There’s nothing worse than fancying a tin of soup, realising it doesn’t have a ring pull, struggling for ages with your can opener, and having to give up halfway or ask someone for assistance.

Why are they so difficult to use? 

Well, it turns out that you’ve probably been using them all wrong – and there’s a better way.

@neat.caroline shared that the proper way to use a can opener is to hold it flat against the lid – despite the fact that we’d all probably automatically attempt it on the side.

If you’re using it on the side though, it can have some seriously annoying consequences.

“The traditional way to open a can is to use the can opener on its side, but the lid can often get lost in the sauce”, she explained.

“So instead, place the can opener on top like this, and keep turning.”

She said the lid came off easily and it’s a “much neater and satisfying operation”, and also poses less of a threat to cut yourself as it comes off so much easier.

In the comments, people were left stunned that you could do this. “Oh my god”, one shocked user wrote.

Another penned: “Thanks for the tutorial”. Someone else said they’d “learned so much” from her 15-second video.

And Southern Living backs up this method, as you need to: “Clamp the round mechanical cutters onto the top (or lid) of the can, so that the tool is flat on top and the wheels are aligned with the edges of the lid.”

This way, you can ensure that the can’s lid will come off with ease.

Have you been using your can opener wrong this whole time? We must admit, this technique is a new one to us!