@@j.m.feather470 you can do that either way, lol. And if you open the can the "proper" way, you can actually take the lid off WITH the can opener, without removing the can opener from the lid. It just stays attached until you open the can opener again.
@GoTi4No yea..? Lol, duh? I just said that LOL!! 😂😂 I grew up opening cans that way before those can openers were made anyway, lol, they just make it better.
I've made Boston baked beans, cakes, pizzas, roasts, pots of stew, pies, turkeys, and lots of chicken dishes. Then I made this video in under 2 minutes and it's had nearly 80,000 views in one month. Thanks, RU-vid.
Dear Cast Chaos: You deserve your views -- if you are forthcoming. I am coming to a halt of serenity when my can openers, held vertically, fail to perform, providing me with perturbation rather than peas and potatoes!
You get a sharp edge no matter which way you open a can. However with the proper horizontal method you don't have to directly handle a sharp edged top because it keeps the lip intact. Not to mention the mechanism is desgned in a way that it still holds onto the removed top until you release it so you never have to handle the removed top with your hands directly. The top of the remaining can being sharp isn't a problem because no one grabs an open can from the top. It's literally why the rest (that metal tab) is flat instead of convex. It's designed to sit on the top of the can while opening it horizontally. And liquid spillage happens regardless of which direction you open it from. However when done the proper way (horizontally) you don't have to worry about the opened top falling into the can's contents like happens so often when you open it vertically. And as far as worries about cuts in either way, the horizontal method again is still better because again no one is going to be grabbing an open can from the opened top, where with the vertical method it's literally a top that is 100% sharp edges that you have to manually handle. You're infinitely more likely to cut yourself after opening a can with the vertical method vs the horizontal method due to just the way an opened can and it's dethatched top would be handled.
Thanks for tip. Since I hate digging the sharp lid out of the can when it usually falls in, I think this is a good alternative. Anything I use from a can gets dumped into a bowl or pot, quickly rinsed and thrown in the recycle bin, so not too concerned about sharpness. As for paper, tear off before opening.
Why do you cut it to the end? leave a little piece (1cm) uncut and you will have lid that is partially attached and does not fall in. And you can almost close it if you put half of it to the fridge so that nothing will fall into it.
I don't want to. There is never anything that comes in a can I want to save and if there was I'd transfer it to something more secure or airtight like a Tupperware, and even with that 1 cm left, which sometimes happens when the can opener messes up or catches, you still have to fiddle with the sharp lid.
You could do a quick search on the internet of the history of this style can opener and the patent filed for it. It clearly shows it was designed to cut into the top of the lid.
I have been opening cans in this way for at least 30 years. Depending on the contents, I always open cans in, (or next to), the kitchen sink. It is relatively easy to extract the tiny paper shavings. I live alone, and therefore, the presence of children is not a concern. Also, to my mind, either the can edge or the lid will be very sharp and require careful handling, regardless of which can-opening method is used. It is impossible to avoid creating a sharp edge, but I find that I prefer the sharp edge to be on the can, rather than on the lid, which could possibly be protruding from the top at a rather dangerously prominent angle. However, the can opener *DOES* need to have been designed to operate in this manner. At the time I started doing this, (in the late 1980s), such can openers were very new on the Australian market. (Australia is the country of my birth, the country where I currently reside, and the country where I'll probably die). One final point: Most cans in Australia now come with ring-pull lids, which are great for most things, with the exception of thick or highly viscous liquids, such as concentrated soups or sauces, in which case, I usually open them with the "sideways" method as shown in the video, as this makes it much easier to extract *EVERY LAST LITTLE BIT* of the tasty soup or sauce! Anyway, that's *MY* 2¢ worth! **
Thank you Christopher for expanding on this very sensible idea. Maybe we here in America should start learning from other countries rather than trying to dominate them. :)
This is the best way to use your can opener. If when using it the normal way it begins to fail and you think you need a new can opener, flip it this way and it will continue to work!
Thanks, I seen this before and I forgot how it was done. I was trying to open a can, just brought this can opener and I knew it was the way I was working it, I just needed a refresher course!
My can opener is meant to open the side, but it slices higher up, where the lid and can were initially sealed/glued together. Both the can and the lid are dull, and the lid will fit back on the can tightly if you want to store leftovers in the fridge. If anyone wants to open cans like this, I highly suggest they buy this type of can opener instead... Thanks for the warning!
I like the “wrong” way as you can drain the beans while opening it. And you can control how much of the lid should attach to it so you can rinse the beans using the tin.
I think it all depends on the can and/or what the can is made of. I've seen some cans where the lip is too high to open it from the sides. I've also seen some cans that when opened, left a nice clean smooth edge with no protruding shavings.
Either way you open the can is going to have something sharp, this method is less likely to require you to touch the edge that is sharp and prevents you from having to dig out the top of the can when you do it the other way. This method also doesn't leave a lip for anything to get stuck on. You do you though I'm curious what the patent for this type of can opener says cause the patent for toilet paper says the over method is correct.
Actually, this is the proper way to use those types of can openers. You'll get a sharp edge either way, on the lid or on the can, BUT, removing the lid by cutting the side of the can this way helps avoid the lid falling into the food as you cut when cutting the lid from the top. Nasty bacteria can accumulate on cans lids, so you should wipe can lids with soapy water before cutting either way.
In one case, the sharp edge can be hidden by tucking the lid back into the can when not in use or before throwing away. You're only exposed to a sharp edge the very moment you're pulling the lid back. Doing it the sideways way, it's a permanently exposed sharp edge. There is REASON why the very top of cans are recessed about a centimeter below the rim. It would make no sense to do that if you're supposed to just chop the whole damn thing off.
Either way you have a sharp edges. On the lid the old way or on the can. I tried and it's easier to turn and less wear on the can opener wheels. Sides of the can are thinner. Making it easy to cut. Peel off the wrapper or roll it down from the cutting areas.
The old and correct way, the sharp edge is only exposed when the lid is pulled back. It can then be tucked back in to result in no exposed sharp edge. The sideways and stupid way gives you a permanently exposed sharp edge.
I got rid of my can opener that is MEANT to open cans on the side because suddenly some cans are thinner and it was occasionally causing metal shavings that would drop (like those paper bits) into the contents. I would never do this with my Swingline.
All I do is remove the top part of the label first (takes like 4 seconds), keeps paper out of the food, then I do it the way you're showing in your clip (supposedly the wrong way). A tiny drop of water on the counter is nothing compared to the other messes we generate while preparing food. I spray some all purpose cleaner on the counter after dinner and wipe it clean. But the other way to open a can is OK, too. I've done it both ways.
How to open the can depends on if you are eating from the can or are emptying it in to a saucepan/other jar or not. If you use your left hand hand and place the opener flat on the can "12 o'clock", with the handle pointing "9 o'clock and turn the knob with your right hand, that technique of opening will cut off the lid completely and leave sharp edges on the can. You can not eat from the can that way. You risk to cut your hand holding a spoon or your mouth. That technique is suitable for emptying the can in a saucepan/other jar only. If you want to eat from the can, you hold the can opener with your right hand and place the opener 3 o'clock and lock it down. Shift to hold the can opener with your left hand and turn the knob with your right hand. This technique cut off the inner lid and does not leave any sharp edges and is suitable for spoon and mouth.
I have a long, thin bladed knife that I use to zip the labels off. Either way gets paper into the contents. And you should for recycling purposes anyway. The labels go in the paper bin.
I have one of those can openers that's designed to be used to that way it's fine it doesn't really work that well and often times with a lot of glue in the can when you do get it open.
you mean the edge you arent going to touch is very sharp? but your happy to fish out the centre of the can with your fingers... cause that doesn't have sharp edges at all. lol
This is how I was taught how to open the cans I didn't know this was the wrong way slash right away I guess whatever works for whoever but this is the way I always did it
The manufacturer images on Amazon show the traditional way of using can openers. I only use the side/flat way of opening cans when the vertical way fails and keeps slipping on it's trip around the lid.
This is the proper way and safer then fishing a sharp lid out the can since the lid has no sharp edge and the can opener holds onto the lid when done and you can place the lid back on to store what you don't need the fact ppl still don't know this is how to properly use a can opener astounds me every time
The video I saw showed her making certain the edge was digging into the rolled bit of metal itself instead of beneath it, so that's probably a bit safer, gonna have to try it myself.
Both versions have cons and pros. If you use the "normal" way from sideways, the lid will be sharp and should be lifted with a tool like a spoon or whatever, but the can itself won't be sharp and is safe to touch and use/reuse. If you're gonna eat straight from the can or want to use the lid as a sharp throwing weapon (lol), that's the way to go. The alternative, less intuitive way opening the can from the top, you get a lid that's safe to touch but the can will be sharp. If you're gonna throw the can away asap anyway, this can be better because you can lift the lid with fingers safely. So, it depends on personal preference and/or intended usage. My preferred way is opening from the side for... tactical reasons. 🌀😏 I mean if ur camping or homeless, and another dude wants to steal your food, just throw something sharp at them! Or if you got a hungry spouse... 🌝
I don't know how I've managed to live this long without knowing that. Of course, if I had been opening it the other way, I would probably died years ago because it's so dangerous.
I tried this with my can opener and it didn't work. It bit into the can but it couldn't lock in to spin. I guess your's probably had a tighter grip. I came to look at some videos to see if I was doing it wrong but it looks like it's just my can opener.
Think! How does an electric can operate? Perpendicular to flat lid. I have the same manual can opener and the only difference is that metal tab you see in this video, has a magnet attached to it. When the lid is completely cut the magnet (which rides along the lid surface) holds onto the lid from dropping inside the can.
ive always opened cans from the top, i don't get those sharp edges or ever get any thing into the can. if you do get sharp edges the can gets opened, emptied and thrown out so why do i care about the sharp edge?
Dropping a dirty lid into my cans is disgusting. Manual can openers break after long term use doing it the improper way. I usually tear the paper from the top of the can and drop the lid into the can and immediately placed in the recycle bin.
This is the right way to open a can manully. If you open the can from the side chances are your top will fall into the can!!! and trying to get it out you might cut yourself. Or even be left with a part of your finger left in the can. So ya i think i will continue to open the can from the top. The top of the can will never fall into the can 100% of the time. Plus 100% of the time you wont end up with paper nore dirt inside. This video shows barely any debree inside of the can. The guy clearly did this twice. As his first time. So dont expect him to be a pro at this. Clearly he should do a video showing how hes been doing it for years the side way. Would love him to show us how its safe. Lol the can lid will fall into the can every time...plus if your can aint recyclable it goes into the garbage opening the can from the side method often leads to dead birds with no head. Because most people who cut from side method dont think of mother natures wild life. And think just about themselfs!!! as in cutting open from the side way will let your can top fall into the can unless you dont open all the way which can lead to a person pressing in the top instead of removing top completely which can trap a finger or when top falls in also can trap a birds or segal or pigeon head in the can. So ya if the edges are sharp from top method id rather that and and up cutting myself a little if the can has not been rinsed well then loosing my whole finger or hurting mother nature wild life! If you use top method you just have to rinse properly the can without using hands patiently and you will be fine. This video does show the right way.there is no risk you guys try it and see for yourselfs whats safer. Im sure. Most people will open it from top method after you get the hang of it.. Unless you like hurting wildlife and leaving the can partly on. Or watching the can lid fall into the can everytime time you finish your turn around the side and struggling with getting it out.😜 this top method was teached to me in school by green peace wild life experts that came to my school in the early 90s they all use over the top method!!! Its the right way and the safest way.
just be aware this is not a good way to use it because unless the can has solid food the liquid instantly comes out all down the can when the entire top is cut off.
Dude ,that is the right way to open a can, and you don't need to fish the sharp lid outa the gunk. most people have no idea that is the way it was designed.
At 43. . .this is the first time I’ve learned how to use a hand can opener. Me and my can of chilli thankyou from the bottom of our hearts. Ooooo the possibilities for dinner tonight, muwahahahahah
My boyfriend bought that kind of can opener and we both couldn't figure out how to open cans. I grew up with electrical and a different hand handle opener. This took use almost a month to figure it out, I was omg RU-vid should explain lol. Open finally open a can this way, yay!!!!
I tried the "correct" way on my dog food can and now the plastic lid does not close the can tight. So, thank you but NO thank you. Plus the edge is really sharp.
THANK YOU! IM A 14 YEAR OLD WHO HAS BEEN LEFT HOME WHILE MY PARENTS WORK AND THEY SAID THAT I HAVE TO MAKE DINNER FOR MY SELF SO IVE SPENT THE PAST 10 MINUTES TRYING TO OPEN A CAN OF TOMATO SAUCE SO THAT I CAN MAKE MYSELF SOME PASTA!!!!!!!
Thank you so much! Now I finally understand how to use these damn things. You'd think they'd come with instructions wouldn't you? But no, nothing, so thank God for RU-vid & you! :)
Thank you for this! I'll try it. I'm sick of always fighting with my can opener. BTW, THE Best can opener I EVER had was a tiny military one given to me by a Viet nam veteran. I think it was called a P-38.
Revisiting this thread, since I got notified of Tom Slak's comment...ever since i have been using this new method to open my cans ever since i saw this video, I'm never going back the old way again. There are absolutely no sharp edges to get cut on...the lids have a dull and smooth edge every single time. Plus, it just whizzes right around the can without getting jammed like the other way does on occasion....I have arthritis, so this new way is ergonomically better for me. I'm a believer! LOL
If the vertical way is wrong then explain how every electric can opener since there have been electric can openers, open the can just like the vertical way?
I think extracting the paper is easy. What many don't realize is when you cut into the metal like that you can get metal shavings in it. Which is most certainly worse.
You're always cutting into the metal. Either down from the top or in from the side. It's not like going down from the top you're magically removing any metal.
I prefer this method than the traditional method as often with the trad method metal shavings can fall into the product not. I rather pick out paper than metal any day of the week.
People couldnt manage to learn it then all canneries are replacing their can caps I think lol :D. I like my safety can opener as it opens cans properly, elegantly. Can openers are good devices use them properly. :D
