Pineapple is something many people are often afraid to buy whole in the store. They are used to the overly sweet pineapple chunks or rings you get in a can that you grew up on as a kid. But when they start eating healthier or going vegan they might pick one up and sigh “Where do I even start with this thing? It’s so big and prickly and I don’t know how to cut it properly!”.
Not all pineapples come with instructions on how to cut it either!
Fear not, here is a video demonstration I did in my kitchen to show you how I cut a pineapple and how to tell if your pineapple is sweet and ripe.
There are many many ways to cut and serve pineapple, this is just one of them.
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How To Cut and Select A Pineapple
I don’t always cut my pineapples meticulously, but this is the way to do it if you want to get the most out of your pineapple or make it look pretty for serving.
You can also use a pineapple slicer, but honestly I’ve just found them to be so messy and sometimes they shred the pineapple and/or don’t fit the pineapple and it’s either too big or too small for your pineapple. And at the end my counter is covered in pineapple juice and it’s very sticky when it dries!
If I’m in a rush, I will basically cut off all the sides of the pineapples and instead of cutting out the eyes at an angle I will just cut straight down and shave off more of the flesh until the eyes are gone. This is a little more wasteful, but sometimes our pineapples are so big that we don’t miss the little extra bits.
You can freeze any leftover pineapple in bags in the freezer, or use in fruit salad for the next few days, or to put in smoothies.
How Do I Know If My Pineapple Is Ripe?
The best way to check if your pineapple is ripe is to turn it upside down and smell the bottom of it and see if has a fragrant smell. Often the bottom or the whole pineapple will be a yellowy golden color. Although color is not the definitive guide to telling if a pineapple is ripe, I have found that yellow pineapples seem to be a bit sweeter and less acidic than hard green pineapples. And BTW pulling a leaf from the inner section of the pineapple is NOT an indication of ripeness. That means absolutely nothing! LOL.
How To Ripen a Pineapple?
Pineapples generally take about 2 years to grow and aren’t exactly a fruit, they are a bromeliad, and they have been bred to be edible. Pineapples ripen from the bottom and don’t really ripen much more once they’re picked. BUT there is still some enzyme activity going on and you can make your pineapple a little bit sweeter. Turn your pineapple upside down on your counter for a few days and the enzymes from the bottom of the pineapple will trickle down into the top of the pineapple and it will change your pineapple and make it a bit softer and sweeter all the way through. This is a trick I just learned and I thought it was so cool I’m going to do this from now on. Softer sweeter pineapples also seem to be less acidic so they won’t hurt your tongue as much after eating a few pieces.
What do you like to do with your fresh cut pineapple?
Dear Veronica,
When I am in the mood to buy the whole pineapple I usually buy three or four al large as possible. Most of the time the store that I go to sells it by the pineapple and not by the pound, therefore it is cheaper to buy the larger one. I buy them when they are still a little green. I cut the top and bottom off, stand it up on the cut-off bottom and cut down the sides making sure to cut off the eyes. Then I pick it up in my left hand and cut out the eyes that I may have missed. I then put it on the bottom again, go the core and cut it out in four cuts. There will be four sections from the cut sides that I will need to make smaller. What I have done many times is dehydrate it by cutting it into slices three eighths thick to lay on the tray. I own a Nesco dehydrator, actually I own two. The slices are usually an inch to an inch and a half long, half an inch to one inch high and three eighths thick and roughly in a trapezoidal shape when I lay them on the dehydrator. I also eat some of raw.
Thank you for your wonderful site.
William
hi l am not complete vegan but l have been watching & trying your e.mails and recipes with a lot of interest
l am slowly getting there but after a life time of eating various meals which at the time seem to be the norm l am slowly changing but not over night so keep up the good work and l will try my hardest to see if the changes to my diet are getting the results though l am diabetic and have to watch blood sugars etc
You stated this tip in your blog, but I want to repeat and STRONGLY suggest that you turn the pineapple on it’s head (with the leaves intact) for 1-3 days until the ripeness from the bottom travels to the top. The pineapple is 100x sweeter.
Once you do this, you will never not do it.
Yaaaaay!! I’ve been sniffing the bottoms of pineapples for many years now. People have said to pull a leaf to see if it comes out easily, but I always looked at the bottom. They often are moldy, or squishy looking, and smell overripe or there is no smell at all. Like one of the other posters, I don’t fuss over a few eyes left on, but generally speaking I’m the only one who eats my pineapples anyway. And no one will notice if there’s an eye or two in the fruit salsa.
I’m so glad I found your blog – I’ve expanded my horizons even as my dietary restrictions expanded, and I still eat great food that’s nutrition dense.
I love to minced candied ginger over slices–infuses a complimenting flavor.
Hello from Pennsylvania, Veronica,
I have just recently decided to buy fresh pineapple and have found your video very timely, and a wonderful help in understanding everything I need to know. Kudos! Hopefully I will not need to buy canned pineapple ever again. What a difference in the taste!
Thank you for all your informative emails,
Patricia
I really enjoyed your video, very informative! I had no idea about the acidity and salt reaction.
OH , dear V eronica … its a Wonderful Technic . Accurate .
First , You cut the Leaves .
Then You cut the Bottom and Top .
Then , the ‘ Skin ‘ .
Then the Eyes .
Then You cut it slowly ,
step by step
till You get it OK to be cutted into Pieces .
So , its easier then to serve it ! To make use of it ! If One has Guests … Great .
I dont eat Pinapple , because , even the Sweet Parts of it ,
make my Tongue , my whole Mouth , including Lips , burn .
Even hurt , by the Way .
BUT to do it , as You do , to others , to Friends ,, for Instance … I think is Great .
Thank You !
Teresa ***
I use a tomato reamer to remove the eyes. It goes very quickly and you don’t lose a lot of the fruit.
Hi Veronica, greetings from Iceland!
When I lived in Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore I learned from the locals not to cut off the leaves first but to use them as a handle. Try it, it makes cutting the pinapple so much easier. You use the “handle” to turn the pinapple as you are cutting the eyes off. It also makes it much easier to cut the slices and once they are all cut off you are left with the “handle” in your hand. 🙂
LoVe Pauline
Yes I have seen them do this when they are cutting it while holding it and they don’t have a table. Sometimes they are a bit prickly and not fun to hold though.
Thanks! I learned some new things! 🙂
If your pineapple is not super ripe the core can be pretty acidic as well. Pineapples ripen from the bottom up, so I prefer to not eat the very top and the core at the top as it’s very acidic and sometimes sour.
I LOVE that you’re so into the details like that Veronica! I always note these little things down (if I don’t already know them)… Actually, I didn’t think there were too many like me who were so anal about such little gems of info 🙂 I guess it means we end up experiencing extra special taste sensations, which I don’t mind at all!! 🙂
I try to imagine every recipe is the first time someone is hearing about it, quite often people looking to lose weight or get healthy are unsure of making new kinds of food especially vegan ones. 🙂
Wonderful video!! You can also try taking the eyes out using a potato peeler. Although the core is more fiberous it does contain bromelain so I leave it on my slices. Right now I am making my morning smoothie – fresh pineapple, carrot greens (about 3 cups), one apple, 1/2 banana, 1 inch of fresh ginger. The combination of the pineapple and ginger is super tasty! Enjoy
thanks veronica, it’s really helper
Nice Veronica! 🙂
I found the pineapple video very interesting, thank you Veronica.
A beautiful day here, Timaru NZ,
Thank you Veronica, the pineapple video was most helpful
as I did not know how to really choose a ripe one except by
the fragrance.
Many thanks,
A beautiful Autumn day in Auckland NZ.
Margaret