How to... Cut a Pineapple

Ever went to cut up a pineapple and found you weren't quite sure where to start? Or ever cut up a pineapple into perfect dice only to bite down into a hard piece because you didn't realize pineapples had cores? This how to post is for you! Even if you're just looking to fine tune your pineapple cutting skills to become more efficient, have a look at the step by step photos for some ideas on how to improve your chopping skills.

First off, be sure to pick out a ripe pineapple. Lots of the pineapples at the grocery store won't be ripe enough to be sweet and delicious for eating. So, be sure to choose your pineapple carefully. The best tip I ever received for picking out a ripe pineapple: choose a pineapple where the middle stalk pieces pull out very easily. If they do, its ripe and ready to eat!

Next: start out with your sharpest knife (make sure it's big enough) and a nice big cutting board. Slice off the top of your pineapple. Then flip it around and slice off the bottom as well so you have a nice flat surface to work with.

 Then stand the pineapple up on end and use your knife to slice off the skin, removing as little of the flesh as possible. Slice strips off all the way around the pineapple until it is completely peeled. You can use a melon baller or the end of a potato peeler to pick out the divets (the little brown spots) if they bother you!

 In the photo below, note the 1" circle in the middle of the pineapple. This is the core of the pineapple - it is hard and not very pleasant to eat. It runs all the way down the pineapple in the middle. In the next steps be sure to be mindful of where the core of the pineapple is.

Next, slice the flesh off the pineapple off on either side of the core. Set the two pieces of flesh aside for now.

Then with the remaining piece of pineapple, slice the flesh of the pineapple off, leaving the core behind. Discard the core. Take the pieces of flesh you've carefully carved away from the core and dice them into bite size pieces. Enjoy them on their own, put them in fruit salad, or make this healthy Pineapple "Ice Cream".

Hope you learned something during your visit today! If there's something you've been wanting to learn how to do in the kitchen, please leave me a comment and I will try to feature it in a future How to... post. :)

 Happy cooking my friends!