200-year evolutionary journey of canned can opener

It took 15 years for people to invent food cans. And it took more than 100 years for people to invent a way to conveniently open it.

One of the most bizarre things about cans, probably the food cans that existed until 150 years ago. In 1795, Napoleon hung up a prize of 12,000 Franc for anyone who could find a way to preserve food. At that time, no one knew of the existence of bacteria, or the cause of food rancid, so preserving food became a problem without solution. It took 15 years for chef Nicholas Appert to receive the award after successfully sealing the food. Shortly thereafter, Philippe de Girard improved Appert's idea by replacing glass jars with metal boxes and selling this idea to the British.

Each type of food has its own type of container, with different opening mechanisms.

Before the 19th century, health problems caused by rancid food became a worldwide problem. Although the benefits of preserving canned foods are extremely clear, this process is extremely costly and costly, making this technology almost exclusively for the military. Not to mention at that time the food cans were very thick and hard, so only the military soldiers who were always armed with knives could open these cans. That's why for decades, cans of utensils were absolutely unnecessary.

In the middle of the 19th century, the canning process was improved and automated, and the lid of the food container was thinned so that ordinary people could open it - if they had the right tools. However, at that time the can opener was not invented yet, so the food containers were often crafted with a separate open mechanism, so that everyone could open these boxes at all times, everywhere.

And so each kind of food has its own type of container, with different open mechanisms. Canned fish and meat are usually in a rectangular box, and come with a box that is a "key" to turn the lid off the box.

Coffee, beans and some other foods are placed in tubular boxes, with a thin strip of metal in the middle that can use "keys" to peel off.

Thanks to its convenience, they become more and more popular in the community. Gradually, food cans like now are becoming more and more popular. And when the kitchen was filled with such food cans, people began to consider inventing a handy tool that could open all kinds of canned food in the kitchen.

Bully beef knives

Bully beef can opener is a very popular tool at the time.

The world's first can opener is designed with a very simple mechanism: chisel, stab and pull. Because the most canned food of the time was meat, the can opener tool was often designed to follow the shape of a cow, and they were called knives open Bully beef cans. To open the lid of a food can, a small hole will be used to punch a hole in the can, then stab the blade and pull the knife along the edge of the box.

The Bully beef can opener is a very popular tool at the time, because they are extremely efficient and reliable, but the safety of this tool is not high. There have been unfortunate accidents in the process of opening the box, and some people because of this tool lost their fingers. So what is studied now is how to safely open the box.

The answer came in 1925, from Star Can Opener in San Francisco. Instead of using a knife to open the can, the user can clamp the frame of the can of cans between the gears of the new tool, and turn the gear to move the blade around the can. However, this new device is fragile and fragile, and many people comment that it is much less effective than Bully beef knives. The only advantage of this tool is safe.

Until the time of electric can opener

Six years after Star's can opener model appeared on the market, the first electric can opener was invented. Kansas City's Bunker Clancey filed a patent for the invention in 1931. However, the company was sued by Star Can Opener for copyright infringement on the design of two gears (the lawsuit was later sued). court dismissed).

The electric can opener at the time was considered a future of innovation.

The electric can opener at the time was considered a future of innovation. The idea of ​​this device will be very successful, but it is so advanced that almost no one can use it. At the time of 1931, not every house had electricity, and those who had it were not interested in buying cans.

It will take another 25 years for electric can opener tools to become more popular. In 1950, Walter Hess Bodle and his daughter Elizabeth developed another electric can opener in their garage. Walter crafted open knives and engines, while Elizabeth undertook the design of the exterior. Bodle cans can stand on their own in the kitchen.

This product was distributed by Union Die Casting Company on Christmas Day in 1956 and consumed at a rapid rate. A few years later, Bodle cans opened with different designs and colors. Today, this tool is like a Bully Beef knife, which has become a sought-after item for many collectors.

Electric box openers distributed by Udico.

And so the can opener has also come a long way to be as it is now, even having to exchange it with the blood of those who went before, so that we can now be easily and quickly opened. Food boxes when cooking.