Pineapple grows well in the volcanic soil of Costa Rica and Hawaii, but it originally came from Brazil! We are HUGE fans of this tropical fruit that tastes like sunshine and sandy beaches. Paul lived in Costa Rica for two years and we like to visit as often as we can or travel to Hawaii for family vacations. But whenever we are hankering for sundrenched shores, we find that cutting into a pineapple brings back those great memories! It’s fantastic served with our favorite easy fruit dip or as a dipping option for fondue or a chocolate fountain.
Picking a Pineapple
We visited a pineapple plantation on Maui and our guide told us there were three main ways to tell whether a pineapple is ripe: by its leaves, giving it a squeeze, and sniffing it for a sweet pineapple aroma.
Leaves: If you tug on one of the leaves from the center of the pineapple’s crown, it should come right out if the pineapple is ripe. If the leaves stick fast then the pineapple might not be quite ready to enjoy. Turns out I have had much better luck picking a deliciously ripe and sweet pineapple ever since I started employing this useful bit of advice and it’s not something I saw in other tutorials.Squeeze: Another test you can use when you are looking for a pineapple at the store is to go ahead and give it a little squeeze around the middle. Try to pick out a pineapple that is firm with a little give. It shouldn’t be rock hard or too soft.Scent: You can also give the pineapple a sniff. A ripe pineapple will usually smell sweet and, well, ripe, whereas an unripe pineapple might not have much scent at all and an overripe pineapple might smell sickly sweet or syrupy from fermentation. Color is deceiving: Although we think of a golden brown pineapple as perfectly ripe, even green pineapples can be ready to eat, so don’t rely on look alone when picking out a pineapple.
How can I tell if a pineapple is ripe?
It’s harder to tell ripeness just by looking at a pineapple because a pineapple can be ripe even if the shell is green on the outside. But generally speaking, you should look for leaves one the crown that are green and not wilted and skin around the pineapple that is green to yellow-ish brown without gaps between the scales where an overripe pineapple starts to wither.
How to Cut a Pineapple Into Spears and Chunks
Slice off the top crown and bottom base of the pineapple – Use a large, sharp knife and a sturdy cutting board on a flat, stable surface. Lay the pineapple on its side and slice about an inch below the crown (the leafy green part of the pineapple), then turn it around and do the same thing to cut off the bottom part of the pineapple. Stabilize the pineapple by holding it with one hand while you slice with the other. Cut off the tough outer skin or rind – Once you have a flat, stable base, you can stand the pineapple up with the freshly cut top or bottom touching the cutting board. While holding the pineapple steady one hand, use the other to slice away strips of the spiky, hard skin that surrounds the pineapple. Follow the shape over the pineapple rather than just doing a straight vertical cut if you can. It’s usually just about ½ inch of touch skin that is being sliced away. Try not to go so deep that you are sacrificing a lot of the fruit, but deep enough to get most of the tough brown spots called eyes. If you find that there are a lot of eyes left, you can trim them away with a knife until you are left with a clean golden column of juicy fruit! Cut the pineapple in half through the core – While the pineapple is still in the same vertical position, slice all the way through to cut the pineapple in half through the core. This is the safest approach because the pineapple still has a nice stable base so it won’t roll around like it would if you turned it on its side. If you want to cut your pineapple into rings, you could turn it on its side and slice 1/2-inch rings at this point. Quarter the pineapple – Lay the two pineapple halves flat on your cutting surface with the flat side down and slice each of them in half again vertically from the rounded outer edges right through the core. Remove the core – Use your knife to slice off the triangular tip of core in the center of each quarter piece of pineapple. I have found that the safest approach is to stand the pineapple quarter on one of its flat top or bottom surfaces and slice down, removing a triangular piece of core. Cut into spears – You’re almost there! At this point you will have four large sections of pineapple that you can cut into spears. Depending on how thick you want your spears, you can get 2-3 of them from each pineapple quarter. These are great for making grilled pineapple! Cut into chunks – If you want easy to serve pineapple chunks for enjoying immediately on its own, adding to a salad, freezing for smoothies, or using in a recipe like pineapple salsa, just cut the spears perpendicularly into chunks and you’re done! Voila, a big bowl of juicy, golden pineapple chunks ready to share for a delicious breakfast or afternoon snack!
How to Cut a Pineapple Into Rings Without a Pineapple Corer
If you happen to have one of those handy pineapple corer tools, you can follow the instructions above for slicing off the top crown and bottom of the pineapple, then slicing off the outer skin. Then you just stick the corer tool right down through the pineapple to pull out the core. But since we don’t have one and I don’t need one more gadget or tool thing to fill my already overflowing kitchen drawers, here’s how I get pineapple rings without a pineapple corer or other special tools beyond the round cookie/donut cutters I already have on hand. And if you don’t have the big circle cutter, you can always just slice the skin off as shown above and then cut the pineapple into discs from there. Lots of options here to make it work! Slice the pineapple into discs – Once you have cut off the top and bottom of the pineapple, slice it into 1/2-inch discs by holding the pineapple steady with one hand and using the knife with your other. Depending on the size of your pineapple and how thick you slice it, you will probably be able to get anywhere from 6-10 pineapple rings from each pineapple. Cut the discs into circles to remove the skin – Use a large round cookie or donut cutter to punch out the pineapple ring from the tough outer skin. I have a graduated set of circular cutters and they come in handy for so many things! I usually use either the largest or second largest cutter in my set to remove the outer skin, although you could also trim it away using your knife if you don’t have one of these cutters. Remove the core – Now I just switch to my smallest circular cutter to punch out the core in each pineapple discs and ta-da! You’re left with beautiful, fresh pineapple rings! These are great for making pineapple upside down cake or a pineapple baked ham.
Tips for Success
Use a good, sharp knife. I typically use a large, sharp chef’s knife to cut our pineapple, but a serrated knife will work too.Pick a good one. It should smell sweet and pineapple-y, have a good color, and a firm (not too hard, not to soft) feel when squeezed. Don’t leave the eyes on. The brown eyes that you might see after cutting off the skin are technically edible, but not very good, so be sure to remove those with a paring knife.
More Pineapple Recipes
Better Than Take Out Chinese Sweet and Sour PorkPineapple Poke CakePineapple Upside Down CakeTropical Pineapple Sponge Cake
Instead, scatter the pineapple chunks on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper so they are in a single layer. It’s best if the pieces aren’t touching each other either or they will freeze together. Freeze for 2-4 hours until solidly frozen, then transfer the frozen pineapple chunks to a resealable airtight bag or container for longer term storage up to 12 months. Using this approach makes it so you can just grab a handful of pineapple chunks whenever you need them to throw in a smoothie rather than having them freeze together in a brick. It’s the same way I like to freeze bananas, strawberries, rhubarb, and raspberries and it’s a great way to save fruit that you thought you might eat but didn’t get around to before it starts going bad. Nobody likes food waste!
Lemon Pineapple Jell-O with Pineapple Whipped Cream Topping
Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken Skewers
Pineapple Coconut Muffins
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