At one time a badge of shame, hallmark of the lazy lady and the careless wife, today the can opener is fast becoming a magic wand, especially in the hands of those brave, young women, nine million of them (give or take a few thousand here and there), who are engaged in frying as well as bringing home the bacon.” — Poppy Cannon, The Can-Opener Cookbook (1951)
Talking about can openers may seem unworthy of the time it takes to read. That, and you may not think of them as cutting edge. Nonetheless, stick with me. These little gadgets make life a lot easier for the multitudes who no longer serve food from farm to table. And there’s the fact that you do have one in your kitchen drawer. You just ignore it until you need it. I was pretty much the same way until I saw my mother struggle with a very large can that wouldn’t fit under her electric opener, and the hand-held appeared to be on strike. It made me wonder how people managed this task decades ago.
According to a 2017 WordPress blog several years ago, the first can opener was invented in 1813 by Peter Durand, a British merchant and clearly an inventor. Before that time, people used a hammer and chisel. We know this because of directions seen on a can of roast veal reading, “Cut round on the top near to the outer edge with a chisel and hammer.” That was in 1824, but I can tell you the practice is not dead. I watched my mother do something similar just a few weeks ago. But back to the inventor.
Mr. Durand invented the tin-coated iron can in 1810, a few short years before he knew how he’d be able to open it, I guess. According to Britannica, this was also just a few years before he secured contracts with the British navy to provide vast quantities of canned food. Okay. I’m giving him a hard time. They still used a hammer and chisel, but that had its drawbacks. Like you might not draw back all your digits.
Also, as mentioned in a Smithsonian article, cans were likely 3/16″ thick. We’re talking wrought iron here. That kind of canned food protection would not have lent itself to a wholesale public embrace of the technique. In fact, it may have been the impetus for creating improved methods all around. Yes, this blog is about can openers, but they aren’t much use without cans, so we’re going there. It’s amazing what you can learn when you open your mind.
Anyway, production techniques of the day were not what they could have been. Even by 1840, canning factories were only generating 60 cans per hour. Apart from what that says about the size of the British Navy at the time, how does that low production level benefit a whole country?
So, we had [unintentionally] limited manufacturing output and the access methods to a can’s contents were sketchy. Across the pond, and some years later (1858), an American, Ezra J. Warner, received the first patent for a product actually called a can opener. The fact is that in 1855 a Brit, Roberts Yates, was granted a patent for a product designed to open cases. While the gadget could, potentially, open cans, that isn’t what he called it. Rather, they were “lock and level knives.” It’s always been about branding. It’s also about timing.
When the Civil War heated up, the U.S. military decided to use Warner’s invention. Soldiers needed a way to easily get to their battlefield rations. Also, it was during that era that production for cans began to incorporate lighter materials and methods to produce more cans much faster.
More than a decade later, William W. Lyman added a little wheel to facilitate the blade’s trip around the can. I suspect this made it safer, too, but that’s probably the underwriter in me. Even after this degree of improvement, Mr. Lyman’s version is not the one in your drawer. That common gem was the brainchild of Charles Arthur Bunker in 1920. His design has withstood the test of time–no additional (significant) modifications necessary. This literally fits the description of cutting edge, no matter how old the design. Of course, there’s the electric version, but you’ll want to research that on your own. Right?
In the meantime, I’ll leave you with a video that reviews various types of openers. You might even get tips on how to use one that’s been resting in your kitchen drawer since that white elephant gift exchange in 2009. Entirely up to you.
For now, sending you wishes for a thoughtful 2023. I hope you think well and often and live intentionally. Also, here’s a quote from one of my favorite country artists, Brad Paisley. “Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one.” That’s my plan.
You?
Me, too! The blank page, that is. I look at the new year as a blank canvas. I’m all set to fill in that blank space with some beauty and probably a lot of mistakes.
I’m right there with you. Mistakes are inevitable, but hope to make valuable contributions, too.
Interesting post but then I am a guy who has read a very thick book about a pencil. (twice)
Clearly these blogs are not reading material for those who solely desire entertainment. 😉