While TikTok has its share of pet videos and dancing teenagers, it can be a great source of information on many subjects. A simple search will uncover a section called #CookTok, where home cooks can find recipes, drool over food porn, and discover new tools to make cooking easier. Spending time on TikTok will convince you there’s no shortage of gadgets to help make things easier in the kitchen, complete with links to sites like Amazon to facilitate your purchase. But, is a specialized tool necessary?
For anyone who’s ever tried to remove a pit from a slippery ripe peach, you know it can be a problem — no one wants the tiresome task of doing it by hand. Thankfully, a clever TikTok user found a solution to making this time-consuming chore effortless — but you can’t find her favorite gadget for this job at the kitchen store or your favorite online retailer. This tool may be as close as your neighborhood hardware store or toolbox.
Intrigued? So was culinary superstar Padma Lakshmi.
Padma Lakshmi is no stranger to the culinary world. She is the author of six books, the host of Bravo’s “Top Chef,” and the producer of Hulu’s award-winning show, “Taste The Nation” (per her website). Padma Lakshmi’s accomplishments could fill a book, so you notice when a TikTok video gets her attention.
The original 15-second TikTok video, recorded by user @LoriWoosley, demonstrates Lori’s clever method for de-pitting a peach using needle-nose pliers. The video shows her at her kitchen sink simply taking a clean pair of needle-nose pliers, inserting them into the bottom of a peach, twisting, and pulling the pit out. The entire process takes mere seconds with very little fruit left on the pit.
Padma Lakshmi was so impressed when she saw this video that she took to her Instagram page to test this simple but ingenious timesaver telling her followers, “It works! Thank you, TikTok!”
Bon Appétit gives a nod of approval to this technique as well, writing that the method is especially helpful with clingstone peaches since the pits adhere more tightly to the flesh of the fruit with that type of peach — hence, the name clingstone — but it also works well with the less clingy freestone variety. The outlet recommends trying the needle-nose plier method to remove the pit from the peach’s cousin — nectarines, too.
If you find yourself with a bumper crop of peaches or you’re cooking for a crowd, using the needle-nose plier method is an excellent way to make short work of the tedious task of pitting peaches. If removing the skin from that fuzzy fruit after you’ve pitted it is a challenge, we have a few peach-peeling tips.
Anything that gets warm, delicious peach cobbler to your table easier and faster gets our approval.