How to Pit Cherries

Cherries are scrumptious. They are sweet and juicy, but the pits can make it difficult to enjoy a lot of them at once. Spitting out the pits is one option, but there are other ways to get the pits out-especially if you need a lot for baking. Read on to learn how to pit cherries.

Things You'll Need

• Small paring knife
• Cherry pitter
• Metal paper clip

Instructions

Using a Knife

1. Wash the cherries.

2. Remove any stems.

3. Use the small knife to cut the cherry in half.

4. Pull the pit out with your fingers.

Using a Cherry Pitter

1. Wash the cherries.

2. Remove any stems.

3. Hold the pitter in your hand so the disc-like portion is on the bottom, with the spike on the top.

4. Place the cherry on the disc-like portion.

5. Squeeze the pitter so the spike goes through the cherry. The spike forces the pit out.

6. Make sure the pit comes out.

Using Martha Stewart's Method

1. Get a clean, metal paper clip.

2. Unfold the paper clip so that it looks like an "S."

3. Wash the cherries.

4. Insert the curve of the paper clip through the top of the cherry. Which side of the paper clip you use, the larger or smaller half of the "S," depends on the size of the cherry and the size of the paper clip. It may take a few tries to figure out what works best for you.

5. Twist or wiggle the paper clip to loosen the pit.

6. Pull the pit out. The stem comes out too.

Tips & Warnings

• If you only want to remove the pit and leave the stem intact, insert the paper clip through the bottom of the cherry and then pull it out there.

• Cherry pits can be poisonous to pets, so dispose of them carefully.

• Always check to make sure the pit comes out.