Lucy Marinelli, Author at Taste Recipes

6 Brilliant Ways to Open Stubborn Jars

Lucy Marinelli — Sat, 02 Oct 2021 11:00:00 +0000

Ever find yourself craving pickles, but when you reach for your favorite jar of dills you can’t pry it open, no matter how hard you grip? Or maybe you’re struggling to open a jar of marinara sauce for pasta night. Well, when brute force has failed you, give these ideas for how to open a jar a try.

How to Open a Stuck Jar

Don’t hassle with that pesky jar any longer. We’ve got six fool-proof methods for opening a stubborn jar.

1. Add some grip

Often, all that is needed is to improve your grip on the jar lid. A loose grip could be caused by the lid being damp, or perhaps it’s simply shiny and slippery.

You can use items like a dry dish towel, plastic wrap or a piece of silicone (often found in kitchens as a heat-resistant mat or shelf liner). Place the grip-assisting item over the lid of the jar and twist as you usually do to turn a slippery lid into an open one. You can also improve your grip by donning rubber gloves or placing a thick rubber band around the lid. This rubber band trick also helps open beer bottles without a bottle opener!

2. Tap the lid

Take a wooden spoon or a butter knife with the handle facing the lid. Give the lid of the jar a couple of firm taps. This can have the effect of disrupting the seal. After tapping, try to open the jar again. You may need to repeat the tapping a few times to get that lid to budge.

3. Break the seal

Go a step further and carefully use the tip of a butter knife, a bottle opener or even a flat-head screwdriver as a prying device. You can also use a screwdriver to open a wine bottle without a corkscrew.

Insert the tip of the chosen object under the rim of the jar lid and lever it out. (Keep it pointing away from your face while you work.) Move around the rim, inserting the tip and applying leverage until you hear a small pop. The popping sound is the seal breaking. Once this has happened, you should be able to open that tight jar with ease.

4. Try the water hammer

Another way to break the seal when you’re trying to open a stuck jar is to use a method that’s sometimes called “the water hammer.” Start by holding the jar in your non-dominant hand and tilt it 45 degrees with the lid facing down. With the center of your palm, slap the base of the jar firmly but not too hard. The effect of the water hammer is to raise the pressure near the lid to break the seal. You should hear a small pop indicating the seal has broken and the jar can open.

5. Add some heat

Applying heat to the lid will expand it slightly, releasing it from its tight grip. Heating methods include running the lid under hot water or putting the jar, lid first, into a bowl of hot water for 30 seconds. You can also use a hairdryer. (Here are some other handy hints for removing tough stuff!) Opening the hot lid after applying heat is best done with a potholder or dry dishtowel.

6. Reach for a jar-opening gadget

If you regularly have trouble opening jar lids, stubborn or otherwise, or if you simply love kitchen gadgets, this method is for you.

Major retailers sell many jar-opening devices that apply the necessary grip for you and make opening that tight jar a breeze. And yes, electric jar openers are a thing (perfect for the cook who has everything!).

Check Out Our Favorite Jar-Opening Gadgets

Under-Cabinet Jar Opener

Silicone Jar Opener

Electric Jar Opener

Handheld Jar Opener

Once that jar is open and the contents are gone, remember you can use them to organize your kitchen or for one of these Mason jar gift ideas. Otherwise, come up with your own clever way to reuse glass jars!

If you’re wondering how to can your own food before you test those lid-levering skills, you’ll need a lesson in canning 101.

The post 6 Brilliant Ways to Open Stubborn Jars appeared first on Taste Recipes.

12 Fascinating New Year’s Eve Traditions from Around The World

Lucy Marinelli — Wed, 07 Nov 2018 21:50:09 +0000

In the U.S., we usher out the last day of the year with cocktails, ball drops and fireworks. Elsewhere, other types of symbolism play a big role in this final holiday of the season. Find out how you can get in on these traditions too.

Japan

Just before midnight on New Year’s Eve, the Japanese eat soba noodles. The Toshikoshi soba, which translates to a “year-crossing” buckwheat noodle dish, has lots of symbolism. The long noodle denotes the crossing from one year to the next. Since it’s an easily cut noodle, it signifies a letting go of the past year’s regrets—a cutting-off, if you will, before the fresh start the new year brings.

Soba noodles are the main ingredient in this light and savory soba noodles with ginger-sesame dressing recipe.

Spain

In Spain, with 12 seconds remaining until the New Year, people eat 12 green grapes to bring good luck in the coming year. It’s thought to be bad luck if you can’t eat them all by the final midnight chime. But gobble them down in time and 12 months of good fortune will come your way.

You can give this tradition a try with any one of these gorgeous grape recipes.

France

The French usually ring in the New Year with a huge feast, commonly know as le réveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre. The meal is full of traditional, decadent eats, including foie gras, oysters, lobster and escargot. And, just like in the U.S., champagne is the drink of choice.

Plan your feast with one of our favorite French-inspired recipes.

Italy

Italians love lentils for their coin-like shape, symbolizing luck and prosperity. A New Year’s Eve dinner usually features this legume to bring on luck in the coming year. Pork is often added to lentil dishes in the form of cotechino, a spicy sausage, or zampone, a deboned pig trotter, to represent the plenitude of the land.

May this Italian-style lentil soup bring you good taste and good fortune in the New Year.

Colombia

On the last night of the year, Colombians place three potatoes—one peeled, one unpeeled, and one half peeled—under their beds. At midnight, they pull out the first potato they touch. Peeled means they’ll have financial problems, unpeeled indicates abundance, and half peeled…well, somewhere in between.

Instead of potentially cursing yourself for the year ahead, we recommend enjoying these simple au gratin potatoes instead.

Australia

Australians celebrate the New Year with midnight fireworks in cities and towns throughout the country. Firework displays are launched off bridges, such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, from jetties along the beaches, and on river banks, with the lights of the fireworks sparkling off the water. In a typical year, people pack picnic baskets and arrive hours early to get the best viewing spots.

The Philippines

Filipino culture celebrates the New Year by serving 12 round fruits. The round shape symbolizes coins, which represent prosperity and wealth for each month of the upcoming year. Apples, melons, oranges and grapes are popular picks, but any round fruit will do.

Denmark

After a traditional New Year’s Eve meal of boiled cod with mustard, the Danes eat a tower of marzipan doughnuts called kransekage, meaning “wreath cake.” It was once called overflødighedshorn (cornucopia), because the whole doughnut tower was tipped on its side, with chocolate and treats spilling out. This traditional cake is also served at weddings and birthdays.

Canada

In rural areas of Canada, New Year’s Eve is a time to spend ice fishing with friends. Celebrations on the frozen ponds and rivers tend to last all night as buddies fish in the open or in fishing shacks and perhaps catch a fish or two to help celebrate the coming year.

How fun would it be to catch your fish and host a fish fry on New Year’s Day?

Ireland

The Irish have a tradition of banging bread against the walls of their houses on New Year’s Eve. The idea is that bad luck and evil spirits are chased away and good luck is invited in. It also ensures that the coming year will be filled with an abundance of bread and other food.

We suggest banging this crusty homemade bread against the wall—but not so hard that you can’t eat it afterward!

Brazil

In Brazil, particular foods are eaten to invite good luck for the coming year. Seven is the lucky number on New Year’s Eve, so seven pomegranate seeds are eaten to keep the purse full, and seven grapes ensure abundance in all areas of life. Some Brazilians also jump over seven waves in the ocean and make seven wishes for the new year as they leap.

We recommend that you toss those seven pomegranate seeds into this cranberry pomegranate margarita and then toast the year ahead.

Greece

The Greeks ring in the new year by eating vasilopita, a sweet yeast bread. Eaten at midnight, the bread is made in honor of Greece’s revered St. Basil. Before serving the family, beginning with the oldest member, households set a slice of bread aside for the saint and another portion for those in need. A coin is baked into the bread and the person whose slice contains the coin is in for a year filled with good fortune. It’s similar to the tradition of eating cabbage on New Year’s and cooking a dime into the dish.

You can give this tradition a shot with any one of these warm and wonderful homemade breads.

The post 12 Fascinating New Year’s Eve Traditions from Around The World appeared first on Taste Recipes.

Our Best Sugar Cookie Recipes

Lucy Marinelli — Fri, 28 Sep 2018 12:28:23 +0000

Amish Sugar Cookies

These easy-to-make, old-fashioned Amish sugar cookies simply melt in your mouth! I’ve passed this recipe around to many friends. After I gave it to my sister, she entered the cookies in a local fair and won best of show. —Sylvia Ford, Kennett, Missouri

Before moving ahead, take a quick look at this cookie salad recipe perfect as a sweet side.