How to Cut a Peach So That the Pit Slides Out Cleanly Every Time
Summer is the best time of year to add juicy stone fruits like peaches into your rotation. They’re light, refreshing, and absolutely delicious, However, I don’t know about you, but whenever I’m trying to cut them up and incorporate them into my cooking, I get frustrated trying to pit them without accidentally cutting myself. (A trip to the emergency room is hopefully not on the docket this summer!) Luckily, one chef and recipe developer came up with the perfect solution for how to cut a peach and get that pit out without any fuss.
This quick trick from Holly Haines will take you less than a minute, and you won’t make a mess while you’re doing it. When you’re ready to chop your peaches, instead of cutting down that obvious seam on the side, which most of us do (guilty as charged!), you’re going to turn the peach sideways and cut around it in a line perpendicular to that seam. Haines refers to this as slicing through the “equator” of the peach.
Once your fruit is sliced in two, turn the two sides in opposite directions so that they break apart into two pieces, similar to what you’d do with an avocado. Then, for the side that has the pit in it, cut perpendicular to the seam again around the entire piece so that most of that pit is exposed. You’ll be able to wiggle it out of the remaining peach flesh without much of a struggle. And then presto, you’re done! Consider your peach pitted.
Haines’s trick can also work for other stone fruits, like plums, nectarines, and even large cherries if you need it. It’s just nice to know that there’s an easy way to do this that won’t result in a mess you have to clean up later — or potentially slicing your own fingers in the process.
