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Can openers are a staple in modern kitchens — but not until relatively recently. According to food writer Jackie Alpers, “the can opener was invented almost 50 years after the can, and before that people had to use a hammer and chisel to open them.” We’ve come a long way since then — but many of us are still stuck with can openers that are poorly designed, leave behind jagged lids, and are just hard to use. I even had one that was so hard to crank that, when I finally got it to turn, the opener — and a half-opened can of tomatoes — flew out of my hand and into the wall.
The good news: There are plenty of can openers that turn easily, cut smoothly and cleanly, and leave no pointy shards to cut your hands on. To help you find the best one for your kitchen, I put some of the top can openers on the market to the test, cracking open dozens of cans while also popping pull tabs and cracking open bottles (when the openers had those fancy extra features). To round out this list, I spoke to chefs, food writers, and other culinary experts to hear about their go-tos. Below, you’ll find their top picks and mine. And if you’re looking for more tools to make cooking simple and hassle-free, check out our guides to the best kitchen shears, knife sets, and chef’s knives.
What we’re looking for
Type
Can openers can be manual or electric. To use a manual opener, you close the opener around the can lid, then turn a knob to progress the blades along the can’s edge to open it. Electric openers do the work of turning the can for you but are more expensive and take up more space.
Comfort and Ease of Use
According to food writer David Joachim, “comfort is king when it comes to can openers.” He recommends looking for manual openers that have rounded handles that won’t dig into your palms, and especially those with nonslip silicone grips. In addition to comfort, I considered how easily the opener cut the can (and if it cut the lid off all the way on the first try), and how easy it was to remove the lid after.
Safety
Some openers leave sharp edges inside the can and on the lid, which can cause cuts. Safety can openers prevent this problem by putting the gears on top (rather than the bottom) so you’re left with a blunt edge, but even a non-safety can opener still shouldn’t leave edges jagged or with pointy shards.
Extra Features
Some can openers come with additional features to open screw-top jars, pull-tab cans, and bottles, or have features to easily remove the lid like a magnet or tiny pliers to lift the lid from the can. I’ve indicated when can openers have these features.
Best overall can opener
Type: Manual / Safety: Standard / Extra features: Bottle opener
I’ve tried dozens of can openers of all kinds over the years, and the OXO Good Grips manual can opener remains my favorite: It turns easily, stays sharp, and is easy to clean. The hand crank is comfortable to use, the blades always give a clean and consistent cut, and the opener easily stands up to the task of opening anything from a can of beans to a big can of tomatoes. And, for left-handed cooks, this opener can be used with either hand. (I also love that it has a bottle-opener attachment, which I’ve found handy for times I can’t find my stand-alone one.)
Chef Jumoke Jackson is a fan of the OXO, too, and told me that this old-school, manual style of opener beats out electric versions he’s tried. Lindsey Chastain of The Waddle and Cluck, a family farm devoted to homesteading, has tried all kinds of can openers, and told me she keeps coming back to this one. “I have an OXO Good Grips can opener I got more than 20 years ago that has remained my go to despite other can openers coming and going,” she says. “The grip is easy to clamp onto a can and sturdy to hold while spinning.” Yumna Jawad, founder of Feel Good Foodie, has had her OXO Good Grips for 10 years: “I’ve come to rely on it as my favorite can opener since it’s super easy to use and practical for everyday usage while not taking up much space in my drawer,” she says.
Best less expensive can opener
Type: Manual / Safety: Standard / Extra features: Bottle opener
If you want to spend a little less, this compact can opener is a great option that comes recommended by several of the chefs I talked to. “I can’t imagine using another kind ever again,” says food writer and former pastry chef Jacqueline Dole. This opener is sturdy, efficient (once you get the hang of using it), sharp, and works whether you’re right- or left-handed. Its small size makes it a great pick for those who are short on space or who bring their opener traveling or to events. “The edge is sharp, and it works 100 percent of the time,” says chef and author Natasha Pickowicz, adding that it’s fast, too.
Just note: To use this style of can opener, you loop your hand through the body of the opener, knuckles pointed inward, and rock your wrist back and forth to progress the blade. It takes some getting used to, but once you do, fans rave that it takes less time to use than a hand-crank model.
Best comfort can opener
Type: Manual / Safety: Standard / Extra features: Lock-in grip, bottle opener
Ergonomic can openers are specifically designed to prevent further stress on hands, making them a great choice for those with joint, bone, or muscle issues. When shopping for one, you’ll want to look for long handles, which Joachim says will “give you more leverage for piercing the can” in addition to a larger turning knob, which can “give you more turning leverage, requiring fewer cranks to open the can.” This OXO can opener has a large, comfortable handle and locks in place, so you don’t have to squeeze it tight as you turn (a bonus for those with hand pain or a lack of hand strength). The attached magnet works consistently, easily removing the lid from the can so you don’t have to fish it out by hand.
Best safety can opener
Type: Manual / Safety: Smooth edges / Extra features: Mini-pliers, ring pull opener
When I tested this opener, I found that its mechanism — which cuts along the outside of the can rather than the lip — made it feel especially safe and secure to use. It also has mini-pliers attached to one side, which easily grasp and remove the lid so you don’t have to go digging in the can with your hand (and the pliers are also less likely to drop the lid back in the can, as can happen with openers that use cheap magnets for this function). As with our best can opener overall, I tried using this one with my left and right hands and found it easy to open cans either way.
Best all-in-one can opener
Type: Manual / Safety: Smooth edges / Extra features: Mini-pliers, ring pull opener, bottle opener, screw top opener, screw-on lid opener
I was wowed by the possibilities of this opener, which includes a bottle opener, a screw top opener, and ring pull opener. When I tested it, I found all of the features easy to use. I tried the jar opener on a few different types of screw-on tops, and while it didn’t fit mason jars, it fit like a glove on lids with thinner bands, like store-bought pickles and capers. I could easily imagine packing this for the camping trips I regularly take, where I often forget to pack a bottle opener or can opener.
In addition to all the bells and whistles, this one is just a reliable, high-quality can opener. Similar to the Kuhn Rikon Auto Safety LidLifter, this opener leaves cut metal with a smooth, blunt edge — and like the Safety LidLifter, may take a few tries to get used to, but is easy once you do.
Best can opener for large cans
Type: Manual / Safety: Standard / Extra features: Bottle opener
When it comes to big cans (or opening lots of cans), extra bells and whistles can feel unnecessary and may even slow you down — so a fairly simple can opener is best. Chris Milazzo, who owns pizza pop-up Bad Cholesterol, raves that the Swing-A-Way cuts through big Costco-size lids with ease. Auggie Russo of Tiny Pizza Kitchen agrees, noting that its smooth action, and the fact that it requires fewer cranks of the handle to make a rotation, saves time in the kitchen.
Cookbook author Faith Kramer is a fan, too, and told me this opener is “old school but the best.” She keeps two in the house (one at each end of the kitchen) and regularly takes one camping. ” It’s reliable, effective without glitching, and almost indestructible,” she says.
Best electric can opener
Type: Electric / Safety: Smooth edge / Extra features: Cordless, lock-in grip, magnetic lid-holder
“Recently, I’ve shifted to using electric can openers, and let me tell you, they’re a game changer,” says chef Scotty Scott. “The convenience is unmatched. You just attach the can, hit the button, and watch it do its magic.” Just like with a manual opener, Scott cautions that quality construction and materials are key: “Don’t overlook the magnet; it needs to be strong enough to hold the can securely without any slipping. That’s essential for a clean and safe cut.”
This electric Hamilton Beach opener provides just that — and is on the more affordable end for the device. Chastain says that this one is “easier to clamp onto the can than most other brands on the market.” It works just as you’d want an electric can opener to: It cuts cleanly, stops automatically, and the magnet lifts the lid easily from the cut can. Plus, it’s cordless and rechargeable, so there’s one less cord tangled up on your countertop.
Our experts
• Jackie Alpers, cookbook author and food photographer
• Lindsey Chastain, founder of The Waddle and Cluck
• Jacqueline Dole, food writer and former pastry chef
• Jumoke Jackson, chef, speaker, and author.
• Yumna Jawad, founder of Feel Good Foodie
• David Joachim, food writer, cookbook author, and musician
• Faith Kramer, author of 52 Shabbats
• Chris Milazzo, chef and owner of Bad Cholesterol Bakery
• Natasha Pickowicz, chef and cookbook author
• Auggie Russo, chef and owner of Tiny Pizza Kitchen
• Scotty Scott, chef and author of Fix Me a Plate
With additional reporting by Elissa Suh, freelance food and film writer.
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