If you remove the pit from a peach, you usually destroy the flesh. However, with the right methods, it is possible to avoid this to a large extent.
Peach stone removal depends on how ripe the fruit is. Where:
➭ If it is overripe, the flesh will be very soft. It is then often squashed when removing the core and the juice escapes. This is not a problem with jam and other dishes that require peach puree.
➭ Unripe peaches, on the other hand, are very hard. Removing the stone is all the more difficult. Only a sharp knife and a little patience will help here.
➭ When the peaches are medium ripe, they are usually the easiest to process.
It makes sense to pay attention to the ripeness of the fruit when you buy it. If you already know in advance that the core should be easy to remove, it is best to only use fruits that are medium ripe. You can usually recognize these by two characteristics: a pleasant and aromatic scent and its colour. It then no longer has any green spots.
How to remove the core easily
❍ Method 1 - Untwist Removal
One of the easiest ways to remove the stone in a peach is by what is known as "untwisting". To do this, proceed as follows:
Step 1:
Dry the washed peach and place on a cutting board.
Step 2:
Use a small, sharp knife to cut the peach all the way around, down to the pit.
Step 3:
Now turn both halves against each other. It is important that you do this carefully. In many cases, the core falls out by itself. If not, go to step 4.
Step 4:
Gently try to remove the core with your fingers. If necessary, the tip of a knife can help to separate the pulp from the stone.
When removing the core, be careful not to injure yourself. Because the stone often also has sharp edges that cut into the skin when it slips offcan.
❍ Method 2 - Cut the peach into pieces
For some peaches, the above method only helps to a limited extent. Here the pulp is so firmly attached to the core that it cannot be removed with a knife. In this case, the only thing that helps is to cut the peach into several pieces. This means cutting it in half first, then quartering it and then eighthing it.
This method is particularly useful if you have to chop the peach for further processing anyway. For example, if you want to make your own peach liqueur or try out a peach smoothie recipe.
❍ Method 3 - Use apple prick
The above method works quite well for round peaches. However, if it is a flat peach, it is not so easy to quarter or eighth it. However, it has the advantage that its core is usually a little smaller. In this case you can use an apple prick to help. Thanks to it, you get relatively evenly sized pieces even with a flat peach.