Cherry Pitter

{image via Imapix on Flickr}

It's cherry season!

These fleshy, sweet little bites are perfect for snacking, baking and for use in salads and sauces as well.  Their season is short, so I like to have them on hand and use them whenever possible. 

But I'm tired of pitting them.  Let's shop for a new pitter, shall we?

How about this one, courtesy of Williams Sonoma?

It's made by OXO, retails for $13 and pits olives too. 

Then there's the Cherry Chomper. 

Cute, kid-friendly, affordable at $9.99, and confines the mess to a small area. 

Or, there's the Cadillac of cherry pitters, the Cherry-It Pitter.

This one pits four cherries at a time, and captures the pits in a handy little compartment below.  It even comes with a fancy colander!  It'll set you back $15 but save you loads of time.

If that was the Cadillac, then this one from Sur La Table is the Bentley.  Made for high-volume use, the Leifheit pits 26 pounds of cherries in one hour.  I'm speechless.  At $29.95, it's sort of a bargain.

So many choices.  Or, I could just use a knife.  But where's the fun in that?