This Ridiculous Gadget Is My New Snack-Time BFF

I love a banana slathered in peanut butter… or Nutella… or jam… or chocolate. Basically, if you can smear it on a banana, I’m a fan. What I don’t love, however, is how frustrating it can be to dip bananas in anything highly viscous. Ripe bananas tend to break or smash in the process, and I always end up with banana all over my hands and peanut butter on my shirt. Until, that is, I discovered the Banana Lover’s Corer and Filler, and my snack world changed forever. Now, I can fill bananas, pastries, cakes, and more with whatever I want… and with (way) less of a mess.

While a bit complicated looking at first, this core-and-fill device is easy to use (once you get the first time out of the way… there’s a learning curve, but it’s all part of the snack-tivity fun). The brand makes it easy with a step-by-step video, which starts by describing the best bananas for coring and filling. Of course, the firmer and straighter the banana, the better, but I’ve filled some pretty soft bananas easily and cored a rather curvy one successfully by using a little more care.

The process goes like this: Remove the core of your banana (or cupcake, doughnut, or other soft treat you want to fill) using the stainless steel hollow pipe tool. From there, simply spoon your filling into the open vessel, slide your hollowed-out banana around the plastic pipe on the other side, and you’re ready to fill. Slowly and simultaneously push down on the plunger and move the banana off of the device to fill it evenly. When you’re done, disconnect the four pieces, and use the included plunger (piece number five) to push the core of the banana out. You can clean out any excess filling with a pipe cleaner or throw the whole thing right into the dishwasher.

I got the chance to share this gadget with my friends’ kids, and let me tell you, we had the best time! There’s something about getting to enjoy one of my favorite, albeit messy, childhood snacks in a neat and tidy package, and it’s resulted in a few entertaining lessons in dexterity and patience for the kids I’ve used it with. We’ve made our own fillings, adding peanut butter and jelly to the vessel side-by-side (woah!) or mixing up our own spread (from cinnamon, honey, and chocolate, no less) beforehand. We’ve used the tool to fill cupcakes and doughnut holes, and I imagine filling a cucumber with hummus or even tzatziki would not only be just as easy, but totally impressive to serve. Yup, the Banana Lover’s Corer and Filler is a fantastic buy for banana lovers and non-lovers alike!

No matter how you plan to use it, this fun find will provide endless ways to reinvent your favorite snacks, apps, desserts, and more — minus the mess.

Buy: Banana Lover’s Corer and Filler, $29