My friends find it funny when they walk into my kitchen and make sarcastic comments about the rubber mallet that sits on the windowsill, within easy reach. “Nice mallet you have there,” they snicker. I get it; a mallet isn’t the usual cooking tool you’d expect. But I’m going to tell you why it belongs in my kitchen, and why I think you should buy it this specific rubber mallet which just got 21% off for Amazon Prime Day and is now less than $9. (And while you’re at it, these other great kitchen gadgets have Prime Day deals, too.)
This story is part of Amazon Prime DayCNET’s guide to everything you need to know and how to find the best deals.
Picture this: Stubborn pot lids popping open with ease. Ice melted into icebergs that shatter into usable chunks. Ginger cracking. Garlic peels flying through the air. Meat in Zip Top bags gently massaged to a uniform thinness and ready to be breaded for your air fryer. It turns out that many cooking tasks can benefit from a gentle tap — or thump — from a blunt object.
Did you know? CNET brings you deals under $50 straight to you every day!
This past weekend I used the rubber mallet to tap the vertical sides of six Costco-sized jars of Rao’s Marinara Sauce (the best!) to create a dish that I can make ahead of time for a big birthday party I’m having this Saturday.
It all started on a particularly grueling and soul-crushing night when I was alone in my kitchen, losing the battle against a tight lid. I had tried every safe method I could think of, including this tool to open jars I haven’t been able to grab the lid with a towel, hold the jar under running hot water, tap the sides and bottom to open the seal, or even insert the point of a butter knife between the lid and the rim of the jar.
(My colleague, editor in chief David Watsky, uses the spikes of a quality pair of kitchen shears to open jars — I love it my scissors(but I know I would hurt myself in the process.)
Then I texted a dear friend who has a lot of physical adjustments in his life and lives alone: “How can I you open jars?” I trusted his recommendation completely and five minutes later my purchase was confirmed. Now, when friends laugh at my kitchen hammer, I laugh back. They have no idea what they’re missing.
I don’t worry about hurting myself with this rubber mallet, and I’ve never come close to hitting my thumb. A light tap of the mallet along the edges of a lid helps the lid open more easily and releases the vacuum. (You’ll still want to have dry hands for grip or use a towel.) This hammering method is dead simple, takes seconds, and works every time — no goggles required. I have to admit, swinging a mallet around the kitchen is a lot of fun.
The head of the mallet can easily be covered with a clean bag or cloth when using it with meat. I usually cover the food where the meat comes into contact, rather than the mallet itself.
Occasionally I even use the rubber mallet for non-culinary utilitarian tasks, like, you know, hitting those pesky dowel ends when assembling furniture. But the next time a friend teases me with a “why do you have a hammer in your kitchen?”, I’ll grab the jar with the tightest lid I can find for a demonstration. Then I’ll send them the link above.
For even more smart Amazon Prime Day purchases, check out my Braun all-in-one handheld hand blender Now 20% discountThis Made In cookware that I swear by is up to 25% discount and here are even more select Prime Day deals under $100.
