How can I separate the lid from a can that has a pull-tab/ring without flinging food everywhere?

This answer is not ideal, as it avoids the use of the pull-tab altogether:

Use a regular can opener instead. No flinging of food involved!

• Remove the lid slowly.
• Hold a paper towel around the opening at the last moment when the lid detaches.
• Minimise the quantity of food on the underside of the lid by storing the can upright, and perhaps tapping the can on a surface (keeping it upright) a few times before opening to dislodge the remainder.

For most of the removal, leverage rather than brute force will give more control, so you don't accidentally pull the last bit off.

At the end while pulling gently on the ring, rock the lid from side to side, so you're only trying to open one side of the remaining seam. It's much less likely to flick that way. While my right hand does that, my left hold the can in such a way that it would probably be in the way of anything flying, but it rarely needs to.

Another approach is to open the lid most of the way, remove most of the contents, then push the lid inwards to finish breaking it off (or in/out until the metal fatigues and it breaks easily). This works well for things like beans or custard, that come out easily with a pour/scrape.

One useful trick I've found is to judge the point at which the lid is close to detaching from the can, and then rotate it 90 degrees. Keep pulling it in the same direction as before to detach it, but now:

1. The edge of the lid now rests against the edge of the can, like a lever, and you've got much more control over it, meaning you can apply a more gentle force and carefully lever it off
2. The force you're applying doesn't bend the lid, so when it detaches it won't spring back and fling food everywhere.

On the odd occasions when the ringpull has failed, I resort to the humble can opener. Never let me down yet ! But as far as your problem is concerned, you can resort to the same for the last part of the circumference. That gets the whole top off with no drama.

The lid isn't flinging the food around. That happens because the can is moving.

The simple solution is hold the can firmly in place on a table, worktop, etc, with one hand, while you pull on the ring with the other. If the can doesn't move, the contents won't go anywhere.

On the same approach as what @Chris H is suggesting about pushing the lid inwards.

Once I opened the lid as far as possible, what I tend to do is:

• Push the lid back down.
• Pull the lid back up.
• (Try to push it inwards after several back and forth)
• Repeat until it wears down and break off by itself.

You don't need to do it fast. Do it at your own pace and it will eventually wear down.

The advantage of this approach is that you don't need to apply strength nor anything, so you avoid having food flying around, or accidentally cutting your hand with the sharp edge of the lid.

The crucial thing is, don't put your finger through the loop and pull straight up. It's essential to put your thumb on the lid, then use your middle finger in the loop and lever the lid over your thumb.

Just use one of these (non-standard) bad boys. (A smooth edge can opener)

When I try to do this, I use a combination of things I have seen here in the other answers:

1. Start by lifting the tab so that the corner of the lid separates inward while giving increased attention to the pressure inside the lid

   • a paper towel around and over the top might be used to prevent the overpressure discharge of slightly pressurized cans
   • This point might not always be possible, as the ring might be weakly attached or the lid might be attached too much

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2. Rest the back of your palm or your thumb as a leverage point against the part of the lid opposite to the ring
   • what I mean by that is to pull your middle finger or pointer finger through the ring from the top
   • rest the back of your palm against the back of the lid (the place directly opposite to the ring)
   • if the can is too small or your hands are weak, place your thumb at the middle or back part of the lid instead
   • Open the first half/two-thirds of the lid by pressing the middle finger against the back of your palm and gently lifting your palm from the back of the lid
   • If you used your thumb instead, use the thumb as the fulcrum point

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3. Open the last bit by gently placing the thumb on top of the remaining attached part opposite the ring and use it as leverage and to control the flicker of the part as it separates from the rest of the can
   • you can also open the remaining part by SWAYING your palm left and right with the thumb as a leverage
   • The thumb now ensures that the lid does not "spring" away while it separates from the can and does not fling food to undesirable locations

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I am feeding our dog and cat daily with wet canned food in combination with the food we cooked/prepared ourselves and this is the way I developed to prevent flickering the food off of the lid under spring tension.

Are you opening some super industrial strength cans or something?

1. Set the can on a table
2. Lift the tab up so the front pokes down into the food and breaks the vacuum seal.
3. Pull the tab backwards, not upwards, so the lid 'peels' off the top of the food inside.

Firmly hold the can down against a fixed surface so that it cannot move when it separates from the lid, preventing spills.

To capture material flicked from the lid, do this at the bottom of a sink rather than a table or countertop.

Or drape a cloth over your hand to capture the splatter.

I put the handle of a wooden spoon through the loop, and lever it thus, while holding the can down firmly on a surface.

Although the lever is inefficient, it gets you nearly all the way. Once there, you can floor the end of the handle on the surface, and, while still holding the can down, a few back-and-forth bends on the remaining hinge does the rest.

Open the can inside a clear plastic bag.