source: Facebook/Michelle Lacey Smith
So this, um— this came up in a housewife group and kind of went off— some woman had just moved into a new house and discovered a little metal device stuck to the underside of her kitchen cabinet. Like, it was just there, attached to the bottom. And of course, she had no idea what it was. I mean imagine if you found some jagged circular metal object with teeth under your cabinets and literally just sat there and stared at it like it was a gremlin trap or some shit. Anyway, she posts a picture. Asks people about it, and it turns out— it is an under-the-cabinet jar opener from the late 80s or early 90s. Seriously. They exist. Or they used to. How kind of rad and oddly useful.
So here is the thing. This was not decorative. This was a tool. A ridiculously utilitarian device, designed for opening hard-to-open jars— you know, the ones that are sealed shut by the fury of 1,000 suns. Instead of trying to mess with rubber grips or banging the jar on the counter edge while praying that you break the jar before the seal, this little tool is just… there. Mounted up under the cabinet, out of the way, and ready to fight your marinara sauce lid.
How does it actually work though?
Alright, so the idea is simple enough. Because the jar opener was mounted below the kitchen cabinet – it just lives there, like a part of the cabinetry if you will, but way less obvious.
You would only ever notice it if you looked up and laid down on the floor. This begs the question: why would you be adjusting yourself vertically like that unless you just dropped something? However, once you install it, you really don’t have to think about it. Unless you really need to open a crusty jar that has fought you while you were trying to pry it open – then it actually becomes your best friend!
The getting the thing up
The first part of the task is: locating where you want the thing to go. You can’t just throw it anywhere – it has to be convenient to reach, but also doesn’t get in the way. As an example, you may not want to put it within reach in an area where you lean over to slice onions or something. Then you will want to clean the area – because kitchen grease is subtle, and will land in the most awkward back corner of your cabinets. You would swear to God you’ve never placed food on such spots!
