apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

nah, I'll use my opener--not a rabbit but still a godsend with its two plunger type arms--and still upgrade my wine.

I've got one that has two notches in an extended lever, that effectively eliminates the need to turn the corkscrew a second time to get the full leverage effect.

I use one of these--holdover from my waitressing summer.

I have one of those and I hate it. I do not have strong hands! The twirly kind with the two arms is my favorite cheapie. My brother gave me a rabbit for Xmas one year. It works very well but it doesn't get used too often because it's such a contraption it's stored away...somewhere...in my tiny weird kitchen.

As far as i'm concerned, this is the only way to open wine.

yes, one of the best things about past experience waiting tables..my love for my wine key. i especially love that it has a handy little knife.

I worked in a restaurant a few years ago as a manager and was in charge of ordering these types of supplies for our waiters, the double hinged wine key is an upgrade from this kind, there's less of a chance of breaking the cork and you don't have to screw the key in further to use the leverage. You can see a similar one here http://www.wineopeners.com/Pulltap-pulltaps-corkscrew.html

I love my $3 waiter's friend. Simple, compact, and no need to keep up with a foil cutter. Also, there's something refreshingly manual about using one.

after breaking one of the twirly kind and seeing the outrageous price of the rabbit, i found the swing-a-way (love them) version of the waiter's corkscrew and can't believe i hadn't used one before. i thought i wouldn't be strong enough to use it, but the leverage factor makes it so easy to pull out the cork - no weight training needed.

It's all I use. No need for frills and gadgets. As a former waitress, I learned it's a tool that I can use for MANY things, not just opening wine. Quite the multi tasker. I love it.

wow! i too never knew how to use this tool! i also can't use the doo-hicky that supposedly lets you make rosebud raddishes and the like

I use this kind often (very portable!), as well as the kind with two handles. No motors here.

It's probably snobby of me or something, but I refuse to use anything else. I'll never forget learning how to use it in Beverages class in college- the professor made everyone do it in front of the class. I was so scared I'd break the cork :-)

One modification-- in my experience nearly all wine bottle foils can just be pulled off the top of the bottle without the need for cutting. Maybe not as elegant, but it's a lot faster and safer. Just grab around the foil with your entire hand, twist and pull up, and it will slide right off.

I use one all the time but you do have to be careful that the notched part doesn't slip as you are trying to get the cork out. I have been cut before.

ditto to mostly everyone who has commented. Of the many life lessons I took away from shlepping hot platters to cold people, opening a bottle with a wine key effortlessly may be my very favorite.

This is all we use. I don't think we've ever broken a cork. Works like a charm.

I find these easier to use than the rabbit-type ones.

nothing beats this sort of opener in the end. We got a really expensive rabbit when they first came out (a $200 gift) and really, the thing just takes up space and gathers dust. And it broke at one point. My trusty Swiss-made Waiter's corkscrew was the first thing I bought when I moved into my last apartment and it was the first thing I packed when I moved!

P.S. Is this really a "hack"? To me it's more a guide on how to correctly use it!

A wine key is the only way to go. So efficient, small and simple.

I love my analog wine opener! I consider such contraptions as the Rabbit in the digital realm. Mine doesn't even have the hinge bit. I just twist off the top foil, twist in the corkscrew, then with it positioned just right between my knees, gently pull the cork straight out. There's nothing like the "thwock" sounds that it makes. Music to my ears!

This always seemed like the best option for me. Simple, cheap, compact and I never seem to have any problem getting the cork out. Or maybe I've just had to much practice. I can't help but laugh when friends retrieve their fancy rabbit from the pantry or where ever and all I can think is "i could of had the open by now"

Our rabbit gets the most use but a waiters corkscrew is the only way to remove the synthetic corks w/out breaking the parts on the rabbit as we've already gone through one of those (replaced gratis from Williams-Sonoma). We also keep one in the glove box in my car as you never know when the need for a picnic will strike.

this is what i use (a hold over from my years as a banquet server) but i'm sitll terrible at it. i always seem to twist it down on an angle and then destroy the cork while trying to get it out. practice makes perfect though, guess i'll just need to keep trying :)

The thing I can't use is the double-pronged wine opener my parents use. You slip the prongs on either side of the cork between the cork and the bottle and somehow are able to pull out the cork. All I ever end up doing is pushing the cork into the bottle.

@repressd - I hate those pronged wine openers, too. Although I do have a funny story now of when a friend tried to use one and wound up spilling wine on the ceiling.

I use the Screwpull picnic model. It's as simple as the waiter's key, but even easier to use.

A few things:

1. Get the longest corkscrew you can get. I only see the really good ones about once a year. If you see a good one, snatch it up!

2. Screw it in all the way. This way you're not leaving any cork on the end to break off.

3. Hold the lever to the edge of the bottle with your non-pulling hand and it won't slip off/bite. Also, you won't get a gauche pop sound as the cork comes out, because you can control the speed.

4. Don't be embarrassed to spin the bottle under the corkscrew the first few times. It may help you to set the screw dead center and straight into the cork.

After seeing a friend who used to wait tables use my waiter's corkscrew, I now agree that this is the only way to open a bottle. I've never broken a cork using one of these properly.

I had no idea this was a "waiter" thing - my family and now myself have always used them because they take up less space in the drawer...

When I was still stealing wine from my parents liquor cabinet and didn't own a corkscrew let alone know how to use one, I used to use a butter knife to kind of stab the cork into the bottle. Yes, It caused a minor explosion, but effective none the less. I saw a while ago on AT how to open a wine bottle by hitting the bottom of it on a wall. Would have been good to know.

Love the waiter's key. Quick and easy. I also love being the only one in a room (or a tent) who knows how to use the two pronged thingee. In case any of you need a tutorial on that, it's really easy: Slide the longer prong in first, then tip it the other direction until the short side is in, then shimmy it quickly back and forth (doesn't require as much pressure as you'd think) until it's all the way in, THEN you gently twist and pull the cork out. It's magic.

My uncle has one of those rabbits... Don't tell but it utterly baffled, me, I had to get the backup corkscrew from my purse to get the wine open the last time I visited.