How to Open a Can Without a Can Opener or a Knife

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Are y'all stuck without a can opener? No problem: can lids are made with a thin piece of metal that isn't difficult to break through. You tin can apply a spoon, a chef's knife, a pocket pocketknife or a stone to pause through the lid without contaminating the food inside. After simply a few minutes of effort y'all'll be able to access the tasty contents of your can.

1. 1

   Place the tin can on a stable surface. A table at hip height is ideal. Stand over the tin and then y'all can access it easily.^[i]

2. ii

   Position the tip of the knife confronting the inner edge of the lid. Hold the knife so that is vertical, rather than at an angle. Grip the handle such that your fingers won't be in the mode of the bract if it slips. The back of your paw should be facing up.

   • This method is more than constructive than attempting to saw the lid off using the blade of your knife. That volition ruin your knife and potentially leave metallic shavings in your food.
   • Make sure the pocketknife is completely extended and locked into place, so it won't slip.
   • This method can as well exist washed with a chisel or another sturdy, thin object similar to a pocket pocketknife.

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3. 3

   Lightly smack the back of your hand. Employ your second hand to lightly smack the back of the manus that'south gripping the knife handle. This gentle smacking motion will cause the tip of the pocketknife to puncture the hat of the can.

   • Do not smack too hard. You don't want to lose control of the knife.
   • Smack with your hand open, and connect with your palm. This volition help you lot maintain control.

4. 4

   Scoot the knife over and make a new hole. Position the tip of the knife a few centimeters over and repeat the technique to puncture the can again.

5. five

   Continue until you've punctured holes around the edge of the tin. Circle the entire lid, as you would with a tin opener. The lid should now be loose.

6. half-dozen

   Pry off the lid. Slip the tip of the knife into 1 of the holes. Use information technology to pry the hat off. Gently pull the lid from the tin.

   • If necessary, employ a smaller knife to saw through remaining continued parts of the lid.
   • Cover your mitt with a towel or your sleeve before prying off the lid. This will protect your hand from getting scratched by the lid.

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1. 1

   Place the tin on a stable surface. Use one mitt to hold it firmly in place while you piece of work the spoon with your other paw.^[two]

2. 2

   Position the tip of a spoon against the inner edge of the lid. The lid of the can volition take a small, raised lip that has been crimped to seal the tin closed. You desire to position the spoon in a spot along the inside of this lip.

   • Concur the spoon so that the within of its bowl is facing the lid of the can.
   • You need a metal spoon for this method. Any other material won't work.

3. 3

   Rub the tip of the spoon back and forth. Work it over the same minor area right where the edge of the lid is crimped. The friction from rubbing the spoon back and forth will begin to thin the can lid. Keep going until you accept rubbed through the lid.

4. iv

   Scoot the spoon over and keep rubbing. Rub the spot next to the outset area you rubbed. Keep going until you take rubbed through the lid. The hole you have made in the hat is now slightly bigger.

5. 5

   Go along around the edge of the lid. Keep scooting the spoon over and rubbing through the hat until you have circled the unabridged tin can lid. The lid should now exist loose. Don't tip it upside down, or your food will spill out.

6. 6

   Pry open the lid. Dig the spoon under the edge of the lid. Pry the lid upward until it pops out of place. Advisedly lift information technology away to reveal the food inside.

   • If you find information technology hard to pry off the chapeau with the spoon, try using a knife instead. Yous can utilize the pocketknife to saw through any small-scale parts of the lid that remain continued to the can.
   • The lid will be abrupt, so be careful not to cut your finger on its edge when you lot pry it off. Use your sleeve or a towel to protect yourself if necessary.

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1. 1

   Position the tin can on a stable surface. A table every bit high equally your hips is ideal. Practise not identify the can on your lap or in between your legs. The pocketknife could sideslip and hurt you.

2. two

   Hold the knife where the handle meets the blade. Grip the top of the knife with your palm direct over the joining identify. Your fingers should rest against the side of the handle, safely abroad from the sharp edge of the blade.

   • Brand sure yous have a firm grip. This method tin be dangerous if your manus or the knife is slippery.
   • Do not employ this method with a knife smaller than a chef'south pocketknife. A chef's knife is a large, heavy knife that weighs more a pruning or steak pocketknife. You lot need the relatively heavy weight of the blade to effectively puncture the chapeau of the can.

3. iii

   Position the heel of the knife against the inner border of the lid. The heel of the knife is the place where the blade is widest. It's at the opposite end of the blade from the tip. Place information technology upwardly against the raised lip at the edge of the can's hat.

   • The heel should be centered right under the place where your palm is gripping the pocketknife.
   • Make sure it is firmly positioned against the edge of the lid, so it won't slip.

4. four

   Press the heel of the knife into the tin can. Press downwards firmly then that it punctures the tin can, creating a small hole. If you accept problem puncturing the tin can, try standing up and leaning over information technology. Concord the knife in place with one hand. Place the other mitt on top. Utilise steady pressure with both easily and push button down until the can is punctured.

   • Practise not strike the can to puncture it. The pocketknife may slip and injure you. Instead, apply wearisome, steady pressure until the knife breaks through the can.
   • Don't be tempted to utilize the sharp tip of the pocketknife to puncture the tin can. The heel is more stable and less likely to sideslip. Also, if you use the tip you'll ruin the border on your blade.

5. five

   Scoot the knife over and make a new pigsty. Motion it a few centimeters along the edge of the hat. Utilise the aforementioned technique to create another hole correct adjacent to the offset 1.

6. vi

   Continue until you've punctured holes around the border of the tin. Circle the entire lid, just as yous would with a tin can opener. The lid should now be loose.

7. seven

   Pry open the lid. Insert the tip of the pocketknife into one of the holes. Push button up to pry off the lid. Be careful to point the edge of the blade away from your torso so that information technology won't injure you if it slips. Remove and discard the lid.

   • If necessary, use a smaller knife to saw through remaining connected parts of the lid.
   • Consider covering your hand with a towel or your sleeve before prying off the lid. This will protect your mitt from getting scratched by the sharp lid.

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1. one

   Find a apartment rock or a slice of concrete. Wait for i with a rough surface. A smoothen rock won't create enough friction to puncture the lid of the tin can.^[3]

2. 2

   Position the can upside downward confronting the rock. Positioning it upside down volition allow you to break the seal, which is located on the top of the can.

3. three

   Rub the can back and along over the rock. Use a scrubbing motion to create friction betwixt the rock and the can. Keep going until you lot meet moisture appear on the rock or on the lid of the can.

   • Plow the can over to check it every so often. You want to end as presently as you see wet. This means the hat is sparse enough to suspension through.
   • Don't rub so hard that you rub right through the can lid. Your nutrient will spill all over the rock.

4. 4

   Use a pocket pocketknife to pry open up the lid. The seal should be thin plenty to let you to easily slide the blade into the tin well-nigh the edge of the lid. Push upwards with the knife to gently pry off the lid. Finish pulling off the lid, then discard it.

   • If you don't have a pocket pocketknife, endeavor using a spoon, a butter knife or another tool.
   • Or observe a rock you can use to knock the lid of the tin inward. This isn't ideal, since y'all may contaminate your nutrient with modest bits of rock or dirt.
   • When you pull off the hat, cover your hand with your sleeve or a towel so you won't cut yourself.

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Add New Question

• Question

  Can I open a can with a fork?

  

  This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accurateness and comprehensiveness.

  

  wikiHow Staff Editor

  Staff Reply

  This is a very hard method and information technology will probably destroy your fork, just it can work if you're desperate and have no other options. Position the fork so 1 of the tines is on the inner edge of the lid, and then push button downwards hard to puncture the top of the tin can. With the residue of the tines still on the outer border of the can, work the fork up and down and move it around the edge of the can to slowly tear through the metal of the hat. Once you've opened it up enough, you lot tin use the handle to help pry open up the pinnacle the rest of the way.

• Question

  What's a good way to open up a Spam can without an opener if the band pull breaks off?

  

  This answer was written by ane of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

  

  wikiHow Staff Editor

  Staff Answer

  Try putting a flat-head screwdriver confronting the groove where the can is supposed to open. Tap the handle of the screwdriver with a hammer until the lid begins to split open. You lot tin then pry it open the residue of the manner with the handle of a spoon or fork.

• Question

  Could I use scissors?

  

  You lot can use any bladed object with plenty of a betoken to pierce the can - assuming it is made of a material harder than the can material). The advantage of the physical or rough rock method is that it will not harm the edge of your bract.

• Question

  What if I don't have whatsoever of the items on hand or I have forgotten them?

  

  Come across if you tin find a rock outside and use that.

• Question

  Won't rubbing a spoon on a can crusade tiny metallic shards to fall into the food?

  

  The metal splits cleanly instead of splintering, and then no metal falls into the food.

• Question

  If I accept a pocketknife to pry the can later on using a rock, shouldn't I just use the pocketknife?

  

  Yep.

• Question

  Why would I need a rock if I have a pocket pocketknife?

  

  That's but another technique/style to open it if you don't have a pocket knife handy. There are 4 methods listed. Selection the one that all-time fits your situation.

• Question

  Tin can I open up a can with just my hands?

  

  Information technology is not recommended, because it could be very unsafe.

• Question

  Would anything constitute in nature, say a piece of tree bark, piece of work too?

  

  A stone or piece of concrete would, simply tree bark is not strong enough. Anything that is strong enough to pierce through the tin can lid would work.

• Question

  Are there any other easier ways to open a can?

  

  Your best bet is to merely pack a can opener if you're going camping ground, etc. There is no way to speedily and hands open a can without i.

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• Visit your neighbor and infringe a can opener! Even when camping, many campers are willing to share their can opener with young man campers.

• Survival tin can openers (flat pack) can be purchased from stores that stock military, survival or camping gear. These are far simpler than the usual can openers only are easy to carry effectually and keep in your hiking or backpacking gear.

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Advertizement

• Don't try to saw off the chapeau with a bread pocketknife. You'll end upward with metal shavings in your food.

• Whatever method that doesn't involve a proper can opener risks leaving metal slivers or filings in the nutrient contents of the can. Be very careful to avoid this or to remove whatsoever slivers that you encounter. Working nether good low-cal will help yous to catch any glints of metal shavings.

• Nutrient from cans that are outburst or punctured prior to you trying to open them should never be eaten, as the food volition have spoiled and likely contains bad bacteria.

• None of these methods is ideal and each has some risk of self-injury. These methods are not suitable for children under any circumstances. Apply appropriate precaution and have your time when trying to open up a tin can without a proper opener.

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Things You'll Need

• Spoon
• Chef'south knife
• Pocket knife
• Rock

About This Commodity

Article Summary X

If you need to open a can but you don't have a can opener, you tin can utilise a spoon instead. Hold the spoon'south handle and place the tip of the spoon into the groove on superlative of the can. Press down firmly and move the spoon dorsum and forth along the groove. Once the groove splits, slide the spoon into the opening and movement it up and down to pry the lid off. You tin can likewise open a tin can with a knife. Place the tip of the knife betwixt the edge of the lid and the rim. Then, tap the barrel of the handle with the palm of your hand to bulldoze the tip of the knife through the lid. Pull the pocketknife out and put the tip betwixt the rim and the edge adjacent to your showtime cut. Tap the handle with the palm over your hand once more to make another cut. Echo the process until you've gone all the way around the rim, then pry the lid off with the tip of your knife. When you're opening the can, vesture gloves if you accept them, and watch out for the precipitous edge of the can'southward lid. If you want to larn more about how to use a spoon or other utensil to open your tin, keep reading!

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