The pitter: the most effective tool for pitting cherries
As its name suggests, the pit remover's sole function is to remove pits.
It is very practical when you have to pit a large number of fruits, such as to make a cherry jam (1 kg of cherries is necessary to make this type of recipe).
Manual or electric, the pitter is fitted with a tip that detaches the pit from the rest of the fruit without damaging it.
The cherry remains whole, and can therefore find its place in pies or clafoutis.
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Certain models of stoner, which are particularly efficient, manage to stone two cherries at the same time.
This accessory can also be used on other stone fruits such as Mirabelle plums, olives, dates or even apricots.
On the price side, there are between 10 and 60 € depending on the complexity of the models.
A little advice to avoid unpleasant surprises during tasting: before pitting, remember to immerse the cherries for at least 5 minutes in lukewarm water.
This allows the worms potentially present in the fruit to come out.
Be careful, if the water is too cold or too hot, they will not come out.
In video, 5 tips and tricks to keep your fruits and vegetables fresh longer
How to pit cherries without a pitter?
In the absence of a pitter, there are other methods for pitting cherries.
They require a bit of equipment, resourcefulness and patience, but they are effective.
It is recommended to use it for smaller quantities of cherries, when making fruit skewers for example.
The first trick is to bring a
Chinese chopstick
(or a skewer) and a
bottle whose neck is smaller than a cherry
.
The cherry is placed on the neck of the bottle.
The top of the cherry is incised with the tip of a knife, then the stick is inserted into the hole thus formed.
The rod will come and push the core until it is found at the bottom of the bottle.
This technique is particularly practical for those who wish to recover the stones, but it can just as easily be done without a bottle, only with the stick or the skewer.
It is also possible to use a
funnel
, provided that its tip is roughly the same size as the cherry pits.
Placed upside down, point upwards, the funnel can cut the flesh of the cherry around the stone, and thus pit it cleanly.
If you don't have a funnel or a Chinese chopstick, you can use a
reusable stainless steel straw
.
This should ideally have a diameter slightly larger than the core but not much larger;
otherwise, it risks removing too much flesh and spoiling too much of the icing.
Of course, this technique does not work with plastic or cardboard straws, which are far too flexible.
Read alsoMelon, strawberries, apricots… How to choose fruit that finally has taste
How to recycle cherry pits?
Under no circumstances should they be eaten since they contain cyanide, but cherry pits can still be useful.
For example, it is possible to make a cushion out of it.
This requires gathering around 500 g of cherry pits and soaking them in white vinegar mixed with water.
This removes the cherry flesh still clinging to the pits.
Once they are clean and dry, just slip them into a cotton cover.
By placing this cushion in the microwave, you get a hot water bottle and if, on the contrary, you put it in the freezer, it makes a small pocket of cold.
Another salvage tip: place cherry pits at the bottom of flower pots to aerate the soil.
This prevents root rot as well as commercial clay pebbles.
