I Put This Viral Jar-Opening Trick to the Test—Here’s How It Stacks Up

Discover how this lid-opening hack works (and if it's worth it).

Whether you’re trying to decant some salsa to scoop up with chips, simmer marinara sauce to toss with pasta, add some olives to a charcuterie board, or otherwise, opening a jar can sometimes feel like you’re taking part in a battle of the wills. You’re not alone if you’ve been there and fought with that—7 in 10 Americans admit that they always or sometimes struggle to open jarred foods, according to a small 2021 survey. It’s not just seniors or those with arthritis, either.

Since this challenge is so ubiquitous, inventors have dreamed up dozens of products to try to come in clutch to help you, well, clutch the lid firmly enough to break the seal. There are under-cabinet gadgets, motorized tools, non-slip leverage boosters, adjustable equipment with grippy “teeth,” and simple padded rubber grippers.

If you’re gadget-free and want that jar open now, there are also countless “solutions” swirling around on social media. We’ve tried several at Allrecipes and can confirm that some of these definitely work better than others. One flop (for us at least): squeezing the lid between both hands. One fast fix that can actually stand up to the task at hand: a bottle opener.

Running the lid under warm water for 30 seconds or so, then gripping it with a dry kitchen towel tends to work quite well, too. As does a rubber band looped around the lid.

When we spotted another unique idea going viral on social media, we couldn’t resist seeing how it stacked up.

How to Open a Jar Lid with a Tennis Ball

Shared by Tommy, a life hack-focused TikTok creator, along with many others, this jar-opening strategy starts with a tennis ball. To transform it into a potential lid-opener, use scissors or a sharp knife to carefully cut the ball in half, tracing along the “laces” of the ball. This leaves you with two U-shaped pieces.

Take one of those tennis ball halves and position it rubber-side down on top of the jar lid, with the edges extending over both sides of the lid, if possible. While squeezing the ball to grip the lid with the tennis ball’s rubber interior, twist the ball counterclockwise (the direction of opening the jar).

Does the Jar-Opening Tennis Ball Method Work?

Those who posted about the hack swear that the combination of grip, flexibility, and ample surface area contact provided by the tennis ball makes it easier to grasp and take control of slick or stuck-on lids. During our test to open a jar of pasta sauce, this did make jar-opening feel considerably easier. It worked quite well to offer additional leverage and grip.

That being said, if you struggle with dexterity—or don’t own a massive set of utility scissors—the tennis ball deconstruction might derail your efforts to try this kitchen hack. It takes a decent amount of wrestling, careful carving, and patience to disassemble the tennis ball, even using a serrated knife (which we turned to after regular scissors didn’t seem quite up for the task). After chiseling the tennis ball into two halves, it’s highly likely that we drastically dulled our knife.

So yes, this jar lid-opening hack does work fairly well, but the choice is yours as to what you want to fight more: the lid or the ball. We’ll likely stick with other tricks to open a jar, and keep those tennis balls for a sports match, a makeshift massage tool, or help fluff up laundry in the dryer.

Read the original article on All Recipes.