Imagine that you are traveling and trekking on an adventurous trip and are surviving on canned food. In such a situation, if you find yourself without a can opener, what will you do? You would have to improvise and see what you can use instead of a can opener to open a can. Here we will discuss some ways that can help you to know how to open a can without a can opener.
How to Open a Can with a Fork
This is an option for desperate times. Times when you got absolutely nothing other than forks to open a can that you urgently need to in order to sustain. Firstly, you should know that this process is not safe for children and even adults should be careful while doing this.
You can use a fork in several ways to open a can, though it would probably destroy the fork and leave it unusable. You can place one prong of the fork on the outer edge of the rings made on top of a can’s head. Apply a little pressure so that the fork can break into the edge of the top of the can. Once the fork’s prong is inside the can, face it away from you and try to move it up and down to make the hole bigger. (Enlightenedwomen.org) You can then use the back of the fork to lift open the lid of the can.
Another way to open a can with a fork is to puncture holes on the top of the can using the fork. Once the prongs of the fork are inside the can, tilt the fork backward to create a pressure at the back of the lid. Applying consistent pressure downwards on the fork would force the lid to rip open.
How to Open a Can with a Spoon
A worse situation would be when you don’t even have a fork around you to open a can. In such situations, remember that you can also improvise with a spoon to open a can. You specifically need a metal-based spoon for this purpose. Though it may take quite a bit of time, especially if the spoon has a blunt edge, nonetheless, it can save you on occasion of an emergency.
Place the bowl of the spoon downwards and position it on the inner edge of the lid of the can. Make sure that the inside of the bowl is faced towards the inside of the can. In this position start rubbing the tip of the spoon’s edge along the circles of the can’s lid.
Keep rubbing the spoon until there is a wedge on the spot of rubbing. Once you have made a hole, scoot over the spoon and keep applying pressure on the other side. This will widen the crack on top of the lid and then you can use the spoon to pull the rest of the lid away from the can. During this process make sure you hold the can firmly with one hand while you work your way on top of the can with your other hand.
How to Open a Can with Your Hands
If you need to know more ways about how to open a can without a can opener, opening one with your bare hands may sound challenging. However, it is not that difficult to open a can with hands. It will be a problem for elder people and people suffering from arthritis. In times of disaster and emergency, you need to know these three steps to open a can with your hands:
1. Look for grooves in the middle
You need to tear the label first and then observe for groove and roundish patterns near the middle area of the can. These grooves actually represent the formation of the metal can as rings. These ridges are the weak points of the can. You need to press them with your fingers as hard as you can.
2. Squeezing the can
After making dents on either side of the cans, you need to start pressing the can from the opposite ends with your wrist. Exert a fair amount of pressure to make the dents deeper. You are just one step away from opening it.
3. Ripping the can apart
After you have exerted a fair amount of pressure, you need to twist the can, clockwise and counter-clockwise. Repeating this process will finally create a leak in the middle. Keep on doing this until the can rips apart. Carefully examine for metal pieces or shreds in the can after opening it. If you find any, remove them from your canned product.
How to Open a Can with a Rock
If you are trekking or traveling, consider using a rock to open a can, when you o not have a can opener. It is understandable if you have reached the rock bottom and have no other way than to customize a rock while wondering how to open a can without a can opener. Even if there are obvious risks in this process, you can still give it a try to sustain through your journey.
Finding the perfect rock that will help you best to open a can is a bit challenging. You have to find one that has an uneven surface and supports friction. Look for a rock that has a sharp jutting that will help you to puncture the seal of the can. Place the rock on a stable surface and position the can upside down on top of it.
Rub the can’s lid against the sharp edges of the rock and keep on rubbing until there are visible marks on the surface of the lid. Apply pressure downwards on the can so that the rough surfaces of the rock or concrete cut through the thin metal of the can.
In case the can contains liquid, it will be difficult for you to carry out this process. Cutting through the lid of the can, while positioning it upside down, will spill out its contents as soon as the puncture is made.
How to Open a Can with A Can Opener the Right Way
What is the right way to open a can with a can opener? We have discussed how to open a can without a can opener. However, in case we do have a can opener, will we be able to use it correctly? Above all, how do we know if a method is the best or most appropriate for opening a can with a can opener?
Well, our first priority should be safety. Whether a method works or not is a secondary issue, as there are several different methods of using a can opener. The traditional way of opening a can with a can opener is to use it vertically on the can so that the lid can be pulled off from the top.
A new way of using a can opener emerged recently on the internet where a person shows how to use a can opener horizontally on a can. Since the upload of their first tutorial video, many people have widely appreciated and shared this new technique. Many people have also voted it to be the most appropriate way to open a can using a can opener.
Using the can opener horizontally along the outer rim of the can’s lid has some disadvantages too. It leaves the edge of the can uneven and sharp—making it dangerous for use. Many people have said that pulling off a lid leaves the edge of the can’s surface smooth and should be preferred in order to be safe. The correct way to open a can using a can opener depends on the nature and characteristics of the can itself.
How to Open a Can with a Key
Many cans have keys attached to them which you can use for opening them. Many people have wondered for months and some for even years. If you have a similar canned product in your hand, you don’t need to know how to open a can without a can opener.
The first step is to remove the key from the can. Use a knife for this. After you have your key in your hand insert it in the erected metal projection to lock it. You need to rotate the key along the can’s body.
That’s it! Many people wonder how to remove the key, but it is fairly easy to do it. So try it now for yourself and unsolved the long-awaited mystery!
How to Open a Can with a Butter Knife
Using a butter knife to open a can is very easy. The hardest is to open a can with your bare hands. However, when you have tools, you will find a way to use it for many purposes. Similarly, using a butter knife is an easy way to learn how to open a can without a can opener.
Take the butter knife and keep the pointed end facing towards the base or top of the can. The idea is to exert pressure on a single point from above to break the leak. So, for this, you have to use a cloth to thicken the knife’s handle. Use the cloth so that you don’t hurt yourself while exerting the pressure. After a fair amount of pressure, you will notice the moisture beginning to leak.
This way you can easily open a can with a butter knife.
How to Open a Can without a Tab
Many people break the tabs of canned beverages while trying to drink them in sheer excitement. There is no reason to worry if you have broken the tab of your soda drink. Opening a can without a tab requires the same knowledge you learned on how to open a can without a can opener.
There are several ways you can open a can without a tab. It all depends on the situation you are in. You can use a butter knife, a regular knife, a spoon or a can opener to open the soda can. However, if you are outside your house you need to use your eyes and look for sharp or hard-flat surfaces like rocks.
Grind the can on the rock’s flat surface to create friction. This will leak the can allowing the pressure release due to friction.
Tin Can Cutter
Tin can cutters are regular can openers that are available online as well as offline markets. You can find these products in any departmental store. If you are wondering how to open a can without a can opener, tin can cutters can be a solution for you. Tin can openers are unique can opening instruments that are manufactured for this sole purpose. There are many models of a tin can opener, but the recent model outnumbers the previous model’s features.
A can opener is designed with a combination of rotating wheels that when attached to cans, cut them open. You have to attach the opener to your can and use the rotating cutter wheels. This will cut your can along with its diameter. Preservation of foods in a can is a practice that has been going on for centuries. The Netherlands first used cans for preservation and other purposes.
The first tin can opener was lever-type can opener that used rules of physics to open can openers easily. Later, rotating wheels design was invented by William Lyman of Connecticut in 1870. Now there are efficient tin can openers in the market ready for use. They are very easy to use and many of them come with handy instructional guides to help you understand their working mechanism.
There are also electrical tin can openers that are available in markets. These electrical can openers are manufactured for industrial and commercial purposes. You do not need the electric ones if you don’t require opening cans every now and then.
There are many kinds and designs of tin can openers that you would love to browse. There are also many kinds of tin can openers for elderly people and people suffering from arthritis.
