Open Difficult Plastic Packaging With This Common Kitchen Gadget

There might not be anything more frustrating to open than molded plastic packaging. Nearly impossible to cut while also able to slice your finger open in an instant with its sharp edges, people constantly struggle with the best way to get into these containers. Often the item housed inside the packaging isn't even all that valuable or expensive, and yet the molded plastic proves more secure than some prisons. However, a viral TikTok has emerged, coming up with a revolutionary way to use a handheld can opener to open molded plastic packages. It sounds almost too good to be true, but people across TikTok have been successfully opening packages with this common kitchen item. 

Many experts will recommend using a utility knife on these types of packages because they are not as unwieldy as other knives and they are more precise than scissors. However, even the utility knife has significant drawbacks, particularly for younger users. Further, without following the proper safety precautions, you're at risk of sustaining a serious laceration. The TikTok can opener method is a much better and safer option.

Most people know how to use a manual can opener. When used on a can, the cutting wheel holds the item in place. When the handle is turned, the wheel rolls around the can's perimeter, cutting a slit around the edge so the lid can be lifted off. For molded plastic, it works in essentially the same way, only the wheel rolls along the straight edge of the package, cutting off that sealed end.

To start, make sure the can opener is clean, then clamp the cutting wheel on the edge of the packaging, just inside the seal. As you turn the handle, the wheel will move along that edge and cleanly remove it from the end of the package. In a matter of seconds, with virtually no struggle, the entire edge can be clipped off, allowing the rest of the package to be pulled open as air gets into the space. 

Not only is this much easier than other methods, it's also less dangerous. Trying to use a knife or scissors on these packages is often uncontrolled and unruly. Not only can a quick slip of the cutting blade slice your hand open, but the ragged edges of the cut plastic are also sharp enough to wound. The can opener method avoids all that, and you can easily get into your packaging to use all your new products.