This week is the backward edition of Works For Me Wednesday. The idea is to ask for advice instead of giving it. So, I am asking for your help, readers.
We have serious can opener issues at our house. I’m not kidding. We can’t seem to keep one for longer than a year without experiencing technical difficulties.
We have tried the old fashioned crank kind, but the gears always seem to get stripped after a while so they will no longer turn. We have tried the electric can openers, but something always seems to go haywire with them before very long, too.
I was so embarrassed recently when a sweet lady from church gave me a gift for our new baby. Inside the bag, along with the embroidered baby blanket she had made was a hand held CAN OPENER! That’s right! She had been to our house and noticed our can opener deficiency, and decided to purchase one for us.
Can you guess what happened the first time I tried to open a can with it? It came apart in my hand! Either we have some kind of curse on us involving the use of can openers, or there is a serious shortage of quality can opening manufacturing going on.
Am I the only one who thinks that a kitchen appliance ought to last for longer than a year? You would think that some company would make a can opener that could handle the stringent requirements for opening more than, oh, I don’t know…. ONE CAN!
If anyone out there has a suggestion for a can opener we can count on, please, chime in and let me know!
Then, go to Rocks In My Dryer to give some of your best advice.
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I have this one…
http://order.tupperware.com/coe/app/tup_show_item.show_item_detail
I have had it for several years with no problems.
BTW… I don’t sell Tupperware, I just like the can opener.
I had a Pampered Chef one for years that finally bit the dust. I was tired of hand cranking the thing anyway.
Hubs bought me the One Touch can opener for Christmas. Once I figured out how it worked — I love it! They have a website- just google it.
I don’t have to fight with the crank anymore or have something else sitting on my counter!
This
OXO Can Opener is the best one that I have found.
Good luck!
I was going to tell you the exact same thing Christy told you…..go for the OXO can opener. Love it!
~Amy
I second the OXO! I just got one for Christmas, and I tell you, it was better than any jewelry or clothing. My old one was impossible to crank. And the OXO brand makes a smooth cut, too.
I’ve had the OXO for almost 10 years (I got it as a bridal shower gift) and it still works great.
I laughed at your post, because I’d never thought about a can opened being a problem! That is too funny. Good luck!
Oh, sweetie! We had this problem, too! My husband got me a $20 can opener for xmas one year in the hopes that it would be better than our last 3, but nope. Finally, I got some no-brand can opener at the grocery store for $8, and it has been going strong for over a year. Sorry I don’t have a brand for you, but my point is, don’t shell out the big bucks!
My preference is the handheld because I can put it away and not have to look at it. I like the new pampered chef one that opens the side of the can. I have never tried the OXO one that seems pretty popular. Good luck. Elizabeth
OXO!
Pampered Chef! I love that it takes the lids off w/no sharp edges.
I have the Pampered Chef one and LOVE it, especially since it leaves no sharp edges. I’ve never tried an OXO, but I have several other OXO utensils that are absolutely wonderful, so you’d probably be good with that too.
Laura
I’ve got the OXO smooth edge cutter and love it. I’ve heard the Pampered Chef one is great too. Most of their products are!
Our Swing-A-Way can opener is going strong after 13 years!
I have Pampered Chef one that I love! It’s not hard to work and it is sturdy.
We like the Pampered Chef one too!
i have a pampered chef on that i love and a red kitchen aide (sp)one that i have had for at least three years.
my mother only about two years ago? replaced the one she got FOR A WEDDING GIFT!!!
i could not believe it!
i had no idea that the one i grew up using was a wedding gift for my parents. crazy!
I bought one for under $10 from WM & it’s working just fine.
I don’t have any advice for you re: can openers… but I wanted to tell you that your family is beautiful!
We have a Black and Decker space maker can opener; it attaches under the cabinet. We’ve used it for 10 years with no trouble. The blade pops up to run through the dishwasher if needed. It works great.
We have a Pampered Chef can opener. And frankly, I’m getting irritated with it. It worked just fine for the first five years. But now, something’s amiss. It skips. I have to go around the can two or three times. Of course, four years isn’t bad I guess. Not like having one as long as jenn’s parents though. We do have a swing-a-way can opener in our 72-hour kits that we’ve had since we were married and used up until about four years ago. We used it to open cans of tuna after getting our Pampered Chef one– because then you can squeeze the lid down in to drain it. Now we rough it.
The nice thing about a smooth-edge can opener like Pampered Chef or OXO is there are no sharp edges to cut yourself on (or the garbage bag) after opening, the lid doesn’t fall in– so you don’t have to worry about washing dust off of it before opening or getting food on the can opener– thus less washing of it, and I made a biscuit cutter out of a green chili can by removing both ends. I think it’s comparable in price to the OXO one.
I don’t know if this helps, this may be the same kind you’ve had before but I use the Swing-A-Way hand-held can opener. I LOVE it! But I also can’t stand (or really use…) the electric can opener. Our first year of marriage we didn’t have room for our electric one on the countertop and ever since I just have always used my hand-held one. There’s only two of us but I know we’re not very nice to it and it holds up really well.
)
It’s pretty cheap and according to http://www.cutleryandmore.com it won the Goodhousekeeping award and was the first can opener in outer space!
I love my Pampered Chef can opener! It sounds like the OXO (but I had never heard of that). It leaves no sharp edges and does not touch the food. You don’t have to wash it as much, so it does not get rusty. It is easy to use (once you learn how). I have had so much fun watching my husband’s friends try to figure out how to use it because it is not like other traditional can openers. I just hand them a can when they come over for dinner and ask them to open it for me. Then the fun begins! Good luck in your choice!
I’m very happy with my Kitchenaid can opener. It is sturdy and feels nice in your hands. And it matches my kitchen, LOL!
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