Before SHTF, preppers must have a stockpile full of food and gear ready so they can survive any type of disaster or emergency. But what do you do if you have a ton of canned food but no can opener? (h/t to UrbanSurvivalSite.com)
As a prepper, you should have at least two or three can openers on your homestead. But just in case you lose them, break them, or find yourself in a scenario where you don't have access to your tools, here are six alternative ways to open canned food without a can opener.
Use tin snips
Originally designed to cut sheet metal easily and accurately, sturdy tin snips have many survival uses. They're one of the easiest tools to use when opening canned food without a can opener.
Follow the steps below to open canned food with tin snips.
- Grip the tin snips firmly in your dominant hand. To avoid cutting yourself, don’t hold the can in your other hand. Instead, place it on your lap or between your legs.
- Use the tin snips to cut into the "lip" that runs around the entire top of the can at an angle.
- Carefully cut into the lip and slowly rotate the can as you cut.
- Once you’ve cut out about 75 percent of the can lip, carefully remove the lid.
Use pliers
You can also use flat-nose pliers to open canned food. Use your pliers to crimp and twist the rim of the can where the side meets the lid. Do this all the way around the can until it loosens and opens. Pry the lid open with your pliers the rest of the way. (Related: 5 Ordinary household items that have many survival uses.)
Use a knife
You need to be very careful when using a knife to open canned food. Wear protective gloves to avoid cutting yourself and use a sharp and strong knife. You don't have to saw the lid off of the can; if you don't have a knife, you can use a chisel instead.
Set the can on a stable surface like a countertop or workbench, then position the knife straight up and down until the point is inserted into the outermost crease where the side of the can meets the lid.
Grip the handle of the blade firmly. Make sure your thumb is facing up. Bring the palm of your other hand down and hit the hand holding the knife hard enough to push it into the can. Don't hit yourself too hard because the knife might slip from your other hand.
After a couple of taps, the sharp knife will start to poke a hole into the can. Once you’ve pierced the can, pull the knife out and move it a couple of centimeters. Poke another hole into the can. Repeat this process until you've made small holes all the way around. With the lid weakened, you can start prying the can open by inserting the tip of the knife into the hole almost horizontally and pressing down on the handle of the knife.
As you move the knife around the can, it will eventually open. If the can doesn't open, get a smaller knife to cut through the small parts of the can that are still connected.
Use a metal file
If all you have is a metal file, place the can on a sturdy surface. Hold the can with one hand and use the file to shave the top of the can. Eventually, the seal will wear away because of the friction and you can pop the can open by squeezing it between your hands. Wear gloves to protect your hands before doing this last step.
Use a spoon
A spoon isn't the most ideal tool to open a can with, but it can be done. This method will work if the spoon is stronger than the aluminum. With friction, a spoon can break through an aluminum can.
Make sure you wear protective gloves. Sit on the floor and use your knees to keep the can steady against the floor. Place the pointy end of the spoon at a 45-degree angle into the crease on the can lid.
Position the "bowl" part of the spoon facing down on top of the can, with the rounded bottom of the spoon facing up. Hold the handle in your hand and place your thumb on the rounded back of the spoon.
Press down as hard as you can and scrape the spoon back and forth over a small section of the crease repeatedly. The friction generated by doing this will gradually pierce the can. But doing this will also create dust and shavings from the aluminum, so pause and wipe away aluminum dust off the can and spoon. Once the spoon breaks through the can and creates a small hole, pause to clean the spoon and the can so the dust doesn't contaminate your food.
Start trying to open the can with the spoon until you can pour out all of the contents. If the opening is too small, continue the process around the rest of the can until you can open the can all the way.
Use concrete
If you don't have a can opener, your last resort is concrete. Turn the can upside down and place the top onto the concrete. Apply a little pressure and quickly rub the can back and forth over the surface of the concrete to loosen the seal where the can is crimped closed.
After scraping, you should be able to squeeze the can until it pops open. Note that using this method means you might lose some of the liquid inside the can since it's upside down.
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