What's a good trick for opening a stubborn jar of olives?

Run the lid under hot water for a few minutes. The heat will cause the lid to expand a bit, which will make it easier to remove. Another trick is to pry the lid slowly around the edges with a knife. The later is more dangerous, as you can cut yourself. Try the first option and see how that goes, then move on to the second.

Bang the edge of the lid with a knife. Go around the whole lid.

if you turn it upside-down and smack it on the counter, that usually works. just make sure it’s flat. works with any jar.

I agree with trudacia that method seems to work the best. I used to work in a kitchen and we’d have lids that would be stuck shut all the time. A few good wacks arounds the lid with the back end of a knife work great.

Put on rubberized garden gloves, that way you’ve got a great grip on both the lid and the jar.

Get a rubber jar opener, or go deluxe with an Oxo Good Grips jar opener.

Hot water, definitely. Always works for me. Another one I recently discovered was, grab a really sharp knife, and stab the top. As soon as a little air comes in, the pressure’s gone, and you can very easily open it. Or you can just get a man. It makes them feel powerful too.

Scream at it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OPEN UP YOU DAMM JAR-O-OLIVE

This question reminds me of the time I superglued a lid to a jar of pickles, then presented it to “Biff” (the high school football hero) for opening.

He developed a hernia, trying to open it. Missed the next five games…

Got it. The hot water didn’t seem to do much but using the knife worked perfectly. Thanks.

Turn the jar upside down, and whack it on the bottom with the heel of your hand. Works every time. It breaks the seal.

I really want some olives now…

Black or green?

And now that I have mentioned that, would anyone please explain to me why black ones always come packaged in a can, and the green ones are always in glass jars?

Or do I need to pose that as a separate Q?

@JackAdams I think it is because black olives are underestimated in this country. It also seems almost impossible to find olives with pits (as they come in nature) and not stuffed in a supermarket. Why??