How to Pit a Peach

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When fully ripe, peaches are soft and delicate. This trait can make it difficult to remove the pit, as a ripened peach may seem more willing to bruise or even turn into a handful of pulp rather than give up its pit. With the proper technique, however, you can remove a peach pit while leaving the fruit in relatively good shape. The process is similar to that of removing an avocado pit, but requires less force due to the peach's delicacy.

Rinse your peach thoroughly under cool, running water. Dry it gently with a paper towel.

Slice into one side of the the top of the peach with your paring knife until you reach the pit.

Rotate the peach against the paring knife, keeping the knife against the pit, to cut all the way around the peach. The pit should now be the only thing holding the two halves of the peach together.

Cup one half of the peach in each of your hands. Rotate the halves gently in opposite directions, applying as little force as possible. This will separate the halves, leaving the peach pit in one of them.

Gently cut beneath the top and bottom of the peach pit with your knife to begin to separate it from the half of the peach that is holding it. Slide your thumb tip under one of the loosened pit ends and gently pry it upward to remove it from the peach.