Our favorite way of pitting an avocado calls for inserting a chef's knife into the stone of the halved fruit and twisting the avocado's base to remove the pit. If you're wary of the knife's sharp blade, however, try a waiter's corkscrew instead. The tool securely (and safely) hooks into the pit and it can then be easily pulled out.

Kitchen Hacks

To celebrate the publication of our latest book, Kitchen Hacks: How Clever Cooks Get Things Done, we're giving you a sneak peek at a few of our favorite kitchen quick tips. The book is packed with more than 1,000 solutions to tricky kitchen challenges, including these helpful holiday hacks.