The Fiery Wine Bottle Hack You Should Absolutely Skip

Have you ever found it literally impossible to find a corkscrew? You've rummaged through every drawer (even the one with the socks in it), checked in the refrigerator, and even under the cat, but still that wretched corkscrew is nowhere to be seen. While it may seem like a stroke of misfortune when preparing a glass of wine, it must be far more common than we think given the sheer quantity of weird internet hacks for opening wine bottles – and for some people, the hacks turn out to be an easier method.

But exercise caution. Strange and downright dangerous methods for removing corks from bottles include slicing them out with a knife, putting the bottle in a shoe and hitting it against a wall, and using a pair of open scissors. Needless to say, it's unwise to attempt these because damage and injury are likely to occur. However, possibly the most reckless hack for opening wine bottles is a method involving fire — and it's as risky and unnecessary as it sounds.

It's unlikely that our ancestors could have predicted that their discovery of fire would lead to such ridiculous experiments as attempting to open wine bottles with it, but then again, that was long before the rise of social media. One such hack uses a blowtorch to gradually heat the neck of a wine bottle, causing the cork to pop out.

Aside from the fact that buying and operating a blowtorch is much more complicated than simply using a corkscrew, it's also dangerous — there's no way of controlling the cork when it randomly bursts out of the bottle, and the heat could cause the bottle to explode (per BuzzFeed News). As if that isn't ridiculous enough, another method involves sticking hot metal tongs to the bottle's neck, cooling it, and snapping it off — allowing your dinner guests to enjoy the reassurance of a serrated glass bottle.

If, however, your neighborhood is plagued by gangs of corkscrew thieves and you really can't get hold of one anywhere, safe tricks for removing wine corks include gradually pushing them out with a bicycle pump, pulling them out with a key, or forcing them into the bottle with a wooden spoon handle. You can even give this wax paper trick to effortlessly remove a cork — all of which sound far less dangerous than anything involving fire.