This $8 Kitchen Tool Makes Cutting Strawberries And Other Fruits So Much Easier

May is typically when fruits and vegetables like strawberries, cherries, and tomatoes are at their peak ripeness in the United States. However, these foods have something else in common besides being popular: They all have stems that need to be cut out in order to be eaten. This summer, instead of a using knife to cut this part out and potentially hurt yourself, try using a strawberry huller.

A strawberry huller is a small kitchen tool that helps destem more than just strawberries—it can also be useful on many types of vegetables and other fruits. People often opt to use a paring knife to cut the stem out of food, but this method can be less efficient and potentially dangerous. As opposed to a knife, a huller has a button at the top that will open the claws at the other end when you push down on it. Once they’re open, you can insert the claws into the food you’re trying to destem. When you release the button, the claws will close around the stem inside the food. This function makes the tool more precise than a knife when trying to destem a fruit like a strawberry.

The Chef'n Original Stem Gem is one of Amazon’s bestselling strawberry hullers and can be used on strawberries, as well as tomatoes, carrot tops, potato eyes, and more. This particular tool is an excellent addition to any kitchen because it can cut down on food waste and only costs $8. If you like cooking with children, this gadget is safe for them to use in addition to being dishwasher safe. Whether you’re a DIY jam enthusiast or enjoy eating seasonal foods, this huller will make chopping fruits and vegetables a quick task.

With more than 11,000 reviews and a 4.6-star rating on Amazon, the Chef'n Original Stem Gem has helped many people over the years. One customer has discovered that it’s useful when working with mini bell pepper tops. “I found that digging in pretty close to the stem is effective. You can vary how wide the teeth open by [how much] pressure [you apply] on the button on top,” the reviewer wrote. Another person found that this huller reduces food waste. “Because I don't want to waste any of the berry by cutting the stem end, I [used to wait until] I had the energy to cleanly cut them out. Other hulling tools were not very effective. The Stem Gem is sharp and easy to use,” the shopper wrote. 

Check out the Chef'n Original Stem Gem strawberry huller on Amazon ahead of the summer crop harvest.