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These handy kitchen tools can tackle large, heavy cans with ease. Tin Can For Oil Making Machine
Canned foods are a true pantry staple. Whether you're cracking into a tin of tomatoes to whip up a delicious pasta sauce, opening a can of pumpkin puree to bake up the best pie recipe or diving into some tuna for a quick lunch, these cans come in clutch. One kitchen tool necessary for any of these meals is the humble can opener. And while there are great manual options out there, electric can openers can make light work of this sometimes tricky job. They can make opening cans easier, safer and cleaner than manual types, particularly if you suffer from mobility issues like arthritis.
So which is the best electric can opener? The experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab looked at many models to track down the best can openers.
We explored models that feature an easy-to-attach and remove lever (which is a great feature for cleaning), a magnet strong enough to hold the can on its own and an automatic shut-off feature so you don't have to monitor the process to prevent repeated cutting (which can increase the risk of metal fragments falling into your food). We also observed extra features and details such as a retractable power cord. Along with ease of use, we checked for spilling, tipping, how clean the lid cut was and if there was any leftover metal debris.
See below for the five best electric can openers in 2023, including Lab-tested picks and highly reviewed brands vetted by our product experts.
Cuisinart's stainless steel electric can opener has a sleek design, so it looks a bit more high-end if you want to leave it on your kitchen counter. It also has a sturdy, wide base and rubber feet to keep it stable during use. During our tests, the magnet held cans up to 32 ounces in place without help, and the one-touch auto shut-off feature worked well. It was even tall enough to open a 48-ounce can of chicken broth. The lever removes easily for cleaning, and this model comes with a three-year limited warranty. Many reviewers on Amazon mentioned that they selected this opener due to arthritis pain, with one saying, "It sure makes my life a whole lot easier!"
The Black+Decker EasyCut can opener performed well in our tests, especially considering the affordable price. While the unit felt lighter in weight than competitors, its magnet was able to hold 32-ounce cans, and testers noted that the auto shut-off feature was reliable. One drawback is the bulky nature of the lever, which made it hard to see the blade when attaching the can. But our tester thought it earned its place on your counter as a one-stop shop for multiple kitchen tasks: A removable multitool lives onboard which can be used to remove bottle caps and open pop-tops. There's also a knife sharpener built into the back of the unit.
This nifty battery-operated Kitchen Mama electric can opener is proof that size isn't everything: It easily attached to every can we tested it on. Its side-cut operation left smooth edges on both the can and the lid, and it was the most user-friendly can opener we tried. This model has an aut0 shut-off feature, so you don't need to hold the tool while it opens the can — just set it on the can properly and press the button. It was even able to open cans with dented lids. We liked that there is less risk of tipping and spilling since the can stays on the counter. It requires four AA batteries, which you will need to purchase separately.
This Oster model has a wide base with a protruding foot to help prevent tipping. It also includes a built-in bottle opener and knife sharpener. The retractable cord keeper — designed to work with just the push of a button — is handy for storage, but it didn't work seamlessly every time in our tests. The lever was easy to attach to the body of the opener and remove for thorough cleaning. It has an auto shut-off feature and left no spills when we opened cans.
This electric can opener from Hamilton Beach has an easy-to-use lever for attaching cans. During our tests, we found that the placement of this lever — at the top, angling back — helped prevent tipping forward with up to 32-ounce cans, and it kept the job clean. Unlike many of our electric can opener picks, this one cuts from the side which leaves a smooth edge on the cut and even works on pop-top cans. The base also has a built-in scissors holder (though scissors are not included). The caveat with this model is that it does not include automatic shut-off; this means you must hold the lever the whole time, and you run the risk of repeat cutting which can lead to metal being shaved into the food. Some online reviewers said they encountered metal shavings after use.
To find the best electric can openers, we evaluated each model in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Culinary Innovation Lab. We evaluated each model by opening the three most common can sizes:
We also considered ease of use, magnetic force, cleanliness and smoothness of the resulting cut, stability and useful features like auto shut-off, cord length and retraction.
✔️ Upright vs. handheld: There are two main types of electric can openers: For upright and under-counter models, you simply attach the can; for handheld ones, you place the opener on the can and press or hold a lever or button to start the opening process. The opener applies the pressure and does the gripping and turning for you, which spares you the most uncomfortable motions.
✔️ Top cut vs. side cut: Top-cut can openers pierce the lid just inside the rim of the can from above, often leaving a sharp edge. Top-cut lids can be helpful for draining liquid from the can without the use of a sieve, but because the blade makes contact with the food, it has to be cleaned well after each use to remain sanitary. Side-cut can openers cut under the edge of the lid, creating a smooth rim; this style also allows you to open pull-tab cans if you have trouble lifting and pulling. Side-cut can openers don't make contact with the food, so they often stay cleaner, but they can make draining cans without a sieve more awkward.
If you find yourself opening lots of cans to prepare your meals and struggling to use a manual can opener, investing in an electric can opener is definitely worth it. The best electric can openers make light of this sometimes messy job, and if you struggle with wrist mobility issues or arthritis, manual can openers may be difficult to use, so relying on a machine to do the work for you can make the job of opening a can cleaner, easier and safer.
Sarah Wharton is the deputy editor for the Good Housekeeping Institute, where she tests products and covers the best picks across home, kitchen, tech and cleaning. She has developed recipes for numerous brands and has been testing kitchen appliances and gear since 2016. She holds a certificate in professional culinary arts from the International Culinary Center (now Institute of Culinary Education).
Becca Miller is a food editor in the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen, where she writes about delicious food products and cool kitchen gadgets that make cooking more fun and even easier, like vegetable choppers and immersion blenders.
Sarah (she/her) is a deputy editor for the Good Housekeeping Institute, where she tests products and covers the best picks across kitchen, tech, health and food. She has been cooking professionally since 2017 and has tested kitchen appliances and gear for Family Circle as well as developed recipes and food content for Simply Recipes, Martha Stewart Omnimedia, Oxo and Food52. She holds a certificate in professional culinary arts from the International Culinary Center (now the Institute of Culinary Education).
Becca Miller (she/her) has been working in the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen since 2018, where she researches and writes about tasty recipes, food trends and top cooking tools. She graduated from NYU with a liberal arts degree focusing on creative writing. She makes killer scrambled eggs, enjoys a glass of un-oaked chardonnay and takes pride in her love of reality television.
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