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There are some fruits that are determined not to be eaten. From the oddly shaped pit of the mango (see How to: Cut a Mango) to the thick skin and pointed leaves of the pineapple, these tropical fruits are as inhospitable as Death Valley in the middle of July. I was always baffled by that skin and those darn eyes that seem to get in the way of the otherwise pristine fruit inside. Should I use a peeler? Should I plunge a knife straight into the center? Maybe I would be better off just throwing the darn thing against the wall – it would just fall open easily, ready to be eaten, right?
Thankfully, I learned that all I needed was a good sharp knife and a little know-how. Lop off the top and bottom of the pineapple, cut off the skin in strips and cut the sweet fruit into rounds for desserts such as Grilled Pineapple with Brown Sugar Rum Sauce or into cubes for a sweet salsa or to top a pizza. Voila, you are ready for your next journey to a tropical desert island (yep, this method works just as well with your trusty machete).
How to Choose a Pineapple:
There are several ways to tell when a pineapple is ready. First, you should be able to smell the distinctive pineapple smell when you put your nose close to the bottom of the fruit. Second, the pineapple should have a small amount of “give” when squeezed gently.
I once learned that you can tell that a pineapple is ready by tugging on one of the inner leaves. If it’s ready, the leaf should pull out easily. However, it seems that this is an old wives tale, so it would be best to stick to the sniff and squeeze methods.
Cutting the Pineapple:
With a sharp chef’s knife cut the top and bottom off of the pineapple. Cutting the bottom allows an even surface so the pineapple rests securely in the next steps.
If you wish, save the top of the pineapple (leaves and all) to use as part of your presentation, particularly if you are serving a large platter of fruit.
The next step is to cut off the skin. Stand the flat bottom of the pineapple on a cutting board. Cutting from top to bottom, remove the skin in strips, cutting deep enough to remove most of the eyes. Continue to turn the pineapple and cut off strips until all of the skin is removed.
Use the tip of a peeler to remove any stubborn eyes (those brown circles).
Cut the pineapple crosswise into rounds of the thickness desired. Using a paring knife, cut around the core in the center of each round. Use your thumbs to pop out the center.
Alternatively, stand the pineapple on its end and cut the fruit off, in strips, from around the core. Chop as desired.
Recipes using pineapple:
Cookin’ Canuck’s Grilled Pineapple with Brown Sugar Rum Sauce
Simply Recipes’ Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Two Peas and Their Pod’s Pineapple Sorbet
Rasa Malaysia’s Pineapple Fried Rice
Cate’s World Kitchen Pineapple-Coconut Cupcakes
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{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve done a tutorial almost exactly like this on my blog…one about cutting a pineapple and one about choosing the perfect one.
It’s amazing how many people have written me to tell me they cleaned their 1st pineapple b/c of my post…which is great. Great that they are no longer paying for over-priced pre-cut fruit that lays around in saran wrap or plastic containers being exposed to bacteria.
Great post, Dara!
Great pictures and tutorial. I usually quarter and core the pineapple before peeling. I’ll have to try it this way next time I cut up a pineapple to make pineapple cookies.
These how to posts are very helpful.
I’ve been told it’s an old wives tale about ripeness with the pulling the top leaf out easily.
Any idea where you heard or, read this?
Phyllis, this method was taught to me by a chef in a restaurant I worked in years ago. I did some checking and it seems that there are some that believe this method is valid and others that agree with you about it being an old wives tale (I just updated the post to make a note of this). Perhaps, then, it would be better to the smell and squeeze tests that I mentioned in the post as well. Thank you for your input!
I live in a big pineapple growing region of Australia and I went to a farmers market soon after moving here and asked, “how do I know which one is ripe?”
The old farmer looked at me and said, “Smell it, does it smell like a pineapple? If it does, buy that one.”
I hate biting into a pineapple that’s not quite ready but is there anything better than a perfectly ripe, sweet pineapple? Not to me.
Good post!
nice job with instructions I have wasted so much until seeing this Thanks Dara~
I never knew the trick about pulling on the leaves to see if it’s ripe…thanks for the tips!
I always use the leaf pull method. I think it really works.
Thanks for the tips! I don’t mind getting a pineapple ready for myself I find it so satisfying to cut and eat one. Yum!
I am one of those who ONLY has my hubs cut a pineapple. My first inclination is to run far away, the next would be to chuck it against the wall. Thanks for these helpful tips – I might just invite you over instead
Another fantastic, informative ‘how to’ article. Thanks Dara!
Great post. I’m not a fan of canned pineapple, but I love fresh pineapple, especially in fruit salads.
Looks great! I know this is going to sound extremely nerdy, but you can also cut out all the eyes following a spiral pattern up the pineapple. The eye placements are based on a Fibonacci sequence, so they do fall in a pattern. Crazy!
Cool, Skylar! I never would have known that. I like that kind of nerdy stuff, too.
I wish I had seen this before I attacked my own pineapple last night. It was ugly. But I won in the end. Buzzed!
I always smell and pull out one of the inner leaves. Works every time for me. My methode of cutting a pineapple is slighly different. Instead of slicing a thick piece of the skin off I just cut enought to remove the green/yellow outside. Then I remove the “eyes”. I described it on my blog under “pineapple the Asian way”. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
Thank, Lilly. Your method definitely produces less waste. Sometimes, however, I don’t have the time to remove all of the eyes by hand, so just slice a little more deeply to avoid that.
My husband works with produce so he always insists that the pulling isn’t a good indicator. On the other hand it hasn’t failed me yet!
I think pineapple a piece of cake compared to mango. I’ve never been a big fan of mango; I always wonder if it’s because that seed (or whatever the heck that mass in the middle is!) is such a PITA!
Now I want pineapple and pineapple upside down cake; my most favorite cake ever.
Pineapples belong to a group of fruit that DO NOT ripen after picking. The plant produces one fruit only from a main stalk. It ripens from the bottom up, so pulling a leaf is no indication. The ‘eyes’ are the best indication of ripeness. Large full eyes (as opposed to small pinched eyes) are better.
Thank you for that information. I had not heard about the eyes being an indication of ripeness.
Great tutorial and awesome photos, Dara!
It was so wonderful to have finally met you at evo and hope we can connect again in the near future, if not, evo’12?!
We love pineapple and buy it quite often. I don’t know if the leaf tip is an old wives tale but I have never found a pineapple which leaves didn’t pull easily although I did have the surprise not to be fully ripen.
Right now I stick with the smell.
I typically buy my pineapples when they are a little green becasue I find the ones that are yellow are too ripe. I cut mine the same way you do, although I tend to use a small round biscuit cutter to remove the core.
I have another great way to core a pineapple.
After you peel and remove the eyes, cut it in half length ways and lay it flat side down. Then cut that into 4 wedges. With each wedge, lay it down flat and cut the edge of core off.
It’s so simple and fast! You can thank me later. =P