The Best Jar Openers for the Kitchen

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These tools may not seem like a staple in the kitchen, until you come across a jar that refuses to open. Frustration, aching hands, and holding up the cooking process are just a few issues that you can avoid with an effective jar opener. Jar openers are particularly useful for cooks with weakness in the wrists and limited hand mobility.

Options for jar openers vary from straightforward accessories to sophisticated devices: some provide a better grip as you give a rotating force, others stabilize the lid with sharp metal teeth or have a long lever providing force to open the jar. The most sophisticated jar openers grip both the jar and the lid, twisting the lid off without requiring you to exert effort. These are battery-operated, and all you have to do is press a button.

When selecting the best jar opener for your kitchen, you’ll want to consider the size of jars and types of lids it can handle, whether you want a battery-operated or manual version, and how comfortable it is to use. We scoured the market to present these top-performing recommendations.

Our Top Picks

Jar openers are handy, time-saving appliances—choose the model that best suits your cooking needs.

Photo: amazon.com

1. BEST OVERALL: Hamilton Beach Open Ease Automatic Jar Opener

Operating the Hamilton Beach Ease Automatic Jar Opener only requires pressing a button twice. The device tightens around the lid and loosens it with a powerful twist. To release the lid, you just press the button again. The Hamilton Beach is powered by two AA batteries⁠—unlike most electronic tools in its category, batteries come included. Thanks to a compact design, it takes up little space in your kitchen cabinet. It can be used on lids ranging from 1 to 4 inches in diameter and on both short and tall jars. This Hamilton Beach jar opener is perfect for busy cooks and is particularly useful for seniors with arthritic hands.

Photo: amazon.com

2. RUNNER-UP: Kichwit Jar Opener

This handy jar opener features a set of stainless steel teeth, which easily penetrate the lid and open the jar by twisting the solid plastic handle. The Kichwit’s steel body and teeth are durable and resistant to corrosion allowing the device to last for years. You can use this opener on any jar lid with a diameter between 1 and 3.7 inches. This kitchen tool is compact for easy storage and can be tossed in a drawer when not in use. As a bonus, the Kichwit comes with a bottle opener keychain, making it a great gift⁠—especially for seniors and cooks with mobility issues.

Photo: amazon.com

3. MOST LEVERAGE: OXO Good Grips Jar Opener with Base Pad

This OXO jar opener comes with a base pad to keep your jar in place—so you don’t have to exert a lot of force to open up the lid. The jar opener has sharp stainless steel teeth that provide solid grip on the lid, allowing efficient twisting in a counter-clockwise direction. The contoured, nonslip handle gives you better leverage than using your hands alone, preventing you from straining your palm. This OXO jar opener itself is conveniently dishwasher safe, although the base pad needs to be hand washed.

Photo: amazon.com

4. MOST COMFORTABLE: Leifheit Extra Wide Stainless Steel Jar Opener

Thanks to the lever principle employed by this jar opener, even when you apply just a little effort, it’s enough to force off the most stubborn lid. The Leifheit makes your life easier and prevents your hands from getting hurt—its handle’s extra-wide oval shaped offers a more comfortable use, ideal for those who experience wrist and hand pain. The device clamps around the jar lid with sharp teeth containing tough metal. This Leifheit jar opener can impressively grip lids of all types, including stainless steel, plastic, and tinplate. It even opens factory sealed lids and those with a film on them without any slipping.

Photo: amazon.com

5. BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: Prepworks by Progressive 6-in-1 Jar Opener

The Prepworks by Progressive 6-in-1 Jar Opener contains several built-in tools, offering superb versatility at a reasonable price. Its patented design features distinct functional parts to open six types of sealed lids: the small circle is ideal for soda bottles and beer bottles, the large circle is a jar opener, the center section removes safety seal tabs, a hook on top pulls open tabs on cans, and a built-in blade slices open sealed bags. This Prepworks by Progressive jar opener is comfortable to use with a soft grip coating and can be tossed in the dishwasher for easy clean up.