This guide outlines how to open jar of pickles that simply won’t give up it’s contents to you. The final method is not one we recommend!
Who doesn’t know the pickle jar that fights back. As soon as your hands are a little wet, you can’t open the glass. The problem is the lack of air in the glass. The negative pressure holds the lid firmly to the glass and the rotating movement tightens the lid for the first time before air gets into the glass — after which the lid then comes off easily. But you need to get it open that first time!
Needing to know how to open jar of pickles often happens at the most inconvenient times. When you most need a vinegar, salt or other pickled cucumber, you are not in the best physical condition; for example, because you’re hungry from the party binge the night before.
Pregnant women are also sometimes weakened by the strain of the circumstances. A pickle would help now, yes: it could work real miracles. But just then you can’t get the damn pickle jar open.
ALSO READ: How to do an easy pickled cucumber recipe
How to open jar of pickles: tips and methods
Dry your hands thoroughly so that they don’t sweat. It’s best to place a tea towel over the lid and turn it vigorously – every now and then that’s enough and the pickle jar opens with a promising, satisfying smack. However, the lid often does not move a quarter of a millimeter.
Even more strength usually doesn’t achieve the desired result: you just get cramped, your fingers start to hurt, and if things go really badly, you’ll eventually have tendonitis, but still no pickle. You then present an unflattering picture: your carotid artery swells, your face flushes with anger, you utter words that you forbid your children to say, and on top of that you start to perspire.
If the glass were to open right now when you were madly working on it, and if the resistance gave way abruptly, you would hardly be able to absorb the sudden opening of the glass and half of the cucumber liquid would spill onto your shirt, blouse, sweater. And you would even smell like an old pickle jar.
A tried and tested tool is a so-called screw cap opener. With one of these you can grip the edge of the lid better than with your hand; many models press small dents into the sheet metal so that the opener can get caught and not slip off. The handles of this mechanical household aid increase the leverage so that almost anyone can apply the necessary force to get the cucumbers they crave.
How to open jar of pickles: Let in some air
If you don’t have such a screw cap opener, you have to improvise. The reason the lid is so tight is because there is negative pressure inside the pickle jar. As soon as air gets into the jar, the lid can be easily opened.
Anyone who is already frustrated at the pickle jar and tearing their hair out can hammer a nail into the lid. This helps with alleviating the aggression, but is only recommended if you eat all the pickled cucumbers in one sitting. Otherwise the fridge smells like… we’ll leave it alone.
However, if you move a pointed object under the side of the lid, some air flows into the jar and the lid can be opened easily.
- Turn the glass jar upside down
- Carefully move a knife or sharp object between the lid and the jar
- Now use the knife to bend the lid slightly away from the glass
You can see the air flowing into the lid, small air bubbles rising. The more air you allow to flow in, the easier the lid will come off afterwards. If you are careful enough, the lid will remain intact and you can close the jar again without anything leaking.
Pay close attention to your fingers, always use the knife in the direction away from your body and, if possible, only hold the jar by the base and never by the lid when you insert the sharp object.
Alternatively, you can place a lever from below between the edge of the lid and the glass. Use a knife or fork to bend the sheet a little. This means air gets into the glass and it can be opened easily. You just have to be careful that you don’t slip and end up with cuts or puncture wounds.
How to open jar of pickles: Hit the bottom of the jar
If you can hit the bottom of the jar firmly with the palm of your hand, it will sometimes ‘shock’ the lid into allowing in a little bit of air, which will then help to losen the lid.
How to open jar of pickles: Hot water
You can sit the jar upside down in hot water so that the lid is covered with the water. The thin metal lid will expand slightly with the heat (faster than the thick glass of the jar can expand) and this can make it easier to open.
How to open jar of pickles: Warm stove
Some people report having success with placing the pickle jar upside on a warm stove top, but this method has to be applied cautiously. If the stove is too hot it might crack the pickle jar. And then, sure the pickles are open but they are probably all over the stove. And kitchen bench. And floor.
How to open jar of pickles: Extreme method
In principle, the only method missing so far is the fact that you can shoot open a pickle jar — with a steady hand and some practice.
Photo by Olya Harytovich
