Kuhn Rikon Auto Safety Master Opener: One Tool for Five Lid Jobs

A can of tomatoes is easy to open until the lid leaves a rough edge, drops into the food, or the opener needs a second tool to lift it away. The black Kuhn Rikon Auto Safety Master Opener approaches that routine from the side of the rim. It also builds four other lid-opening functions into the same long handle. That makes it appealing as a drawer consolidator, but only if its different motions—and its short learning curve—fit the person using it.

Side cutting changes the can-opening sequence

Set the round cutting head flat on top of a standard household can and turn the butterfly knob clockwise. The mechanism attaches itself, then travels around the outside rim rather than punching down through the top. After one full circle, resistance drops. Turn the knob counterclockwise until the opener releases, then press the white button to use the small pincers for lifting the lid.

That sequence offers two practical benefits. The cutting mechanism does not enter the food, and the separated lid is designed to come away without the exposed sharp edge associated with a conventional top cut. The pincers also keep fingers away from the lid during removal. Independent kitchen testing has treated those same features as real advantages, while also noting that a safety opener takes a little practice.

There is an important boundary: stop after one full circle. Kuhn Rikon warns that overcutting can create burrs or slivers. This is not a tool to keep cranking until the lid looks obviously loose.

Five opening jobs are genuinely separate

The “5-in-1” claim is not five names for the same wheel. Along with standard cans, the handle includes a hook for ring-pull cans, a small end for fizzy-drink tabs, an opening for metal crown caps, and a ridged eye for screw-top plastic bottles. Those features can replace several small drawer tools when canned food, sparkling drinks and bottles regularly appear in the same kitchen.

Consolidation is the buying reason, not a promise that every job feels identical. A crown cap uses a sideways levering motion; a screw cap sits inside the ridged opening and turns; a ring-pull hook rocks backward. Read the supplied directions before the first use, especially if the shape is unfamiliar. A dedicated bottle opener may still be faster at a party, and a wide rubber gripper may suit large jar lids better.

The long handle helps, but this remains manual

At roughly nine inches long, the handle gives more room to hold than a compact opener, and the broad butterfly knob is easier to locate than a narrow metal crank. The Spruce Eats praised the easy-turn knob and all-in-one design, though it found the model less comfortable than some alternatives. Food & Wine likewise found it easy after the operating sequence was learned, but flagged that the many features can initially be confusing.

That makes the Master Opener a sensible option for cooks who can turn a manual knob but want fewer sharp-edge and lid-handling hassles. It is not a one-button appliance, and it should not be presented as a universal solution for limited hand strength. Anyone who cannot sustain the turning motion may be better served by an electric opener.

Wipe it clean and store it with room

The stainless-steel mechanism sits inside a mostly plastic body. Kuhn Rikon instructs users to wipe the tool with a damp cloth rather than put it in a dishwasher. Because the cutting path avoids the can contents, routine cleanup should be limited, but spills still need prompt wiping and the mechanism should be dried before storage.

The long body takes more drawer length than a basic butterfly opener. Choose it when five distinct lid jobs occur often enough to justify that space and when a side-cutting sequence feels worth learning. Keep a conventional opener if compact storage, familiar operation, or dishwasher cleaning matters more than consolidation.