Strawberry Stem Remover

It’s summer and that means strawberry season.  Finally!  Sure, the Argentinian berries are big and admittedly blemish-free, but there’s something much more endearing about the ruby red, wild strawberries we discovered at the Greenmarket this week.  Besides, we prefer to eat local when we can.  The only problem is just how tiny these are.  Try to pull the stem off with your bare hands and you’ll bruise your precious berries.

We found an alternative — the Chef’n Stem Strawberry Stem Remover ($7.95).  This adorable device, which happens to look like a strawberry lets you remove the stem while leaving the berry perfectly intact.  It beats  standing over a cutting board, chopping the top of each itty bitty berry and inevitably wasting half of the sweet goodness.  It couldn’t be easier to use: Just insert the stainless steel claw into a berry and twist. And you can use it to core tomatoes, too.   Simple and stylish, which is just the way we like it and dishwasher-safe to boot.