MetaChat - How do you open jars?

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21 February 2016

How do you open jars? →[More:]
1. Are you left-handed, right-handed, or ambidexterous?

2. Do you open jars with your left hand, right hand, or whichever?

post by: aniola at: 17:16 | 18 comments

I am right-handed and open jars with my right hand. My partner is right-handed and opens jars with their left hand.

Is anyone still here? Do you open jars? HOW!? I must know!

posted by aniola 21 February | 17:24

I open jars by first holding the jar with my right hand and whapping the bottom of the jar, hard, with my left hand. Then I grab the jar with my left hand and twist the cap with my right hand; if that doesn't work, I trade hand positions.

I'm right handed.

posted by mightshould 21 February | 18:05

Hold it with my right hand and turn the lid with my left, but if it's a stubborn lid I'll switch hands because my right hand is probably stronger.

posted by amro 21 February | 20:38

Oh and right-handed but supposedly born left-handed and just trained to be a righty. I still hold scissors in my left hand to cut.

posted by amro 21 February | 20:39

Right hand; I run hot water over the lid if it's difficult to open.

posted by brujita 22 February | 00:39

Right handed and right hand. I have one of those grip thingies if it's being difficult.

posted by bluesapphires 22 February | 06:34

I'm primarily right-handed, but there's a lot of stuff I do left.
I open jars by holding them in my right and twisting the lid with my left.
I also bat left, but pitch right.

posted by Thorzdad 22 February | 07:29

I'm left-handed. I hold the jar in my right hand and unscrew the lid with my left. I have no idea if that's the 'correct' way to do it for a left-hander, because I grew up in a time when it was widely believed there was no such thing and I was just being difficult on purpose. I used to be forced to write with my right hand at school and was berated for the indecipherable scrawl that resulted. Sports-wise, I throw/catch left handed, use any sort of one-handed bat-like item left handed, but anything requiring both hands I use right-handed.

posted by dg 22 February | 07:42

I'm right handed. I open jars with my right hand (holding with my left). I have both a grippy thing that I use if it's being stubborn, and a Brix Jarkey which I use if it's particularly difficult. I bought them as stocking stuffers for everyone one year!

posted by needlegrrl 22 February | 08:58

I'm right-handed but open jars with my left hand, holding the jar in my right. This is because, 30 years ago, I had a bad injury to my right hand which affects my grip, so I can't turn the lid properly.

But recently I've found it more difficult to open jars (getting old, huh) so I bought one of these strap wrenches, which I've found to be a great help.

posted by Senyar 22 February | 10:21

I'm right handed. I whack the edge of the top of the jar lid on a hard surface sharply once, then turn it with my right hand.

posted by bearwife 22 February | 12:47

I'm right-handed, but I can't open the damn things at all. After fruitlessly trying with my right hand and a gripper, I get out an old knife and stab the lid, which breaks the seal and makes it all easy.

posted by JanetLand 22 February | 13:43

Sometimes I break the suction with a church key can opener( wedging it between the glass and metal).

posted by brujita 22 February | 15:48

I'm right handed, but open jars with my left. No idea why but looks like I'm not alone. If I can't get it open, I have this old gadget I got from my mom decades ago. I wish I knew what it was called, but I'm going to google.

posted by wens 22 February | 17:21

Jar in left, top gripped in right. Right handed. My mother was right handed but dealt cards with her left hand, holding the deck in her right.

posted by Obscure Reference 23 February | 11:31

I sometimes turn the jar under the stationary lid!

posted by jouke 23 February | 12:55

My mother was right handed but dealt cards with her left hand, holding the deck in her right.

Same here.

posted by Senyar 23 February | 14:58

I switch around. Rubber gloves if I'm having trouble. Also, like brujita, sometimes I break the suction.

posted by tangerine 25 February | 17:15

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