I take one of those wide rubber bands from asparagus and fit it over the lid. It can be a little tricky to get on but it works.

I had an opener mounted to the bottom of a cabinet in my last house. Just a ridged V, probably the same as your handheld one but being able to have two hands on the jar helped. My mom's got a B&D electric opener which is both expensive and takes up a bunch of real estate for what it is, but it works well for her so I'd recommend it to anyone who has a regular need.

The hot water usually works for me. (my hot water tank is not set at a baby safe temp). I have a soft rubber square thing that fits over the top of a jar giving me a better grip too. I've had it so many years I don't have a clue what its called, but it's something like this. I don't have a set, only one.

I don't know when I seem to have lost the kitchen strength in my hands but I'm really noticing it lately. Maybe need some finger weights to work out with? :) My mothers hands and arms were so strong, well into her 90s. Her hand strength would surprise me sometimes!

That's what you get for shopping without your list 😄

Hope you got it open 🙂

If not, do you have a bottle opener, a.k.a. church key? Try turning it upside down and getting the point under the rim of the lid and prying until you break the seal - there's usually a little pop.

I have a couple of helper tools - this one works very well - inherited from my grandpa:

And those rubber gripper discs work for me too.

This thing. Bottle opener at one end, can opener at the other, jar-seal popper in the middle. Or you can use a spoon, but I like this one better.

edit: I just realized one end is NOT opening cans, but rather for the pry-off type of jar lid. I don’t see that type of lid much anymore, nor have I opened anything other than a can of coconut milk with the pointy type of can opener in decades.

I did finally get it open, hot water and then hitting it multiple times as hard as I could with the jar opener. lol. I need a popper.

I will bang the edge against a cutting board after the hot water treatment-it expands the metal and banging around the edge loosens the seal.

Cant help with opening the jar, but for the grocery list, i just take a picture of the list on my phone. It works really well and then i have it with me .

I bought circular rubber thingies with little bumps on them. I was really having problems opening some things like POM bottles.

On the jar lid there are indentations. Put something under one and VERY lightly pry the lid against the jar. Don’t wreck the lid. It pops the air seal and is then very easy to open

I use the Google Keep app for my shopping lists. It has checkboxes too, so you can check off items as you go.

Either running under the hot tap or turning upside down and firmly banging the lid on a hard surface works for me.

I've never met a jar I couldn't open. A WACK or two against a hard surface and the seal is broken and jars opens right up. Works every time. Hot water works on jars that have been open and are now 'sealed' shut due to food on the rim, much like paint on doors and windows. Hot water usually does the trick loosening up the sugars in the food.

Just downloaded Good Keep, looks useful. But for the quickest, single, no frills list I like Shopping List. List items, check them off, hit delete once and the checked items disappear, twice and the list disappears. That's pretty much all it does, no bells, no whistles. I like the simplicity.

Hot water works on unopened jars too. It expands the metal of the lid and breaks the seal. My shopping list technology is a pencil and paper.

I always just use the old style bottle opener and take the pointed end and pry it out some and it will always be easy to open. Just like in Gargamel's photos.

I too use the sharp end of the "church key", and it really works. I'm too afraid to tap on the lid for fear with my grace I'll whack the jar too hard.

Yes, the more I go into Aldi's the more I buy. We have 2 that are each about 7 miles away. One is supposed to open by the end of this month, and that one is only about 3 miles away. I can't wait.

Yesterday when I went in for milk and yogurt, I bought chicken sruffed with artichoke. I haven't tried it yet, but it's been staring back at me for months so I caved and got it .I'll let you know how it is.

I don't know who carries an jar opener like this other than Lee Valley, but they're awesome - they use leverage to break the suction a little, without ruining the cap (so you can still screw it back on). There are two ends, for thicker or thinner lids.

I've never hit the edges of the lid, to me it dents it, making it more difficult.

For years I use the pointy end of a can puncturer. Slip it in one of the 'gaps' and lift it until it just breaks the seal. You don't want to bend the lid out of shape.

I bought myself one of those rubber things this year, I use it as well, but the puncturer is a sure bet.

I have one like this that I've had for years. I've had it so long I wasn't sure if they still made this type or not. I also have several of the other types mentioned here, but this one gets the job done after all the others fail.

Rusty

A hard smack on the bottom of the jar with my hand usually works for me.

tj

P.S. a nice thing about Google Keep - as you check off items on your lists, they don't disappear, but go to a checked items sublist that you can hide or unhide. Then when you're making a new list, you can simply uncheck things to add them back. You can also delete them, if you prefer.

I was on my phone earlier, so going into detail was too much work 😄

I bought this Kuhn Rikon jar opener when I was first diagnosed with RA. My DW and I both love it.

Re lists, just because it’s written/typed/in front of your face, doesn’t mean you won’t go ”off list” and buy things you don’t need! (or for some of us, forget an item anyway)

I actually ruptured the ligament in my right hand between my thumb and index finger trying to open a jar lid. Surgery, pins and six weeks in a cast , and I’m right handed! It was a nightmare! And then a second surgery to repair more. So do be careful! I now always use this jar opener and love it. Works great for me.

The one that Lynn shows has a hook for loosing the vacuum seal. I have found this type of opener to be the best, although there can be lids that are too large, but that is rare.

I do not like hitting the lids on a hard surface - that has never worked for me, but I have used a special device made for loosing the vacuum seal, and that has helped, but often it was not enough.

I have an antique kitchen tool called a Wizard Jar Wrench that I bought at least 30 years ago at a tag sale. Probably spent about a quarter on it. It works great on most size jars. I just checked Ebay and there are lots of them listed -- but for more than a quarter.

Jupidupi, my mom had one of those!