This OXO Tool Pits Cherries in Seconds Without the Mess

Cherry season is undeniably one of the best parts of summer, but enjoying them means taking time to remove the stubborn pits first. And when faced with a large bowl of cherries for snacking or baking, the task can quickly become frustrating without the right tool. 

After years of digging out pits with a sharp paring knife, which was tedious, messy, and dangerous, I finally got my hands on a safer alternative, OXO’s popular cherry pitter tool. It allows me to pit cherries in one simple motion, and without getting juice all over the counter or my clothes. 

Although I don’t use it year-round, the 6 x 3-inch OXO cherry pitter takes up so little space in my kitchen drawer that I don’t mind; the handy locking mechanism simplifies storage even further. The design features a soft, non-slip grip for comfort and added safety, and the removable splatter shield keeps your surfaces safe from cherry juice. It also works for pitting olives. 

I’m not the only one who’s fallen in love with this handy gadget—it’s been purchased over 10,000 times in the past month at Amazon. Shoppers praise its effectiveness, durability, and ease of use, despite its limited uses. “I have a general rule against ‘single-purpose’ kitchen tools,” said one shopper. “If you like cherries, though, I think this tool is worth an exception.”

Many home cooks use this tool to quickly pit, freeze, and store cherries, since they’re often sold in large quantities at the grocery store. “Way better than pitting by hand,” said another fan. “I often buy a bag of cherries and don’t eat them all fresh, and this makes it super easy to pit and freeze them for a later treat.” Others praise the tool’s efficacy compared with other cherry-pitting methods. “Last summer, I used the steel straw from a drink tumbler to pit cherries. Never again,” said a third shopper.

It’s also a productive tool for parents with fruit-loving children, as one reviewer noted. “Why didn’t I get this sooner? My toddler was eating cherries faster than I could get the pits out. This totally solved my problem and saved a ton of time.” 

If fresh fruit salad, baked cherry desserts, and other cherry-forward recipes are the highlights of your year, you won’t regret adding this OXO Good Grips cherry pitter to your kitchen. Find more tools to make the most of seasonal produce below, including food storage containers and clever gadgets. 

Shop More Fruit and Vegetable Tools at Amazon

At the time of publishing, the price was $15.