apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

You put the cherries in the rather small bowl at the very top of the picture, turn the crank and that turns the wheel. The wheel has bar-like portrusions on it - not sharp or anything. The cherries are supposed to fall down through the wheel area into a bowl, and the pits are supposed to travel down the chute into the receptacle of your choice. Don't be tempted to attach a plastic bag to it that covers part of the chute - you'll have to help the pits along once in a while.

The wheel often gets stuck if a pit gets caught in it, and you have to reverse/ get it out.

Also, it sprays a lot of tiny drops of cherry juice in many directions. I remember cleaning a lot, and wearing an old shirt (and washing my hair, face, arms...) You might want to hang an old towel on the wall or cabinet if that's the way the juice flies.

I guess what I'm saying is it's a slower, messier process than it seems. I buy frozen for baking these days, and fresh for eating out of hand. I may try out the Oxo plunger type.

Pipsqueak, you've ruined my dreams of an assembly line-like cherry pitter that works seamlessly while the music from Modern Times plays in the background.

Still, that thing looks damn cool as a vintage piece.