Best Cherry Pitter
Sweet or sour, cherries are a delicious fruit, always bursting with juicy flavor. Cooked cherries make a sweet or tangy addition in a wide range of foods, from pies and cakes, to preserves, compote and cherries jubilee.
To cook with cherries, you need to first remove the stone inside them to avoid biting onto a pit while eating a piece of pie. Of course, you can pit cherries by hand, but if you need a few pounds of cherries at the same time, using a cherry pitter can do the job quickly and efficiently. This handy tool easily removes the pits either one at a time or in bunches, depending on the gadget’s design.
Cherry pitters come in a variety of styles and designs, from hand-held models that pit cherries one at a time to countertop units to pit seven or more cherries at a time. The mechanism can be fully manual or made easier with a spring.
We’ve curated a list of different cherry pitters you can purchase online. Read on to find the one that best suits your needs.
1. Editor’s Choice: Ordekcity Cherry Pitter Tool
Why pit a cherry by hand using a knife when a simple little gadget can do it easily, safely and quickly with no mess?
The process couldn’t be simpler than with this cherry pitter from Ordekcity. The compact cherry pitter has a stainless steel blade and a body made of food-grade silicone. Measuring 8.07 x 1.49 x 3.14 inches, the lightweight device fits nicely in your hand and has a convenient re-bound design, which eliminates hand fatigue.
With this affordably priced model, you are able to pit one cherry at a time, which is ideal if you do not need a large number of cherries — perfect for preparing fresh, cold cherries to be eaten out of hand. The handy tool is available in black, red or green and is simple to use.
Place the cherry in the 1.1-inch recessed cup, press down on the handle and the blade pushes out the pit. Remove the little cup to throw away the pit, and move onto the next cherry. Soon you’ll have a nice bowl of cherries to enjoy, pit-free.
Safe to clean in the dishwasher or by hand, the handles of the cherry pitter lock together for compact storage.
Pros:
- Dishwasher safe
- Made from food-grade silicone with a stainless steel blade
- Re-bound design eliminates hand fatigue
Cons:
- Only pits one cherry at a time
2. Runner Up: ProTensils Cherry Pitter
If you like a sleek, modern-looking cherry pitter that is not made from plastic or silicone, then our runner up choice from ProTensils may interest you.
Measuring 8.7 x 3.23 x 1.85 inches and weighing only 6.4 ounces, this cherry pitter is made from a zinc alloy with a non-corrosive finish that is durable and won’t rust. And while you may choose this model to pit cherries, if you need olives pitted, this handy tool will do that, too. Easy to use with one hand, just place your Bing or Rainier cherry (or any cherry or olive) into the gap and gently squeeze. The blade neatly pushes out the pit without damaging or bruising the fruit.
It’s important to note that while the cherry pitter is designed for most cherries and olives, make sure you align the fruit properly if you have problems. With large cherries especially, proper alignment is key. When you’re done, rinse the cherry pitter clean and lock the ends for easy storage.
Pros
- Made of a zinc alloy with a non-corrosive finish
- No plastic parts
- Pits cherries and olives
Cons:
- No receptacle to hold pits
- Does not work well on large olives
- Must align large cherries properly for successful results
3. Best for Multiple Cherries: VersionTECH Stainless Steel Multiple Cherrystone Remover
In many places, the cherry season is short and sweet, giving you a narrow window of time to make all your favorite recipes with this delicious fruit. When you have many pounds of cherries to pit to get through, a cherry pitter that takes one cherry at a time just won’t do.
This cherry pitter from VersionTECH is slightly larger than the hand-held models mentioned above and measures 7.87 x 4.33 x 2.36 inches. It also must be placed on a solid surface like your kitchen countertop or table to operate. The advantage here, though, is that it holds up to six cherries that can be pitted at the same time, allowing you to go through pound after pound in less time than if you used a hand-held model.
The ABS plastic unit has stainless steel blades that bite into the fruit as you close the spring-loaded top of the pitter onto the cherries. The pits then fall into the handy attached container, saving your countertop from getting messy or stained. When you are done, the container detaches to discard the pits, and easy to clean by hand, or you can stick it in the dishwasher.
Pros:
- Pits up to six cherries at a time
- Has an attached container to catch pits
- Spring-loaded action makes it easy to use
Cons:
- Container needs to be emptied of pits after 30 cherries to continue working
- Not recommended to be used by children
4. Best for Large Quantities: Leifheit Cherry Stoner with Pit Catcher Container
When the cherry harvest comes in, you want to be able to remove the pits from a large quantity of cherries as quickly and as efficiently as possible. This model from Leifheit has a unique design unlike the others so far on our list, one that has the potential to process 25 pounds of cherries in an hour. No, that is not a typo — 25 pounds in an hour.
The white plastic unit uses German engineering principles to create an easy-to-use solution to pitting cherries. Measuring 10.5 x 4.5 x 6 inches, you need to sit the device on a solid surface, like the countertop or a table. And you’ll need a bowl to catch the pitted cherries. After that, find a good rhythm to feed the cherries into the pitter one at a time and press down on the stainless steel plunger. Out comes the pit, right into the large container that’s attached to the lid.
The ergonomic handle and rubber feet helps to hold the unit in place as you quickly work through your pile of cherries. Dishwasher safe, replacement parts for the spring and gasket are available for a lifetime of use.
Pros:
- Can pit a large number of cherries quickly
- Has an attached container to catch pits
- Plunger motion is easy to use
Cons:
- Pricey
- Does not work well on extra-large cherries
- Need a bowl to catch the cherries
5. Best Set: OXO Good Grips Quick Release Multi Cherry Pitter & Strawberry Huller
In many parts of the country, summertime is prime time for picking fresh cherries, strawberries and other fruit and putting them up to be canned or preserved to enjoy during the winter months.
This next item on our list is actually a set of two different kitchen tools, each of which will make the task of pitting cherries or hulling strawberries (or tomatoes) quick and easy. OXO’s cherry pitter removes the stones from up to six cherries at a time and holds up to one pound of pits. Made for one-handed operation, there’s no need to remove the fruit after each round: lift the lid and the pitted cherries drop directly into a bowl while the pits are caught in an easy-to-access tray.
The strawberry huller has unique stainless steel, tapered blades, a soft, non-slip handle and a hinged design to absorb pressure, so you stay comfortable. Quickly hull strawberries or tomatoes effortlessly. Both of these tools can be cleaned in the dishwasher.
Pros:
- Convenient set
- Can pit up to six cherries at a time
- Easy to use strawberry huller can hull tomatoes, too
Cons:
- Pricey
- Not everyone wants or needs a strawberry huller
6. Best for Kids: Talisman Designs Cherry & Olive Seed Picker
Kids love to help in the kitchen. However, some kitchen gadgets or tools are too dangerous for children, especially a cherry pitter which is equipped with sharp blades.
If you want your kids to have fun helping out in the kitchen, then consider this cherry pitter that is especially designed to keep little fingers safe and your counter or tabletop mess-free. The Cherry Chomper from Talisman Designs measures six inches high, is made from BPA-free plastic with non-skid feet and looks like a cute little robot.
A cherry is placed in the Cherry Chomper’s mouth with or without the stem. A push on his head lowers an X-shaped shaft that pushes the pit out of the charry and into the little catch container below. It doesn’t matter how your child puts the cherry in, or if it is a small or large cherry, the cherry pitter will work every time, removing the pit and keeping the fruit intact.
If you are concerned about your child’s fingers getting cut, don’t be. The protective front tooth ensures that hands and fingers won’t be touched by any of the components making it safe for kids to use.
Pros:
- Safe for kids to use
- Mess-free
- Container collects the pits
- Dishwasher safe
Cons:
- Pits only one cherry at a time
- Some users had trouble with large cherries
7. Also Consider: Norpro Deluxe Cherry Pitter Automatic Feed Tray
You don’t have to want a lot of cherries to find the process of taking out the pits tedious, especially if you are feeding them into a cherry pitter one at a time. Even if it’s just for the pound of cherries you want to munch on in the back yard, you want to get the job done quickly and easily.
This model from Norpro is equipped with a feeder that automatically places the cherries where they need to go to be pitted. The unit itself — which is used on a counter or tabletop — is larger than some of the other models on this list and measures 7.2 x 6 x 12.2 inches. High suction cups on the base keeps it in place when in use and the sturdy spring-loaded plunger offers a smooth, easy operation.
Put the cherries into the feeder tray and as a cherry drops into the slot, you push on the plunger. Once the pit is excised out, it falls into the container below, the cherry falls into a bowl at the end of the chute and a new cherry rolls into the slot, ready to be plunged. It’s a smooth, swift operation.
Pros:
- Spring-loaded plunger
- Automatic feed
- Disassembles for easy cleaning and storage
Cons:
- A bit pricey
- Hand washing recommended
What to look for when choosing a cherry pitter:
There’s nothing more delicious than biting into a plump, juicy cold cherry on a hot summer’s day. And when it’s just a handful, it’s easy to munch around the pit and when done, spit it out. But when it comes to cooking with cherries or preserving them for the winter, getting rid of the pits in a large quantity of cherries can be time consuming and tedious when done by hand. That’s when a cherry pitter can be a game-changer.
Like many small kitchen tools, cherry pitters come in a range of sizes, materials such as food-grade silicone, plastic, a zinc alloy, metal or stainless steel and designs, from a small hand-held model to a tabletop unit. Which one you choose will depend on how many cherries you want to pit at one time.
Most cherry pitters work the same way: first you remove the stem and place the cherry into a slot or small holder. You then push and close the handle or press a plunger over the cherry. A blade, usually made from stainless steel, slices through the cherry so the pit is ejected out the other side of the fruit. Some cherry pitters can pit up to five cherries at the same time. These models have a different design than a hand-held one-cherry-at-a-time units. They can range in size but often have holes in which to place the cherries before you close the top to excise the pits. Some models have a holder to place a bunch of cherries to feed into the pitter and other models have a container attached to catch the pits and reduce the mess.
As you can see, using a cherry pitter is easy, choosing one, not so much. The best way to go about it is to evaluate how you want to use it and how many cherries you want to pit at the same time. Then opt for the one in your price range that best suits your needs.
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