How to Pit Cherries the Right Way

One of the joys of the summer season is eating plump, sweet cherries by the handful. If you know how to pit cherries, the possibilities for enjoyment expand exponentially: You can bake this glorious stone fruit into cherry pies, custardy cherry clafoutis, and everything else. Preserves are also luscious, delivering all that cherry goodness in the months to come. But to make any of these treats, your cherries must be pit-free, and removing them can be tricky. Ahead, learn the best ways to remove those pesky pits, with or without a cherry pitter.

Use a Cherry Pitter

A classic cherry pitter is one of the few single-use kitchen gadgets we actually endorse. A basic cherry pitter pits one fruit at a time and leaves the fruit whole. While it is a slow and methodical method, the advantage of using one is that you can be sure you haven't missed any pits. A stray pit in a pie can ruin someone's week or make you wish for a better dental plan. There are a number of different designs; a few we like are:

Classic Cherry Pitters

Westmark Kernex Cherry Pitter: This metal, no-frills pitter is made in Germany and is practically indestructible. It's a cherry pitter your grandkids can inherit. (They'll be so pleased!) The cherry is loaded, you squeeze, and the pit pops out if you have aligned the narrow plunger with the stem end of the fruit. We recommend you pit the cherries over a deep bowl to reduce splashing and place the pitted cherries into a smaller bowl in your workspace.

OXO's Good Grips Cherry Pitter: This one has a more substantial handle and a wider grip. It also has a cup designed for larger cherries, which may have to be squeezed into the European pitter. This cherry pitter has the additional and thoughtful feature of a splash guard.

Other Cherry Pitters

Another category of cherry pitter is the standing cherry pitter; it's almost more an appliance than a tool (and requires more storage space), but it does a wonderful job of removing those stubborn pits.

Norpro's Deluxe Cherry PItter: This gadget can fit about 10 cherries into a tray. They roll one at a time into the pitting area. Here's how it works:

• Plunge the pitter into each cherry.
• The pit goes into the container while the plunger pulls out the pitted cherry.
• While you can work through many pounds of cherries this way, it's very important to check that each has been de-pitted. There will be misses.

OXO's Quick Release Multi-Cherry Pitter: If you are exasperated by pitting one fruit at a time, you can load six cherries into this efficient tool. A few things to keep in mind:

• Make sure to line arrange the cherries stem-sides up for success.
• Do a few test runs, and we promise you'll get the rhythm.
• A handy catch tray collects the pits while you work. This is as splash-free as it gets.
• Again, you'll need to check that each cherry truly is pit-free.

Pitting Cherries Without a Cherry Pitter

While we advise buying a little classic pitter, there are other ways to pit a cherry.

The Chef's Knife Squash

This is a useful technique for when you need an intact cherry: 

1. Remove the stalk from the cherry and place the fruit on your cutting board so the stem end points to the side, not up. 
2. Flatten the cherry by pressing the flat of your largest chef knife blade (or cleaver) against it with the heel of your hand. 
3. Lean on it (there will be a squirt of juice, so watch out!); this loosens the flesh and will split the cherry. 
4. Wiggle the pit out with your fingers. 

The Slice Method

This approach yields two halves: 

1. Slit the cherry all the way around. The direction doesn't matter. 
2. Twist the halves in opposite directions and pull them apart. 
3. One side will be pit-free. Pry out the pit from the other side with the sharp tip of a small knife.
   

The Bottle Method

This is a fun technique that works best with very fat cherries. 

1. Place a stemmed cherry atop an empty wine bottle or glass soda bottle.
2. Take a chopstick and push its narrow end down into the stem end. 
3. As the thicker part of the chopstick works its way through, the pit is forced into the bottle. 

The Paperclip Method

This solution may drive you to the brink of frustration, but it's still technically possible. 

1. Locate a sturdy metal paperclip (this may take some time). 
2. Open it so it's an S-shape. 
3. Remove the cherry stem. 
4. Push the paper clip forcefully into the stem end. (This is not easy.)
5. Once it's in, wiggle and turn the clip so it loosens the pit. 
6. Jostle and jiggle, and try not to use bad words as you maneuver the pit out.

With this technique, that cherry pitter you ordered will have arrived by the time your cherries are all pitted.