The "I'm Such a Fecking Div" Thread

[Mrs Pingu]

Hmm. It appears I may have Freegled the stick blender in the great house move purge. Which would not have been that big an issue had I not discovered this after I started making soup in a cast iron pan.

[Ham]

Hmm. It appears I may have Freegled the stick blended in the great house move purge. Which would not have been that big an issue had I not discovered this after I started making CHUNKY WHOLESOME soup in a cast iron pan.

What's the problem?

[Mrs Pingu]

Whole Brussels sprouts are the problem

[rafletcher]

Potato masher ftw.

[andrewc]

Earlier today a lot of stuff on my window ledge got a bit moist due to a leak.     This included several rechargeable AA batteries.    Looking for somewhere to dry them off I dumped them into my favourite Le Creuset frying pan & left them. 


I'm just heating something up to eat before going out.....  what's that funny smell, and the hissing noise.... oh crap,  I turned the wrong ring on !    To compound my divvery, I pulled the pan off the hob & put it down on the worktop, scorching the laminate.. 

[Kim]

That's not how the Explosion Containment Pie Dish™ is supposed to work.

[Pingu]

Earlier today a lot of stuff on my window ledge got a bit moist due to a leak.     This included several rechargeable AA batteries.    Looking for somewhere to dry them off I dumped them into my favourite Le Creuset frying pan & left them. 


I'm just heating something up to eat before going out.....  what's that funny smell, and the hissing noise.... oh crap,  I turned the wrong ring on !    To compound my divvery, I pulled the pan off the hob & put it down on the worktop, scorching the laminate.. 

An excellent effort 

[ian]

Whole Brussels sprouts are the problem

Get the garden strimmer in there.

[Beardy]

That's not how the Explosion Containment Pie Dish™ is supposed to work.

He’s not used that much of last. I think I might have to email him to up his game!!!!

[Kim]

That's not how the Explosion Containment Pie Dish™ is supposed to work.

He’s not used that much of last. I think I might have to email him to up his game!!!!

To be fair, he did get an actual fire extinguisher out after destruction-testing an appropriately Chinesium^[1] mains lead the other day.



_{[1] Copper-coated steel!}

[T42]

Today I wrestled a jar of Old El Paso guacamole for 5 minutes, using the strap wrench Kim suggested a few years ago, before it finally ceded with a gratifying pop. (Taste and texture were vile; no more than deserved for not making it myself, but that's beside the point.)

As I'm pushing my knuckles back into the right places MrsT says "here, have another go" and passes me a jar of OEP salsa roja (which tastes OK because we don't know any better).  I get the lid lassoed with the strap wrench, dampen my left hand to give it a grip, and wrench away. Jar rotates in age-enfeebled grip.  I set it on its side on the chopping-board, grip again and lean on it into the bargain.

Wrench.

Pop.

Rattle.

Ever had to scrape up half a jar of salsa roja from your chopping-board?

[MattH]

Perhaps two strap wrenches would help? One for the bottle, one for the lid.

[The Family Cyclist]

Kids had a sleepover in front room so instead of my usual getting back from dog walk and letting hound in front door I kept him on lead and took through to kitchen so he didnt disturb kids, made a brew and got on with chores and some work. About an hour later my brother appears in my kitchen. I'd completely forgotten to shut the front door

[Mrs Pingu]

Perhaps two strap wrenches would help? One for the bottle, one for the lid.

I was going to say that, or a rubber band/piece of old inner tube.
I have also had success with the sharp tap on the lid (I think I did it upside down) to break the vacuum before now.

[Mrs Pingu]

Speaking of jar opening devices, I used mine last week to finally loosen the telescopic mop handle that I'd got stuck in one position.

[ian]

I just wedge a flat screwdriver between lid and jar and give it a little twist till the pressure equalizes and the lid comes off easily. Job done. Never failed.

[nicknack]

I just wedge a flat screwdriver between lid and jar and give it a little twist till the pressure equalizes and the lid comes off easily. Job done. Never failed.

I have a small plastic device called JarKey that my Australian friend sent me. It does the same thing.

[PhilO]

I just wedge a flat screwdriver between lid and jar and give it a little twist till the pressure equalizes and the lid comes off easily. Job done. Never failed.

I have a small plastic device called JarKey that my Australian friend sent me. It does the same thing.

If you don't plan on re-using the jar, anything that pierces the lid will do. My habit is to tap the lid with the rear (ie handle-) end of my Nakiri. Getting stabby with a pointy knife would also work but obviously requires a bit more care.

[L CC]

I just wedge a flat screwdriver between lid and jar and give it a little twist till the pressure equalizes and the lid comes off easily. Job done. Never failed.

I have a small plastic device called JarKey that my Australian friend sent me. It does the same thing.

If you don't plan on re-using the jar, anything that pierces the lid will do. My habit is to tap the lid with the rear (ie handle-) end of my Nakiri. Getting stabby with a pointy knife would also work but obviously requires a bit more care.

I wedge an ordinary (eating) knife under the rim. Occasionally a teaspoon will do.

[rafletcher]

With stubborn lids I invert the far and give the base a sharp smack - probably dislodges the seal enough to equalise. And occasionally pour boiling water on the lid to force an expansion.

[Cudzoziemiec]

I just wedge a flat screwdriver between lid and jar and give it a little twist till the pressure equalizes and the lid comes off easily. Job done. Never failed.

I have a small plastic device called JarKey that my Australian friend sent me. It does the same thing.

If you don't plan on re-using the jar, anything that pierces the lid will do. My habit is to tap the lid with the rear (ie handle-) end of my Nakiri. Getting stabby with a pointy knife would also work but obviously requires a bit more care.

I wedge an ordinary (eating) knife under the rim. Occasionally a teaspoon will do.

The LCC way works. At least with a knife, never tried a teaspoon.

[CarlF]

We've got the metal version of the Jarkey (search results on Google seem to all be plastic but I imagine they work just the same). Not only is it totally effective, far easier than any of the other devices I've come across (strap wrench, sheet of thin textured rubber, things with teeth that grab the lid as you twist, etc.), and doesn't damage the lid or the jar, it can be used one handed with the jar sitting on the worktop.

Which could be useful if one of your hands is bandaged up due to prior jar-related divvery

[Kim]

As barakta has about 1/3 of normal grip strength in her good hand, this comes up a lot in our house.  We have an assortment of gadgets, but the one that we tend to reach for first is a set of those rubbery builder gloves designed for lugging paving slabs and similar around.  The improvement in grip on a typical jar lid is astonishing.

After doing some sink trap related plumbing work for a friend with similar issues, I left a manky pair of them behind, with the suggestion that once washed they might be useful for grippy tasks.  Their occupational therapist was really impressed, but needed a bit of explaining that they were more likely to be found at a builders' merchant than an adaptive gadget supplier.

[MattH]

Is this a business opportunity to buy a load in, repackage with a catchy name and sell as an adaptive aid at 5x cost price?

[rafletcher]

This is real issue in our household. My wife, at 79, has very little general strength, never mind grip. So she can't, for instance, open a bottle of water - if she buys one when out she has to ask the shop to open it for her. And although we have an aid - looks a bit like a bottle opener but has a ring lined with soft rubber to grip the cap - she can't press down firmly enough to get it to grip before turning. Sometimes even the milk bottle caps are screwed on too tightly for her.

We do have some of the "builders" gloves - I use the Showa ones for gardening - so I might see if that helps her.