Make use of these clever can-opening techniques to preserve your feast.
The easiest (and safest) way to open a can without a can opener is to wear down the corners of the lid until it breaks, but only if you want to create some small memories. Use the instructions below to scrub it with a metal spoon to do. Our second-best recommendation is to use the heel (not the tip!) of a chef’s knife edge if that doesn’t work or you need to open a can a bit faster.
However, what if you are cooking over an open fire and you are genuine without any equipment? Perhaps you forgot everything but the most basic and unstable cooking utensils. The flat surface of a stone can be useful in that circumstance. Continue reading for details on each of the three tactics!
Any can’s edges are sharp even in ideal circumstances, so use caution. When using unusual methods like these, take extra precautions to avoid metal splinters, keep an eye out for wounds, and be cautious!
The best tactic is to use a spoon.
Try this tactic on the off-chance that you capture some tiny memories (and a spoon). Get the appropriate grip first, then: Grab the bowl of a sturdy spoon (not the handle, for example) firmly in the middle of your hand so that your four fingers can grasp it. Your pointer’s tip should be close to the place where the handle and bowl meet. Your finger should be positioned inside the bowl’s curve so that your grasp is balanced and you can more easily manage the instrument. Under your pinky, the spoon’s point should be slightly protruding. Rub the spoon’s tip vigorously in a circular motion along the can’s pleated edge, which is where the can opener would typically pierce. Rub continuously until the metal disappears. It will eventually make an opening after a few seconds. Insert the spoon into the gap and slowly pry its edge up and around the can’s edge to cut the top. Work your way inside the aperture along the can’s edge until you’ve cut a large enough slit to pry the lid open.
If you don’t have a spoon, you may still use this method using a screwdriver or another similarly edged metal object.
Technique replacement: Gourmet Expert’s Blade
If you want to get inside the can a little bit faster and are usually confident in your knife skills, you may try using the impact point of a cook’s blade, which is the part of the cutting edge closest to the handle, to open the can like an old-fashioned can opener. Using the point, which can slide (or equal shatter), injure you and destroy your blade, is less secure than doing this. Despite this, you’ll need to locate a blade without a support for the heel (the reinforce is the thick part that sits before the handle of certain blades).
Start by firmly holding the handle while positioning the heel—the back corner of the edge—along the can’s edge. Push the side of the heel that is falling, being careful to keep your fingers away from the sharp edge, and rupture the cover by diving in at a point, much like an old-fashioned switch-style can opener. Repeat this interaction along the can’s edge until you’ve worn down the lid to the point where you can pry the can open.
