OXO Good Grips Soft-Handled Can Opener review: opening the canned-food pantry when the electric opener is dead

This is a research-based review, based on manufacturer specs and published data. We do not test products. Product details come from OXO's page for the Good Grips Soft-Handled Can Opener, checked November 1, 2026. Food safety guidance comes from the CDC and FDA, and the kit list from Ready.gov.

Canned food is the backbone of most outage pantries. It needs no refrigeration, no water and, for most of it, no cooking. Ready.gov's basic kit list starts with water and a several-day supply of non-perishable food, and lists a manual can opener right alongside them. The reason is simple: many kitchens open cans with an electric opener, and a full pantry is no help if the only opener is plugged into a dead outlet.

The OXO Good Grips Soft-Handled Can Opener is a common choice for that drawer. It is a conventional side-crank opener: squeeze the handles to pierce the lid, then turn the knob to walk the cutting wheel around the rim. OXO's design focus is grip. The handles are large and cushioned, and the turning knob is oversized, which helps when hands are cold, tired or arthritic, and when you are opening a dozen cans over a week of outage meals.

Who should buy it

• Any home that uses an electric can opener as its main opener.
• Households building a canned-food outage pantry: beans, soups, vegetables, fruit, fish and meats.
• Older adults and anyone with weaker grip, who benefit from cushioned handles and a large knob.
• Emergency kits and go-bags that include canned food. Keep a dedicated opener with the kit, not just in the kitchen.

Who should skip it

• Pantries built entirely on pull-tab cans and pouches. Even then, one manual opener is cheap insurance against a can without a tab.
• Go-bags where every ounce counts. A small pocket opener weighs less, though it is slower and harder on the hands.

Strengths

• No power needed. A manual opener works through any outage length.
• Comfortable grip. OXO lists large cushioned handles and an oversized turning knob, which reduce the effort per can.
• Stainless steel cutting wheel. A durable material for a wheel that cuts metal lids.
• Bottle opener built in. Useful for bottled drinks in a kit with no other opener.
• Widely sold. Easy to find and replace, and a reasonable item to buy two of.

Drawbacks

• Bulkier than a pocket opener. It is a kitchen tool, not a keychain tool.
• Cuts the lid, leaving an edge. Like most side-crank openers, it leaves a lid to handle with care. Use a spoon or tongs to lift it.
• Needs a clean wheel. Food residue on the wheel and lid area can contaminate the next can, so clean it after each use, especially when water is short.
• No special features. It does not reseal cans or open pull-tabs; it is simply a reliable manual opener.

How it compares

The three ways most households open cans. Weigh comfort against size and power needs.

Using it in a long outage

Open cans safely during an outage

1. 01Inspect each can first. The CDC says to throw out canned foods that are bulging, open or damaged, and any can that spurts liquid or foam when opened or smells bad.
2. 02Wipe the lid before opening. Dirt on the lid ends up in the food when the wheel cuts through.
3. 03Clamp the opener on the rim, squeeze to pierce, and turn the knob until the lid is free.
4. 04Lift the lid with a spoon or tongs, not fingers, and set it aside safely.
5. 05Clean the cutting wheel after use. With limited water, wipe it, then rinse with a small amount of treated water.

Build the pantry around the opener

Most commercially canned food is already cooked and can be eaten cold, which makes it the easiest no-power meal there is. Choose foods your household already eats, and favor single-meal can sizes, because an opened can has to be eaten right away once the refrigerator is warm. The FDA's outage guidance says to throw out perishable food that has been above 40°F for 2 hours or more; treat an opened can as perishable. Use the oldest cans first and replace them as you go. Our best food for a power outage roundup and the best emergency food kits chapter cover what to stock.

If you plan to heat canned food, do it outdoors on a camp stove such as the Coleman Classic propane 2-burner, and pour the food into a pot rather than heating the sealed can, which can burst. Our how to cook without power guide covers the options.