How to open a tin can with only a spoon in an emergency or survival situation. No can opener, well no problem when you know how to handle a metal spoon.
Having tried to open tin cans with many different tools over the years of camping and backpacking I found this spoon trick new to me. I decided to give it a go myself. I found some softer cans a breeze to open with a spoon but so thick cans were way harder.
One thing to look out for is having a square edge on the lip of the spoon. Thick, but cheaply cut flatware has a much sharper edge to cut into the tin can. Higher end spoons tend to be better polished on the lip and don’t cut into the can as easy. This is one time when the cheap stuff has the edge. Yes, pun intended.
Thanks to tuber DaveHax for his great survival video. More emergency food tips here.
The emergency spoon trick works, but I prefer to buy a pack of military can openers and keep one in every pack I own.
Thanks. I tried it out on a can of beans and it works great. Those cheap, sharp edged spoons do work best. Save your silverware for dining.