Food
Food · Skill 01 of 05

Use a Manual Can Opener

A manual can opener needs no power and never fails you. Most people who own one have never actually used it successfully.

Companion

During an outage, this is the difference between food and a sealed can.

What You'll Need
  • Manual can opener
    Standard
    A rotating wheel-style opener with a comfortable handle.
    Low cost
    A dollar-store butterfly opener — awkward but functional.
    Already have
    A military-style P-38 opener, often already in a camping kit or junk drawer.
  • A can to practise on
    Standard
    Any tinned food you're going to eat today.
    Low cost
    The cheapest tin of beans in the cupboard.
    Already have
    Something already in your pantry — don't buy anything for this.
Safety

Never eat from a can that is bulging, leaking, badly dented on a seam, or that spurts or smells wrong when opened. That's a botulism risk. Throw it out rather than tasting it.

Step By Step
  1. 01Wipe the lid firstDust and grit on top of the can drop straight into the food when the lid opens. Ten seconds with a cloth.
  2. 02Set the opener on the rimThe cutting wheel sits on top of the lid just inside the rim; the flat drive wheel grips underneath the lip. Getting these two the wrong way round is why it never bites.
  3. 03Squeeze the handles closedPress firmly until you feel the wheel puncture the lid. That first bite is the whole trick — after that it's easy.
  4. 04Turn the key slowlyKeep squeezing while you turn. If it slips off, reseat it a little back from where you stopped rather than starting somewhere new.
  5. 05Leave a small tabStop just before the cut goes all the way round. Leave a centimetre attached so the lid lifts like a hinge and doesn't drop into the food.
  6. 06Lift the lid safelyUse the opener's tip or a fork to lift the lid — never your fingers. Cut edges are genuinely sharp. Bend the tab back and bin the lid straight away.

Verified guidance · USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service — Canned Food Safety

Worth Knowing
  • Keep the manual opener in your outage kit, not the drawer. In the dark you need to know exactly where it is.
  • Practise it once now. Learning it by candlelight is a bad plan.