Perhaps the most annoying part the tomato is the core. It takes up such a small part of the tomato but it needs to be removed if you plan on using fresh tomato in your cooking.
While cutting the core out with a knife is east enough when coring a couple of tomatoes, it can quickly become a major time waster if you need to prepare bulk amounts of tomatoes.
Perhaps you stumbled across boxes of tomatoes for cheap or maybe your garden gave you a generous amount of home-grown tomatoes this season. Whatever the reason – if you are faced with preparing bulk amounts tomatoes for pasta sauce, salsa stew, freezing or canning then a dedicated tomato coring tool can really make your life easier.
A tomato corer is a simple tool that allows you to quickly and simply remove the core of a tomato with a flick of your wrist.
Unfortunately, not all tomato corers are created equally. Lucky for you, we have done the hard work to separate the best corers from the ones that downright suck.
But before we show you our top picks, let’s quickly run through the correct technique when using a tomato corer.
How to use a Tomato Corer
1. Get into position – Set the teeth of the scoop against the skin of the tomato. The teeth should rest right where the core finishes and the soft flesh of the tomato starts.
2. Pierce it – Press down on the tomato corer until the teeth of the scoop puncture the skin of the tomato.
3. Twist It – Move the corer in a circular motion so that the teeth of the scoop slice through the flesh and around the core of the tomato.
4. Lift it – Scoop the core right out of the tomato. The core should lift out without any effort.
The above steps should all be completed in a single motion. It may take a few tomatoes before you get the hang of it but eventually you will be coring like a pro.
Below you can see the end result – The tomato with the core completely removed.
Much easier than making multiple slices with your knife.
We found that the scoop-style tomato corers worked best. Little more than serrated scoop attached to a handle, the simple design was surprisingly effective.
Some people refer to this style of tomato corer as a tomato shark. This is because the round serrated teeth resemble that found in the mouth of a shark.
Let’s take a closer look at some of out favorite scoop-style tomato corers.
Norpro – Best Corer for Large Tomatoes
Affordable and effective, the Norpro performed exceptionally well when removing the core from larger tomatoes.
The main reason for the great performance is the large head. No tomato corer we tested had a bigger scoop area than the NorproCorer.
Couple the large head with sharp teeth that cut rather than tear and you have the ultimate solution for coring those big monster tomatoes.
The only downside is the workmanship. While the corer was solid and lasted well through a box of tomatoes, it just feels a little cheap. But at least this is reflected in the price.
It goes without saying that this tomato corer is unsuitable for smaller tomatoes. When our testers attempted to use the Norpro on cherry tomatoes the scoop not only removed the core but half the tomato flesh with it.
Gefu Picco 13740 – Best Corer for Small Tomatoes
If you are looking for a solution for smaller sized tomatoes like cherry or plum or grape tomatoes then you really can’t go past the Gefu Picco Corer
The sharp teeth easily tear through the waxy skin of the tomato, removing the core without any difficulty. The workmanship is solid and the metal head showed no sign of bending, the thick stainless steel neck saw to that.
The curved handle was perhaps the most comfortable we found on any tomato corer. The shape was comfortable to grip with both small and large hands.
Scoop-style Tomato Corer Runner-ups
But it was not all good news for the tomato corers we tested. The following fell short in one way or another.
Comparison Chart
Messermeister Pro-Touch Tomato Shark – We were excited with Messermeister’s decision to use a large rubber handle. The non-slip easy to grip handle would have earned this tomato corer first place if the metal that made up the scoop and neck was thicker. The corer did not get halfway through a box of tomatoes before the head began to bend. While it was possible to bend the head back into position, it kept bending back rendering the corer unusable. Unfortunately the large handle on this corer is still the best solution if you have arthritic hands.
Joi Stainless Steel Huller – The small handle was too slippery and difficult to hold when coring tomatoes. The Joi Huller is much more suitable for strawberries, which required less pressure to hull.
RSVP Endurance Tomato Huller – The sturdiest all-metal tomato huller we tested. Unfortunately the thin metal handle dug uncomfortably into our testers hands after two dozen tomatoes. The blades are also on the dull side yet they were still capable of removing a tomato core without squashing the flesh. It just required more effort.
Update international Long Tomato Stem Corer – There was nothing redeeming about this tomato corer. Uncomfortable to hold, the metal used was thin and bent easily, the serrated teeth were blunt and the hole at the bottom of the scoop had a sharp bur that was capable of scratching the skin. And to top it all off it’s just as expensive as our top picks. Not recommended.
Kuchenprofi Stainless Steel Tomato Corer – Another poor performer. While the Kuchenprofi Corer is the best looking tomato corer we tested it fell short when it came to performance. The steel easily bent where the neck meets the handle and the blades dulled quickly. Halfway through a box of tomatoes the teeth began to mangle the tomato rather than slice through it.
Profreshional Tomato Corer – PROfreshional showed us why none of the other brands use plastic scoops. It just doesn’t work. The large handle is well designed but the plastic scoop was too blunt to effectively cut through waxy tomato skin.
Fox Run Tomato Core-it – Another waste of money. The plastic handle bends when you apply pressure preventing the head from properly slicing around the tomato stem. Holding the handle closer to the neck so that the handle didn’t bend just resulted in the head bending instead. Avoid this corer.
Chef’n Hullster – Best Claw-style tomato corer
We recommend claw style tomato corers with reservations. When they work, they work incredibly well. However they were much more difficult to clean and we have concerns as to their over-all durability.
Despite these shortcomings, the Chef’n tomato hullster is incredibly fun to use. Simple open the claws, push the corer into the tomato and remove it.
The serrated edges on the claw of the Tomato Hullster tear through the waxy skin of tomatoes without mashing the flesh.
How to use the Chef’n Tomato Hullster
Line it up – Position the claw just above the core of the tomato.
Open it – Press the button down on the rear of the corer to open the claws
Stab It! – Push the open claws into the skin, releasing the button on the as you push.
Pull it – With the claws wrapped around the core of the tomato, give twist and pull the Chef’n Tomato Hullster in a single motion. The core will lift right out of the tomato
Release it – Press the button on the rear of the corer to once again open the claws. Empty the core of the tomato into the trash and repeat on your next tomato.
Claw-style Tomato Huller Runner Up
Oxo Twist and Pop Huller – While the OXO huller may have exceeded the competition when hulling strawberries, it was much less effective when it came to removing the stem and core of tomatoes. The claws struggled to twist through the tougher skin found on tomatoes.
Note: The tomato corers listed in this review are suitable for home-use only. We did not explore tomato corers that would be suitable for a commercial kitchen.
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