Cherry season is here, and I want to make all the cherry recipes — from Cocktail Cherries opens in a new tab to Tiny Cherry Pies opens in a new tab! Since patience is not one of my main virtues, I’ve been studying up on easy ways to pit a recipe-ready pile of cherries.
The Internet is full of cherry pitting hacks that run the gamut from ingenious to outlandish. There’s the pastry tip method opens in a new tab — but not everyone has a pastry tip in their kitchen drawer. Then there’s the paper clip tip opens in a new tab that’s always making the rounds on Pinterest. (Folks, if you try this one, be sure to use a clean paper clip with no rust.)
But my favorite version, by far, is the chopstick in a bottle. I’ve always got a spare chopstick handy, and the glass bottle conveniently catches the pits, plus some of the extra juice.
To try it, find a bottle with a mouth that’s slightly wider than a cherry pit. Select a cherry, remove the stem, and place it stem-end-up over the mouth of the bottle. Push the chopstick through the center of the cherry until the pit falls out. Put the pitted cherry aside and begin again.
If DIY is not your style, or if you’re just a really big cherry fanatic, you may want to consider purchasing a cherry pitter. It’s not a huge investment — you can usually find a good one for less than $20 — and it’s more efficient than most other methods. Plus, you may be able to use it for pitting olives too.
Do you have a cherry pitting tip? Be sweet and share!
