Canned meals are a staple merchandise in most pantries, and they’re a long-term meals merchandise most preppers advocate. It’s because canned meals is comparatively inexpensive, is available in quite a lot of choices, is pre-cooked, and – when saved correctly – canned meals will final a few years.
All of those traits are nice…except you don’t have a can opener. You can end up in a scenario the place you forgot to pack one for a tenting journey or your present can opener is damaged.
Regardless of the purpose you end up with out one, I’m going to be itemizing a number of other ways to take away a can’s lid with out a can opener however I’m not going to cease there. I’m additionally going to record another popularized strategies that I don’t assume are so nice (although they do work).
These additional can-opening “hacks” could come in useful if you end up in a dire emergency however in any other case, I wouldn’t advocate them. You can find yourself damaging your instruments, contaminating the meals, and even hurting your self.
How To Open A Can With out A Can Opener, 6 methods
I want to state that I’ve tried the entire strategies listed under, which is why I broke them up into two completely different classes. When utilizing any of the strategies listed under, it’s a good suggestion to make use of gloves as a result of you’ll be coping with a whole lot of sharp edges. Attempt to work on a stage, steady floor.
Pocket Knife (SAK)
I’ve carried a Swiss Military Knife for many of my life and love them for a lot of causes. Do you know that many Swiss Military Knife fashions have a can opener software? I do know that it might sound like dishonest to record this one – however hey, when your hungry, who cares?
The hook of the opener goes on the skin of the can’s lid whereas the reducing portion is positioned on the internal edge. Push the reducing portion of the software all the way down to create a puncture, after which work the software up and down whereas rotating the can.
This works greatest you probably have a steady floor whilst you work. If you end up executed reducing by way of the can’s lid, the complete lid ought to elevate proper out.
In case you have a Swiss Military pocket knife nevertheless it doesn’t have one of many can-opening instruments, you need to use the knife blade. (I’ll discuss extra about that in a bit.)
Click on on the video under to see the SAK can opener in motion by Felix Immler, who additionally demonstrates how to take action in ten seconds flat!
Chopping Software
This technique works fairly nicely with an axe, hatchet, or tomahawk. You’ll be able to both stand the can upright or lay it on its aspect, however simply make certain the can is on a flat floor.
Use the pointed fringe of the chopping floor to puncture a gap within the prime of the can or on the aspect close to the rim. Rotate the can whereas shifting the chopping edge up and down till you have got labored your method throughout the can.
Take a look at the video under for an illustration of this technique.
Knife
First, place the can on a flat floor in order that the can is both standing upright or on its aspect. Subsequent, place the sharp tip of the knife close to the rim on the internal edge and faucet the butt of the knife with one hand. As soon as the tip has punctured, work the knife blade by way of the metallic.
This technique will uninteresting or probably harm your knife, and it’s deliberately harmful.
Take a look at the video under to see an illustration of this technique. Within the video, he makes use of a butter knife, and though it’s a bit messier, the method is mainly the identical.
Tin Snips
Tin snips are nice for reducing by way of softer metallic, like an aluminum can, and this technique feels virtually like utilizing a daily can opener.
Make a small lower into the highest rim of the can till you will get the snips beneath the rim. Then merely work your method across the can, reducing the rim away. After you have gone throughout the can, fastidiously pry open the lid, and the can lid ought to elevate proper out.
Multitool
Like a Swiss Military Knife, some multitools include a can opener and different instruments, like a knife blade or a flathead screwdriver, that could possibly be used to get to the can’s contents.
If the multitool has a pair of pliers, these can be utilized as nicely. Merely use the pliers to seize the rim and start working it backwards and forwards to tear it away. This technique is tedious and would require some endurance. Or you may simply jab on the can’s lip with the pliers to create a puncture.
Click on the video under to see one other method to make use of pliers to open a can.
Spoon Methodology
Seize your self a sturdy metallic spoon and maintain onto it near the bowl (the half used to scoop up meals).
Press the tip of the metallic spoon firmly into the highest of the can close to the rim, you might have to work it backwards and forwards a bit till it punctures. As soon as it does, proceed shifting the spoon alongside the puncture line of the can to pry open the highest.
Take a look at the video under to see an illustration of this technique.
Not-So-Nice Alternate Strategies
I separated the strategies under into this class not as a result of they don’t work…however as a result of I wouldn’t advocate them except you haven’t any different selection.
Concrete Slab
I’ve seen this technique extra occasions than I can depend on social media and YouTube channels. There are two variations, however the idea is similar.
Seize your self a flat rock with a tough floor and start grinding away the can’s rim. That is going to take a bit of labor and elbow grease, however as soon as sufficient of the rim has been eliminated you may pop the highest off. If you wish to use a bigger tough rock or concrete slab, flip the can the other way up and vigorously rub the rim backwards and forwards and in all instructions.
I’m not an enormous fan of this technique as a result of each of them produce a whole lot of metallic shavings and at the least a few of them are in all probability going to get into the meals inside. Additionally, with the concrete slab technique, because the can is inverted you may lose liquid or meals if you’re not cautious.
Steel File
This technique is mainly the identical because the above, however as an alternative of utilizing a rock, you employ a metallic file to grind down the rim. Once more, that is going to provide a whole lot of metallic shavings, and I’m not assured all of them might be saved out of the meals.
As an alternative, I’d take away the deal with, if potential, and use the pointed finish of the file to puncture holes within the can after which pry open the lid.
Fork
This one includes sticking one of many fork’s tines on the within of the rim and the remainder of the tines on the skin of the can. Use the tine to puncture holes and wrench the fork round to pry open the lid.
My principal subject with that is that it’s a one-and-done technique as a result of it destroys the fork.
Under is a video of a barely completely different model the place the deal with of the fork is used to puncture a gap and the tines are used to chop by way of the lid, however the fork nonetheless will get a bit tousled.
Fingers
This technique depends on brute power with a touch of a security hazard.
It goes a bit one thing like this:
Utilizing your fingertips, create two giant dents within the can. Then maintain the can between each fingers, get a agency grip, and start working the can backwards and forwards. Ultimately, the can goes to put on away on the crease level of the dent and you’ll “pop” it open.
My downside with this one is that in the event you get the timing improper and your hand slips, you can find yourself slicing your hand open on some jagged edges. I’d advocate that you just put on gloves when attempting this one out.
Conclusion
Aluminum cans are softer than you assume, so all you want is a software that’s laborious sufficient to puncture a gap, like a field cutter, screwdriver, axe, chef’s knife, or perhaps a butter knife will work.
However none of those are the correct instruments, and as I said at the start, I actually wouldn’t advocate most of them except you had no different strategies. If it’s important to use any of those strategies, I’d advocate grabbing your self some gloves to assist stop harm.
On the time of writing this text, the typical price of a can opener is round $10. Seize your self a few them, throw them in your kitchen drawer, and also you gained’t have to fret about the way to open canned food with out an opener.
Thanks for studying, and keep ready.
