Ice that’s melted into chunks shatters beneath its weight. Tightly lidded jars exhale. Garlic peels fly. Meat (in zip-top bags) is gently massaged into uniform thinness. What is this miracle kitchen tool, you ask? One that might surprise — and hopefully delight — you. I’m talking about this specific rubber mallet that just hit a 17% off Amazon Prime Day sale and now costs under $9.
Wait, what? You read that right. I keep this mallet on my windowsill above the sink, within arm’s reach to open stubborn, suctioned-on jar lids with ease and gently tap (or whack) just about anything that needs the delicate touch of a blunt-force instrument.
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In fact, I used the rubber mallet over the weekend to tap-tap-tap the vertical sides of six Costco-size jars of Rao’s marinara sauce (the best!) to make a cook-ahead dish for a big birthday party I’m hosting this Saturday.
It all started one particularly grueling and soul-sapping night when I was solo in my kitchen and losing the battle against a tight lid. I had tried every safe-for-me method I could think of, including this jar-opening tool I’ve never had luck with, gripping the lid with a towel, holding the jar under a stream of hot water, thumping the sides and bottom to release the seal, even the ill-advised insertion of a butter knife point between the lid and jar lip.
(My colleague, Senior Editor David Watsky, uses the spines on quality kitchen shears to open jars — I love my shears, but know I’d find a way to hurt myself in the process.)
Then I texted a dear friend with a lot of physical adaptations in his life ho lives alone: “How do you open jars?” I trusted his recommendation completely and five minutes later, my purchase was confirmed. Now, when friends laugh when they see my kitchen mallet, I laugh right back. They have no idea what they’re missing.
I don’t worry about gouging myself with this rubber mallet, and I’ve never come close to thwacking my own thumb. With a light tap of the mallet all along the edges of a lid, it more easily twists open, vacuum released. (You still need to have dry hands for grip or else use a towel.) This mallet method is dead simple, takes seconds and works every time — no protective eyeware needed. I gotta admit, swinging a hammer around the kitchen is a lot of fun.
The mallet head is easily covered in a clean bag or cloth whenever you’re using it with meat, but mostly I cover the food at the point of contact, rather than the mallet.
Occasionally, I even use the rubber mallet for nonculinary utilitarian tasks like, you know, smacking in those pesky dowel ends when assembling furniture. But the next time a friend ribs me with a “why do you have a mallet in your kitchen?” line, I’m going to grab the tightest-lidded jar I can find for a demo — and then send them the link above.
For even more smart Amazon Prime Day buys, my Braun do-it-all handheld immersion blender is 20% off right now, this Made In cookware I swear by is up to 25% off and here are even more curated Prime Day sales for under $100.
