Kenwood CO600 Can Opener

As my Grandmother was getting older and having trouble opening cans we decided to get her an electric can opener. She had arthritis and really had trouble holding things and grabbing things and to open a can takes a lot of these hand movements and she was finding it virtually impossible. We settled upon an electric can opener from Kenwood as it was cheap and looked really simple to use.

The electric can opener stands upright on a base and features some non slip feet so when you attach the can to it is very stable and will not topple over. It is made of a white plastic and so does not very attractive but its not really something that you need to look good, you just need it to function well. It measures 23.5 x 13.5 x 13.5 so not too big, especially if you are going to keep it on the side of your worktop like my Grandmother did.

The can opener is very easy to use. There is a handle at the top of the can opener which has a magnet underneath it. You position the can up to the back of the machine and then the magnet catches onto the lid of the can and the little cutter pierces the top of the can. Then you press the handle down onto the can and keep pressing at this start the mechanism going and the can will spin round, being cut open as it goes until you have completed the cycle. You have to hold onto the can at this point as the magnet will hold the lid but not the can. This is held in place by the lever but when you lift this off the can will come away in your hand. It's as simple as that to open the can and the lid will come away completely so you do not need to worry about that being stuck and having to pull it off and possibly cutting your finger.

The machine is great in that it will open all can sizes from small thin ones to big ones up to 1.2kg cans. It's easy for anyone to use especially if you have trouble with regular can openers. I paid around £15 for it.