My husband just came upstairs with a reluctant bottle of vanilla in his hand, and one of our favorite tools — Craftsman Robo Grip pliers. We take our vanilla seriously, and these pliers are sensitive enough to rotate a sticky cap without risking one drop of that precious fluid. I don’t think there’s a better tool for the job.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the success of these pliers is due to the dual fulcra — they adjust two ways, ever-so-subtly, as you embrace the cap. (Or whatever — if you want to use them in a tool shop, that’s OK, too.)
Even better, it takes very little strength to make these babies work. If you keep a pair in the kitchen you won’t have to trek out to the garage when the vanilla bottle won’t open.
Available in various sizes at Sears, too, but if you hate shopping there as much as I do, try eBay.