My Mom Swears by This $12 KitchenAid Can Opener

My mom is the best cook I know and practice is part of how she’s gotten so good. Not only was she a stay-at-home mom in charge of nightly meals, but she has now taken on our family’s holiday dinners (all by choice, of course). She’s always on the hunt for a kitchen gadget that will make cooking easier, and her latest find is a KitchenAid can opener.

While some might turn to an electric can opener for ease, my mom swears by this manual model instead. She insists it will last longer than her old electric ones did and says it “glides like a dream.” Plus, it’s just $12 at Walmart, which is half the price of most electric options.

KitchenAid Classic Multi-Function Can Opener

While some might say that a can opener is just a can opener, that’s not the case for my mom. When asking her about this latest Walmart find, she explained that she’s had can openers stick halfway through opening, electric models kick the bucket mid-rotation, and others that were just too difficult to turn. She and her can openers have been through a lot, and that’s why she sings the praises of this one.

According to her, its biggest attribute is how easily it glides over a can. Like most manual models, it has a knob that turns the blade, slicing through a can’s lid. She says the knob turns smoothly as you twist, giving no resistance. The knob is also oversized, so you can get a better grip for a quicker turn that opens the can faster.

The tool also latches and punctures the can well. While attaching some can openers can feel like a jigsaw puzzle, the KitchenAid slips on easily, and you can then hold the comfort grip handles at the base with one hand and turn the knob with the other. You don’t need to worry about the kitchen gadget coming loose and your can’s contents spilling everywhere.

One of my biggest questions for my mom, though, was why choose a manual can opener over an electric one? For her, it’s all about longevity and budget. At just $12, the manual opener is a fraction of the price of electric models, and she swears it will last longer. In fact, the reason she purchased this KitchenAid is because her old electric opener died, as did the one before it, and the one before it. She is “just tired of replacing them” and “a manual will last forever if you take care of it.”

But my mom isn’t the only person who swears by this can opener. It has over 600 perfect ratings and is a Walmart best-seller. Several shoppers with arthritis say it’s easy to turn and effortless to use, not hurting their hands despite their condition. Others praise its heavy, sturdy construction and easy grip base, and say they won’t even bother purchasing another brand in the future.

If you’re constantly struggling to open kidney beans for chili or need to break into that tomato paste for some pasta sauce, my mom’s KitchenAid can opener is exactly what you need. Keep scrolling to see even more clever kitchen gadgets at Walmart. 

Bcooss Heavy-Duty Stainless Steel Kitchen Shears

The Pioneer Woman 12-inch Meat Chopper

Gorilla Grip Oversized Reversible Kitchen Cutting Board, Set of 3

Nature’s Craft Digital Meat Thermometer