Opening potato bags
I'm not sure how universally this question applies; I live in Canada. When we buy potatoes, they often come in large bags made out of heavy paper. The bags are closed by sewing a string into the top of the bag with a distinctive stitch. Sometimes it is very easy to open a bag: you just pull on the string. Other times, not so easy. Noone seems to know whether the efficacy of such an undertaking depends on the method used. Some suspect or even claim that snipping the string in a certain location, or pulling in a certain direction, will guarantee success.
However, it is also possible that some of these bags are just not sewn correctly. It may also be that any such ease of opening is altogether a side effect of the bag-closing process, and that they are not meant to be easy to open.
Is there a reliable method for opening potato bags with ease and rapidity?
Best Answer
Heh, this used to trip me up with feed bags all the time...
The bags are machine-sewn (of course). For each stitch, a needle pushes the string through the bag creating a loop which intersects the loop from the previous stitch on the other side. Pull from one end, you'll pull the loop out all the way across. Pull from the other, you'll pull it tight.
Hold the bag to where you're looking at the "messy" side of the stitches (with all the interlocking loops). Find the edge where the loops start - the end of the string will probably be tucked into the first stitch. Pull it out, and keep pulling...
Steps provided by an anonymous reader:
- Loosen the loops of the "messy part" up to the edge of the bag, where the real sew actually begins.
- Then, pull gently on the "clean" side of the first chain of the sew (the side that has 1 string, not the one with the loop).
- And there you go all the way!
Pictures about "Opening potato bags"
How do you open a big bag of potatoes?
Turns out the trick to opening the bag is searching for the side with the shorter end of string protruding from it. Then simply pull the shorter end out until it unravels from the other side of the bag entirely.How do you remove the string from a rice bag?
Again make sure you turn the bag so the single stitch side of string is facing you. Looking at the single stitch side and follow it to the far right end of the string. Undo the first little loose knot by pulling the string tail out of the loop. Pull the tail of the string gently and it will slowly unravel the stitching ...How to Grow Potatoes in Grow Bags
More answers regarding opening potato bags
Answer 2
I know this is an old discussion, but in case anyone is still reading... sometimes when it locks up like that, if you tease out and un-sew a few stitches from the flat side, then pull both the flat and knotted strings at once, it'll go.
Answer 3
This inconsistency happens because the bags aren't all sewn shut the same way. Some manufacturers, in their great wisdom, use the chain stitch that can simply be pulled out. Others, for whatever devilishly-inspired reason, actually sew the bags shut so that they must be cut open. In my experience, the ones that can be pulled open usually have a small extra strip of paper under the stitches.
If you pull and the string doesn't come out, you're not doing anything wrong. It's just a different stitch on the bag. I keep a small box cutter around for these.
Answer 4
Both sides are looped. Take an end, loosen it hale way, grab one string and pull. It will very easily pull off all the way across the bag.
Answer 5
I've even forgotten about the stitching on the top of potato bags! That's an answer to the question isn't it? The "distinctive stitch" stinks. Scissors are stupendous; a universal sharp cutting utensil that dispenses swiftly with the entire top of the bag. Behold, the bag has been opened with ease and rapidity!
Answer 6
It's usually a lockstitch similar to this one. The ones on the rice/potato/onion/cat food sacks are less complicated since there is usually just one thread rather than two going through the loops.
Answer 7
High-carbon forged 9-inch santoku. It'll go through a paper bag like butter.
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