A cherry pitter is a kitchen tool specifically designed to remove the pits or seeds from cherries and similar small stone fruits, such as olives and some types of plums. The primary purpose of a cherry pitter is to make the process of removing the seeds from these fruits quick and easy, saving time and effort when preparing them for various recipes or for eating as a snack.
Cherries and other stone fruits have a hard, inedible seed, which can be a bit cumbersome to remove manually, especially when dealing with a large number of fruits. A cherry pitter typically consists of a small handheld device with a spring-loaded mechanism. Here’s how it typically works:
- Place the cherry in the holder: The cherry pitter has a small circular or oval-shaped opening where you place the cherry with its stem side facing upward.
- Squeeze the handles: With the cherry in position, you squeeze the handles of the pitter together. The tool will push a plunger through the cherry, forcing the pit to be pushed out from the fruit’s center.
- Extract the pit: Once the pit is pushed out, you can easily remove it from the cherry holder, leaving the cherry ready to be used in recipes or for snacking.
Cherry pitters come in various designs and sizes, but the basic concept remains the same across most models. Some may be single-pitters, designed to process one cherry at a time, while others may be able to accommodate multiple cherries simultaneously.
Using a cherry pitter can significantly speed up the process of preparing cherries, making it more efficient and less messy than removing the pits by hand. It’s a useful tool to have during cherry season or when you’re working with any stone fruits that have pits.