Story Tools
I have a 19 month old daughter who subsists on fruit—all of which are called “apple” in her toddler speak. Actual apples, nectarines, papaya, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, pears, and pineapple—you name it. If it is a fruit, she’ll eat it. So, when the first lusciously ripe, organic cherries appeared at the market a couple of weeks ago, I thought, “Oh good, a new item for her culinary repertoire!”
Then my next thought was, “But what about the pits?”
As anyone who has or has dealt with little children knows, small pits are not only annoying but also potentially dangerous. And, when it comes to items like cherries or, say grapes, removing those pits is sometimes too annoying to bother with. The end result is that, for the tot in question, those luscious cherries are bypassed for another year or two or three.
Not so this season. This year, I finally found a cherry pitter that not only works, but works beautifully and easily enough to make a smooth go of pitting a handful of cherries to nibble on or a bucketful for a pie.
The Oxo Good Grips, Cherry Pitter has the black, non-slip, ergonomic handles of all Good Grips kitchen gadgets, which is especially important when pitting pounds of cherries. The lever mechanism is well tuned, affording a good, strong, “punch” that generally removes the pit on one try.
One of the best features is the removable, washable splatter guard that ensures you won’t have cherry juice everywhere while doing a marathon pitting—one of the least appealing parts of using fresh cherries for pies and desserts.
The pitter also works great on olives and large, firm grapes like Globes. Don’t use it on standard green or red grapes though or you’ll get grape juice. When you’re done pitting, you can lock the handles together for a slimmer profile—and easier storage.
Oxo Good Grips Pitter retails for $12 at stores that sell house wares or at oxo.com
