Dolphin Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 My friend was over the other day and commenting on how she loves my kitchen as it is so different than other peoples. (My mother and dh are both English) , we have an electric kettle, tea making implements, I think beans on toast is a fine dinner etc... I acknowledge that some of my things might not be main stream America, but she thinks it very odd that I don't have an electric can opener. I just never saw the point of spending money on something that will take up counter space for the 4-5 cans I open in a week. The manual one is so easy and I think takes about the same amount of time. I am curious, and I am going to try my first poll Nicole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caitilin Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Not to me--I am not smart enough for the electric can openers my friends have, so I have never even been tempted by one. My English friend, however, owns two mixers, hand and stand, and uses neither-- that baffles me.:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whereneverever Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I don't know anyone with an electric opener! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 We've taken ours out of the last two houses we've owned. Didn't want the cluttering up the space! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 My mom has one. She also has arthritis. If a manual gives you no difficulty, an electric really doesn't seem worth the money or space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I grew up with one...but never bought one myself. I don't like kitchen gadgets, expecially ones that take electricity, so that may play into it. I only open a can....once a week or so? So, why bother? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I don't like electric ones and they take up more space than they're worth. LOL I had one a long time ago and we gave it away after about a month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I have an electric can opener. I did not realize I was in the minority. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I've never not had one. Our manual openers are a piece of junk. Well even our electric one is too, but we didn't have money for the nice one when the other one died. We joke that we're going to shoot our current one with the BB gun once we upgrade. I had one of those under the counter ones for years. It worked great. I think it was over 10 years old when it quit working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Manual. Electric ones just take up so much room, and they're not really any easier for me. I love my manual opener. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I *have* a Gizmo electric can opener, but I haven't used it in at least two years, so it's probably not charged. Because of the BPA issue, we pretty much stopped using anything canned at all (the occasional canned salmon is all), so when I do need a can opener, I use the manual one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyCrazyMama Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I don't know anyone with an electric opener! :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I love our manual can opener - an Oxo I think? It's the kind that creates a smooth edge, so no sharp edges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Manual. We don't eat much in cans, so I think I use a can opener about twice a month. It doesn't make sense to have it taking up space or having to pull it out and plug it in for the few times I need it. My food processor and bread maker do have permanent spots on the counter, though. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRAAB Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I have electric and manual. I use the manual. Dh bought the electric and uses it. I don't like the electric myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 My friend was over the other day and commenting on how she loves my kitchen as it is so different than other peoples. (My mother and dh are both English) , we have an electric kettle, tea making implements, I think beans on toast is a fine dinner etc... I acknowledge that some of my things might not be main stream America, but she thinks it very odd that I don't have an electric can opener. I just never saw the point of spending money on something that will take up counter space for the 4-5 cans I open in a week. The manual one is so easy and I think takes about the same amount of time. I am curious, and I am going to try my first poll Nicole My parents always had electric can openers. I'm pretty sure they still do, though they've moved up to the type that actually uncrimp the can so it has no sharp edges.:confused: I have an Oxo manual opener that I love. Very easy to use. (The Oxo kitchen tools were designed for use by people with arthritis.) I love that I can toss it in the dishwasher if I need to. My parents used to open the cans of dog food and the food we ate with the same opener.:scared: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roxanne23 Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 (edited) . Edited January 4, 2023 by roxanne23 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin Posted February 25, 2011 Author Share Posted February 25, 2011 Cool, so I am not totally un-American. I have an OXO too, love it! now I wonder about the electric kettle... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Mine is an OXO too. My parents always had electric can openers. I'm pretty sure they still do, though they've moved up to the type that actually uncrimp the can so it has no sharp edges.:confused: I have an Oxo manual opener that I love. Very easy to use. (The Oxo kitchen tools were designed for use by people with arthritis.) I love that I can toss it in the dishwasher if I need to. My parents used to open the cans of dog food and the food we ate with the same opener.:scared: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Nope, not odd at all. I got an electric can opener as a wedding present, stupid thing never opened the cans well and often left un-opened bits. I wound up getting rid of it and stick with my swingline manual openers that I've had for YEARS and always work great. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Never used an electric can opener once in my life. I can't imagine why I'd want one! My favorite manual right now is Pampered Chef. Before I just had a whatever one from the kitchen store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I had one as a young adult. It didn't work well. I tossed it. We just use a regular can-opener. It works fine. But now I've been exposed to the Oxo smooth edge can opener. I even found a you tube video showing how it works! I'm definitely buying that asap. Mine is the old fashioned metal kind and it gets dirty. Ewww. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belacqua Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I, too, love my manual Oxo. I gave one to my mother-in-law for her birthday (along with a Microplane grater), and I'm pretty sure it garnered me Favorite Daughter-in-Law status. :) I always associate electric can openers with inconvenience, thanks to my grandmother. Grandma had a tiny kitchen with almost no counter space. Still, she insisted on using an electric opener (maybe, as others have said, it was an arthritis issue). But instead of keeping it on her counter, she kept it on a table that was nowhere near an outlet. The cookie jar lived on the counter, blocking that outlet it didn't need. So every time she needed to open a can, which was often, as she used canned catfood, she had to pick up the opener, move the cookie jar, use the can opener, then schlep it back to its place on the table. When I asked about the logic of this, wondering why she didn't swap the opener and the cookie jar, she shrugged and said, "Because that's where it goes." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I've had electric can openers in the past, but found them too difficult to clean properly. I don't want to open a can of *anything* with something that still has traces of month old tuna juice on it! :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 the only cans I use are tomatoes. Maybe one a week, or one in two weeks. Don't need an electric gadget to do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer3141 Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I don't mind the space of an electric opener much but the fact that you can't pop it in the dishwasher squicks me out. Every home I've been in with an electric can opener has a gross one. No thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FeFe Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Just a manual one here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangermom Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I never thought of that before, that you can't throw an electric one in the washer. :ack2: Just about everyone I know has a manual one. I tried an electric one once at someone's house, but TBH they make me nervous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrogMom5 Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 We own as few electrical appliances as possible. Denise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherry in OH Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 My most used can opener is a very old one. No turning parts, you force it down on the can and use an up and down wrist motion to cut. Works every time and is easy to clean. You do need to watch out for the sharp jagged edges. I also have one of the manual openers that cuts through the seal. I rarely use it. I keep it for guests who can't figure out how the other one works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 We've never owned anything but a manual can opener. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I grew up with one...but never bought one myself. I don't like kitchen gadgets :iagree: Plus, my mom almost burned down the kitchen w/ an electric one, so perhaps I'm wary of that too. :lol: (Opener was plugged in; she ran in & dumped some grocery bags on the counter; left again to run more errands; grocery bags much have shifted/fallen on top of eletric can opener; opener ran and caught the grocery bag(s) on fire; fortunately, dad smelled the smoke & investigated before it spread further. For that reason, I unplug most kitchen appliances -- coffee maker, toaster, etc...-- unless I'm currently using them.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I had one a long time ago. It was a pain in the rear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomOfOneFunOne Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 judging by the poll results, I'd say it's not at all unusual. I've never had an electric can opener. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
journeytolily Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I had one a long time ago. It was a pain in the rear. :iagree: This! Veronica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danybug Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I have both. The electric one I have put away in a cabinet. I use our manual one regularly. It is actually this bizarre Swiss one that you hook on the can and spin this knob and it breaks the kink in the top of the aluminum and peels the top off. Strange explanation, but its actually awesome. Easy on my wrists and it does not leave any jagged edge tops to get cut on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I have always thought electric can openers were a little ridiculous, unless you have carpal tunnel or some other problem that makes turning a handle difficult. I don't have one, nor do I want one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2denj Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I have a manual Pampered Chef No edge opener. I wish I had an electric one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I've been married over 36 years. I've never owned an electric can opener (even though I do own an electric tea kettle and lots of other gadgets). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 My friend was over the other day and commenting on how she loves my kitchen as it is so different than other peoples. (My mother and dh are both English) , we have an electric kettle, tea making implements, I think beans on toast is a fine dinner etc... I acknowledge that some of my things might not be main stream America, but she thinks it very odd that I don't have an electric can opener. I just never saw the point of spending money on something that will take up counter space for the 4-5 cans I open in a week. The manual one is so easy and I think takes about the same amount of time. I am curious, and I am going to try my first poll Nicole you know you can get a can opener that is mounted under the cabinet... the one I have is the first I ever owned in about 10 years. Before that it was manual. But I do open a lot of cans.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-CO100B-Traditional-Multi-Purpose/dp/B001QVQ6IM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1298598500&sr=8-1 this is mine. I got tired of buying a new can opener every couple months, but maybe I was just buying cheapies... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I've never had one -- never occurred to me, actually. Maybe if I had a pet that ate a lot of canned food? As it is, I don't open cans all that often. My manual opener is pretty crummy, though, so I now I am wanting an OXO! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I hate the stupid things. Unless I need one due to mobility issues I will never have one. (I feel the same way about electric knives.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cents Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Long long time ago I had one but I got so sick of the magnet wearing out and dropping the cans (this happened with another one too) that I switched to manual. I don't open many cans except dog food so it doesn't matter anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirch Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I grew up with one, so I thought it was great when we got one as a wedding gift, but it was a piece of junk. It either dropped the cans or got stuck. We tossed it, got a manual one, and I've never looked back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teamturner Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I don't want to devote space to another thing that will eventually break. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hwin Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 Manual :) I don't really open that many cans and most of them pop off anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginevra Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I despise electric can openers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenniferB Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I can't imagine life without my electric can opener. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted February 25, 2011 Share Posted February 25, 2011 I don't like electric can openers. I prefer a manual. I don't like a lot of appliances, I don't know where people put them all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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