, the bloke's supposed to say "you all loosened it."

jac said...

Staring sadly at the jar does not count. Neither does swearing at it. And these are my two major weapons against jars, so I feel your pain.

Ampersand Duck said...

bwca (and Laura), beware of how thin the tip of the knife is, though. I buggered a brilliant and very new paring knife doing just that. Everytime i look at its bent tip I wish I'd just banged the jar on the floor or something.

lucy tartan said...

Yes, we have a small knife that got even smaller through havign the tip snapped off in the lid of a jar.

The floorboards in this house are so soft that banging a jar on then would dent the floor and make no difference at all to the jar.

Anonymous said...

Gawd, the tension is killing me.

Elsewhere007 said...

Stick a knife under the lid to break the air vacuum. Or go and buy some kalamata olives from a deli in one of those little environmentally unfriendly plastic containers.

TimT said...

If all else fails, try one of these:

or one of these:

Or one of these.

On no account use one of these. The jam will go all over the room: it's just not worth it.

Ampersand Duck said...

I heart you, TimT

JahTeh said...

House warming present for Laura, one of those rubber grabby jar opener thingies which really work.
Alternatively, turn jar upside down, three sharp bangs on the bench -no more - and open.

lucy tartan said...

Nobody's suggested 'just throw the f--ken thing out the window' yet.

It's testimony to the better class of commenter we get around here, isn't it.

M said...

One word - OK - two (or is it one?) - YouTube.

I put "How to Open a jar" into Google after fighting for the 20th time with a Trader Joe's tomato sauce jar and found a great Rachel Ray video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FZjJDm3fls

I love the Internet!

Val said...

Just catching up on my blog reading, and really enjoyed the kind suggestions by your readers. I usually tap the lid with a heavy knife all around. Usually works. If not, have to ask body builder son, who does not hesitate to smirk.

Anonymous said...

There is a gadget around that looks like a bottle opener made from iMac plastic that was delivered from heaven by choirs of angels.

Looks like a joke but it really works. Lifts a bit of lid to let in the air.

- barista

Anonymous said...

hot water + cloth (to grip) = open