DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say that apples don’t really have cores. Papa says, ‘If you see it in THE SUN it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth; do apple cores exist?
Virginia H.
New York, New York
Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the gullibility of a gullible age. They believe anything they see on YouTube. Seriously, Virginia, these friends of yours? You could do better. Did you know that Stevie wets his bed at least once a week? And Johnny picks his nose and eats the boogers when he thinks no one is looking? Do you have any idea what Sally and Jane have been saying about you behind your back? But you didn’t ask about your so-called friends; you asked about apple cores, and you deserve an answer.
Yes, Virginia, there are apple cores. They exist as surely as the Farberware Classic Apple Corer exists, or the OXO Good Grips Apple Corer and Divider, and you know these gadgets are real because of the joy they bring on those rare and wondrous occasions when someone uses one to make a pie. Imagine how dreary the world would be without apple cores. There would be no Norpro 5103 Stainless Steel Apple Corer with Plunger, no Amco Dial-A-Slice Adjustable Apple Corer and Slicer, no R & M Industries 5920 Apple Peeler / Corer / Slicer. There would be no Apple Core Removal Technology industry at all. Do you have any idea, Virginia, how many factory workers and engineers would be out of work if there were no apple cores? Or, for that matter, if people stopped believing in apple cores? Is that something you want on your conscience?
Not believe in apple cores! You might as well not believe in Santa Claus. You might slice an apple crosswise and see no evidence of a core, but what would that prove? Have you ever seen the Tooth Fairy? Of course not, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t exist. How else would you explain the fact that every time you leave a baby tooth under your pillow at night, it’s gone the next morning, replaced by a shiny new coin? This could only be the work of the Tooth Fairy. Or possibly the Tooth Alchemist, who transformed the tooth into a coin and then just left it there, possibly in an attempt to free the Tooth Fairy from her crippling addiction to human teeth. We’ll probably never know the details, Virginia, but the point is that even though no one has ever seen either of these entities, we can be confident in the knowledge that they exist and that they skulk around your room at night, searching for body parts.
Apple cores exist, Virginia, and they always will. Rejoice in the knowledge that you were right and your friends were wrong. You should celebrate! Eat an apple! But watch out for the core — you wouldn’t want to chip a tooth.
Unlikely Explanations 
Perhaps Virginia can learn about apple cores the way I did. By having her mom slice the apple in two along the diameter — showing the star in the center that is either the core or the star guiding Virginia to the baby Jesus.
Now I really wish I’d written this post in time for Christmas.
Further proving that I’m a sucker for a link, I checked out every product in your post. All apple corers! Did Santa bring you one for Christmas?
No, but I did bake an apple-based dessert for Christmas.
Actually, after it was in the oven (so, too late to try this), I read about an apple-coring method that looks really easy and non-wasteful — cut the apple in half and use a melon-baller to scoop out the seeds.
Um, if you’re looking for an apple corer, you might ask Michael for advice. Back when I bought the house in the apple orchard outside of Yakima he gave me an apple corer for a housewarming present. Of the ones you’ve listed in the post it looks most like the R&M one, same idea, except I think mine was a more industrial-looking model.
Please don’t tell him that I spent the next eight years feeling guilty because I never used it, and then I gave it away (to a co-worker who said she could use it in her church kitchen) when I moved to Alaska.
Gail
I remember that one! And I remember thinking it was the perfect gift, because you had so many apples that you’d surely use it all the time.
I never knew such an industry existed. Yes, I’ve heard of apple corers before, but I had no idea there were so many of them! Bless my innocent heart and naive understanding of the world…
There’s a huge variety, but I was disappointed to find that there aren’t any electronic apple corers. Even the Focus Electrics 11508 / Apple Corer turned out to be an ordinary manual corer.
Uh-oh. I think I ate somebody’s job just an hour ago.
How do you sleep at night?
Like an overworked sleep-deprived baby.
Next, I hope you’ll explode the myth that potato skins are edible.
Actually, they are, once they’ve been properly deep-fried and topped with cheese and bacon.
Lol, Lol and Lol. Potato skins are amazing. I even had squash skin the other day oven baked. I probably wouldn’t try it again!
http://myfroley.blogspot.com/
I’ve never heard of eating squash skins like that. I’m glad you survived.
Howdy, stranger! I was convinced that an electric apple-corer had been discovered under your Christmas tree until I saw one of the comments. My favorite apple corer is still a small knife -is that wrong?
All the cool kids are using melon ballers, but I think that if you use the same knife to peel the apple, you’re okay.
Someone just asked me for a link to your blog and I came to find it. Lo, and behold, I’m not getting your posts in my reader. Harumph.
I hope no one ever comes up with an avocado pit remover. I have a crippling addiction to those.
There’s this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGd6GfHG77I
Then you can slow-cook the pit by itself, if you like.