How and with what can you easily peel cherries from stones?
Cherries and sweet cherries are quite common among lovers of berries, delicious and beautiful pastries, jams, compotes, as well as among people who care about their health. However, the bones inside the pulp prevent you from fully enjoying the delicacy. Therefore, the issue of their extraction is relevant from year to year. In this article, we will reveal the most convenient methods for obtaining juicy berries without a significant investment of time and effort.
Reasons for extraction
First of all, many housewives seek to clean the pulp for safety reasons. This is due to the fact that the cherry stone contains a toxic substance - hydrocyanic acid. An overdose of this poison in most cases entails a deterioration in the state of the body, up to severe poisoning. In addition, there is a risk of choking on a bone (especially for young children).
It is worth noting that the presence of a stone in a cherry or sweet cherry makes it difficult to enjoy these berries. Spitting out or removing it with your hands is not very convenient and, all the more ugly.
When preserving cherries as jam or compote, keep in mind that by removing the seeds, you will extend the shelf life of the product by at least 2-3 times.
Peeling a cherry and getting a stone is not difficult at all, given all our recommendations.
Removal methods
To date, a huge number of methods have been developed for extracting seeds from cherries or sweet cherries. However, each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. Below we consider the most popular methods, as well as special equipment that will help you enjoy your favorite berry.
Extraction of bones with the help of hands (fingers)
In this case, they take the cherry in their hands and pull out the bone, opening the flesh with their thumbs. This method is the easiest, does not require special skills and equipment. It is worth noting that this method is the slowest, the cherry becomes unattractive, and the hands and surrounding objects become dirty and sticky from the juice.
Using a sewing pin
This method will save you time and allow you to keep the juiciness of the berries. To do this, insert the pin with the lower end into the area of the handle, pick up and remove the bone. Similarly, you can also use wire, a hairpin, or a regular paper clip. However, this method is only suitable for a small amount of cherries (or sweet cherries).
If several buckets of berries are to be processed, a more serious approach is recommended.
The use of a special device for extracting bones
In most cases, this device is equipped with a hole on one handle, and a pin on the opposite. When the handles are squeezed, the pin is pressed on the cherry, as a result of which the stone comes out of it. This method is certainly optimal, but just like the previous one, not suitable for a large number of berries.
Use of bottle and stick
If you need to process fairly large fruits, then this method will definitely suit you. First of all, you should find a bottle with a narrow neck and a stick (not thicker than 5 mm). Then place the berry on the neck (handle up) and pierce it with a stick. As a result, the bone will be inside the bottle. It is worth noting that any other container can be used in the same way (for example, a mayonnaise bucket or an ordinary jar).
Application of tweezers
In this case, it is necessary to pierce the cherry, grab and remove the bone, which is also quite inconvenient. As a result, you will get ugly berries, dirty hands and a lot of wasted time.
The use of machines for extracting stones
This equipment will allow you to process a significant amount of berries in a short period of time. In most cases, these machines are made from food-grade plastic. They consist of a container where cherries (or sweet cherries) are placed, a special container for the extracted seeds, as well as a chute along which the peeled berries are moved to a pre-installed dish.
In order to bring the mechanism of this device into action, it is necessary to press the handle - the piston. It is worth noting that there are machines that allow you to remove several bones at once. Such an apparatus will allow you to process a bucket of cherries in just half an hour. In addition to this berry, machines are also capable of processing olives. At the same time, the cost of the device is relatively small - within one thousand rubles. It depends on the complexity, the principle of operation of the device, as well as on the manufacturer.
Despite the obvious and significant advantages, the use of this equipment has some disadvantages.For example, for more efficient operation of such a machine, you need to learn how to pierce a cherry strictly in the center (otherwise the bone will remain in place). Also, sometimes you have to move the berries along the chute with your hands. And the peeled pulp has holes on both sides, which implies a loss of juice and an unpresentable appearance.
Industrial equipment for peeling berries
Such units have a high cost, impressive dimensions and are used exclusively in large enterprises. In this case, the cherry is placed inside a large chute, in which it is distributed in a row. Then the berry is fixed on a rotating drum. The bones are removed by special metal rods moving synchronously with the cherry. The amount of processed products in this case can reach ninety kilograms per hour of work.
Everyone has the opportunity to build a machine for removing cherry pits on their own using improvised means. The principle of operation of such devices, regardless of the objects used, is similar to the operation of a ballpoint pen. The main criterion for the design of a home-made apparatus is the use of materials that do not corrode. Otherwise, your device may spoil the berry and become unusable very quickly.
As an example, we will describe the easiest to manufacture device for extracting bones. To assemble it, you need to purchase a regular syringe and stationery gum. It is recommended to choose a syringe based on the size of the berry.
First you need to get rid of the spout and make a hole for the bones (about 1 cm). For cherries, a square is cut out in the very body of the syringe (about 1.5x1.5 cm).Next, it is necessary to remove the rubber element from the piston and sharpen it with wire cutters (while making the tip in the form of a cross). The length of the sharp part should be about 2.5 cm. Then a hole is made in the rubber cuff, which should pass the end of the piston.
This detail is also needed so that the cherry does not slip and does not drive into the cylinder. A clerical gum folded several times acts as a spring mechanism in this device. It must be fixed at the top of the syringe so that when the piston is installed, it passes through this gum, and a slight resistance is created.
Inserting a cherry into such a device is advised with the handle up. And the effectiveness of this device can reach about a kilogram of berries in half an hour.
Thanks to the variety of methods and devices for peeling cherries or cherries, you can choose the best option. Below we will look at automatic pitting machines in more detail.
The principle of operation of devices
An automatic cherry peeler is used to process a small amount of cherries, usually at home.
It was mentioned above that such machines are made using food-grade plastic, which determines their environmental safety and eliminates the possibility of poisoning with toxic substances. Also, the obvious advantages include the compact size of the device, its low weight (about 400 g), as well as the strength of the structure. Even your child will be able to extract the bones from the cherry, since this device is very simple and quick to assemble, and the sharp parts are hidden in the inside of the unit. Such machines are produced both in our country and abroad.
Consider the elements that are included in the package of this design.
- Bone container. It is equipped with special suction cups made of rubber, which ensures ease of use, as the unit will not slip on the surface. And the transparency of the container will allow you to control the process of filling it.
- working mechanism. The appearance of this element resembles a syringe containing a metal nozzle.
- Lid. This element includes a special hole for the extracted seeds, as well as an inclined recess for filling with cherries, and a chute along which the peeled berry descends into the prepared container.
The principle of operation of this machine is to push the pits out of cherries (or sweet cherries) using a special nozzle equipped with a pump mechanism. As a result of one movement of the hand, the cherry bone will be in a special container, and the peeled berry will roll into your dishes.
General rules for extrusion
Before starting work, you should assemble the machine.
Step by step process:
- insert special silicone gaskets into the lid;
- close the pit container with a lid;
- place the base of the lever in the hole;
- install a work item in it.
After assembly, the machine is installed on the work surface using vacuum suction cups. Then, the pre-washed berries are poured in portions into the tray located on the lid, and the piston is pressed. At the end of work, you should free the container from the bones, wash all parts of the machine (this can be done not only manually, but also with a dishwasher) and dry. Remember to put a protective element on the metal rod. This machine takes up very little space, so you can store it in your kitchen cabinet. It is very easy to remove the bone with its help.
Removing a stone from a cherry or sweet cherry is a long, painstaking and not very interesting process. However, modern technologies, as well as your ingenuity, will certainly help in this difficult task, saving a significant amount of time and effort.
But do not forget that even the most proven methods and devices sometimes fail. Therefore, before eating a berry, check it for seeds, otherwise you risk breaking a tooth or choking.
4 ways to get a stone from a cherry, see the following video.