If the olives are plump, large and contain small stones, these can be removed with a machine made for the purpose (Fig. 63) or with a tube from a column box, but generally the meat is cut off in spirals around the stone by means of a small knife. After the stone is removed, the olives resume their former shape, then plunge them into boiling water, and take them out again at once; they must be blanched without boiling.