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How to Pit Cherries - Several Methods

How to Pit Cherries - several methods

First, of course, wash the cherries. I'm sure you can figure out how to wash the fruit in plain cold water. As with other fruit, also pick out any stems and leaves.

With cherries you must remove the pits. There are inexpensive cherry pitters that work fine for occasional use, or larger more sophisticated pitters if you're going to be doing a lot. BUT we're going to also show you an easier method - we will cook the cherries until they are soft, and then use a food mill or strainer to separate the pulp from the pits. If you have a food mill or other strainer, or you are using frozen pitted cherries, skip to step 3.

 

Method 1 - Manual one at a time cherry pitters

Slow and tedious, they work but only for small quantities and occasional use.

Pit the fresh cherries, and keep them in cold water with 1/4 lemon juice add (to prevent browning)
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A cherry pitter is inexpensive and easy to use, once you learn the trick.  The goal is to push down so the metal stem holds the pit down against the opening in the bottom of the cup.  The pits will not go through the hole; it is just to help trap them.  then releasing your grip, the cherry rides up on the metal stem, while the pit remains trapped in the cup, stuck in the hole. Then just push the cherry off and use your thumb on the underside of the cup, to push the pit back out.

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Method 2 - Semi-automatic Cherry Pitters

These work great on moderate quantities of cherries, like a batch of 2 to 10 lbs, because they are much faster than manual one at a time pitters and work fairly reliably.

BEST PITTERS AVAILABLE: Leifheit Pitter and the Norpro Deluxe Cherry Pitter.
These things are amazing; easy fast and reliable. The Norpro can handle larger volumes of cherries reliably! I can pit a cherry per second. The Leifeit is even better, as it is larger!
Comments from a visitor on July 1, 2010: "I wanted to let  you know about the Norpro Deluxe Cherry Stoner/Pitter. These things are GREAT!!!  They pit cherries reliably and remarkably fast!  Just tell your readers to NOT lose the orange inserts (they may be other colors now) that come with the cherry pitter.  They're definitely necessary to actually pit the cherries."

See here for related tools, equipment, supplies on Amazon

See here for related tools, equipment, supplies on Amazon

See these videos about setting up and using the Norpro Deluxe Cherry Pitter, to see just how easy and fast it is.

• Setting up the Norpro-cherry-pitter.MPG

• Using the Norpro-cherry-pitter.MPG

Now, if you absolutely can't get hold of a cherry pitter... I think you could heat the cherries to a boil, then run them through a foley food mill or other strainer, to separate the pits from the cherries.  I haven't tried it, but that ought to be easier than manually pitting cherries with a knife.

Method 3 - Fill the crockpot with the cherries

This method only works if you will be cooking with the cherries, typically as a puree.

 

Step 1 - heat in a crockpot or other slo-cooker

We will use the crockpot to soften up the cherries so we can pass the pulp through a strainer to remove the pits and any stems.

 

I fill the crock pot and add 1 cup of apple juice (or cherry juice or water, as you prefer and have available) per pound of cherries.  So, for our 6 lb batch, that's 6 cups of liquid. It may seem like a lot of liquid, but the cherries will absorb a fair amount of it.

 

I turn it on high and let it go for an hour, then turn it down to low for a couple more hours.

 

 

Step 2 - Let cool until it it warm, not hot

Why let it cool? It's pretty hard to pick out the pits while you are burning your fingers, that's why!  So I let it cool just enough that I hand reach in and pick out pits. If you started with pitted cherries, it doesn't matter; you can skip to step 5 and strain while it is hot.

Step 3 - Strain the cooked, softened cherries

Once cool, you can run your fingers through it and pretty quickly feel and remove the hard pits.

If you don't mind the cherries becoming a puree, then a cylindrical food strainer, like the Roma or Vittorio work best.  A Foley food mill will work, but it tends to get the pits caught under the blade, so you have to stop frequently to remove pits; but it does a great job and take less time than manually pitting the cherries before cooking.

The Foley food mills (at right) cost about $30.

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Other approaches recommended by visitors

Whack-A-Mole Method - A visitor writes on June 30, 2014: "Hi! There's a much faster way to de-pit cherries. I just tried it. You need a 13" rectangular glassware pan filled with a single layer of washed cherries and something to cover them like parchment paper (I used a silicone baking mat that fit perfect inside the pan). Finally just gently smack the paper mat with something with heft like a rubber mallet. The clobbered cherries underneath are SUPER-EASY to de-pit. The pits just slide on out from the flesh. I just de-pitted 5 cups worth of small Montmorency cherries from my tree in roughly 35 minutes while watching TV. Just thought I would share this. Cherry pitters are not too helpful for small cherries like this, so definitely pass on the good news. BTW great website! "

 

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Cherry Pitters and Strainers for Cherries and Related Canning Supplies

If you want to make anything with fresh cherries, you will need a cherry pitter.  If you've ever broken a tooth or crown on a cherry pit, you will appreciate the need for a good cherry pitter! And given the wide variety of pitters available, see the reviews and comparisons below to know which cherry pitter is best for your needs and budget.

 We have all makes, model s and prices here. Whether you are canning for your first time or in your 50th year of canning; all the supplies you need are here, and at the best prices you will find anywhere!  Scroll down this page for photos, descriptions, prices and ordering information. See this page for Canners (all types). You can find steam juicers on this page and mechanical juicers here!

Everything All can be shipped by a variety of methods, including overnight, if you have a canning emergency!

For more information, and NO obligation to buy, just click on the links in the boxes on the left!

Cherry Pitters for Canning, Baking, Cooking and Eating Fresh

Norpro Cherry Pitters / Stoners

If you have fresh cherries and you want to do anything with them, you will definitely need a cherry pitter or cherry stoner. There are two basic types the hand held one-at a-time design sold in grocery stores, and the much more practical table model shown at left.

 

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