For Cherry Pies, Use a Cherry Pitter

There are very few things I've avoided cooking in my life. Cherry pie is one of them. I'm definitely not a canned filling kind of person, frozen cherries just never seem sweet enough, and I cannot stand single-purpose kitchen gadgets like, say, cherry-pitters. The combination of those three factors has, until now, left me cherry pie-less.

But wait: why have I been so unfair to the innocent cherry pitter?

Well, those days are over. My feelings changed dramatically on our trip to Italy last month when I encountered a wild cherry trip up the road from where we were staying and I was faced with kilos of cherries and one dull paring knife.

The hunt for a cherry pitter began and ended rather quickly in a cookware shop near the stadium parking lot in Siena. Overjoyed, I bought my new gadget for 8 Euro (about $11 US). It's quite similar to the Leifheit Cherry Pitter available from Amazon below.

Sure, it took about 45 minutes to pit enough cherries for one pie, but with good conversation and a glass of wine, the time passes quickly. It's the Italian way.

Cherry pitters will also pit an olive. Do you know any other uses for cherry pitters?

Here are three recommended cherry pitters:

OXO Cherry Pitter: (left) I've tried this one a few times. It works perfectly. I'm not a huge fan of the removable splatter shield (too much gadget!) but at least it comes off. ($13, Sur La Table and Williams Sonoma)

Leifheit Pro Pro-Line Cherry Pitter: (center) This is the most basic design: heavy-weight, chrome-plated, locks (so as not to tangle your already tangled gadget-drawer) and effective. Getting the rhythm down took a few rounds, but eventually I was able to knock out about one cherry per second. ($10.95, Amazon.com)

Old Fashioned Cherry Pitter: (right) For "restaurant-style high speed and volume" but not picture-perfect cherries, this clamp-on pitter — from one of my favorite catalogs ever — is for you if you are a serial cherry pie-ist and want to put $73 toward the problem. I've seen this in action on an Amish farm and it definitely gets the job done. ($72.95, Lehman's Non-Electric Catalog)

Comments (17)

We have the Leifheit and it works really well. It also can handle sour cherries which are smaller and more fragile. You really, really don't want to pit them by hand.

My toddler is fascinated by the cherry-pitting process and is a great way to spend a half hour.

I just saw one in Williams Sonoma that pitted 6 cherries at a time. I've been obsessed with it ever since and wonder if it works well.

When I'm visiting my folks during the summer, my mom and I just sit around pitting cherries all afternoon (see my cherry pie post today). But then again, the cherries from our tree are very squishy, making it easy to get the pits out just by squeezing a little.

On the other hand, something that pitted multiple cherries at a time might be a real time-saver.

- Amelia of Gradually Greener

I have the OXO one, and really like it (... I didn't even realise the shield was removable).

You have the photos swapped, btw - the OXO is on the left and the Leifheit is in the center.

When it's no longer cherry season you can use it to pit good quality olives for olive soup. So it's not really a unitasker.

Thanks, marisab - that was a last-minute change, switched it all back.

I don't find a need for one of these often enough to invest in one--but I really appreciated the tip The Kitchn offered a couple weeks ago: http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/no-cherry-pitter-use-a-pastry-tip-088418

I agree, I use a pastry tip. Hate unitaskers. Pastry tip works for olives, too (outside of cracking the heck out of 'em).

I have an even more basic one -- it doesn't lock. Couldn't live without it, with all the clafoutis I make...

I have the OXO one too... love it... especially when I found out that not only is the shield removable but that it STORES in the opening (where you put the cherry) and then locks! Try it marisab. It makes this unitasker a bit more palatable. Like mschatelaine, I make a lot of clafoutis. I wouldn't be without.

Woo-hoo! I just went and stored it more compactly. Thanks, burrda!

If you need to pit a lot of cherries, having this around really does make your life easier. I make jam, and pitting a large quantity of cherries for it is faster and less messy with the pitter.

I have a Leifheit and was so happy to get it, since I make jam and pie frequently during cherry season. As mentioned, it's also great for olives. I hate having a lot of gadgets and have very few, but I've never ever regretted this one.

I have three cherry pitters. *sheepish grin* We just bought two generic ones at the kitchen shop in my home town, and borrowed another one from my mom. I make cherry lime jam/ice cream topping (just leave out the pectin), and pitting 10 lbs of cherries is much less awful and almost downright fun with a few friends. I keep all my gadgets on a pegboard, though, so I just lock them and hang them again until next year.

Ooooh, I want the OXO pitter.

I have the Leifeit pitter and don't like the fact that
a) I can't fit bigger cherries into it very well and
b) I often end up with cherry juice splatters all over the kitchen and my clothes.

Hmmm... okay, I'm reconsidering now that so many of you are over the moon about your pitters. Maybe my 2nd Oxo veggie peeler will have to go. (trying to stick to the "something in/something out" theory - would like my husband to try this w/his pint glasses & t-shirts!)

I've never used a pitter, harder to get good fresh cherries where I'm at.

I do like Oregon brand canned cherries. These are in water, NOT pre-made filling, and I make my own syrup on the stove when making a pie. It always gets rave reviews, even over some other fresh cherry versions.

Hey marisab! Ain't life grand! That's the BEST thing about thekitchn... we speak the same "language"! I've learned so much that I'm happy to pass a little on.