I’ve had the worst luck with corkscrews. Granted, the first one I bought upon moving to Inwood was from the local dollar store. The screw on that one, which I swear was made of plaster, snapped off on the first cork I attempted to pull. For good measure, I cut my hand on it. What did I expect for a dollar?
So I laid down multiple dollars for a nicer model, I believe from KitchenAid. Last night, uncorking some shiraz, the screw somehow came unattached from the rest of the corkscrew mechanism. I was able to pry out the cork very slowly using a can opener that made distressed scraping noises and flaked bits of silvery grit under the unnatural exertion.
Seriously, what’s the deal? Isn’t the [cork]screw the most trustworthily elemental of machines, up there in the trophy case with levers and inclined planes? Is my technique unsound? Do I need to buy a designer corkscrew with sleek German engineering and Powertrain warranty?