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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Please click below to watch my video on youtube:
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?