Pineapple is one of the toughest fruit to handle. Learn how to cut pineapple easily and quickly into chunks, spear or rings.
How often do you buy pineapple? Not too often? Weekly twice or thrice? Well for both categories of people, this post is going to be informative and useful. If you do not buy this prickly fruit too often just out of fear of handling this tough fruit, read this post. You would most probably change your mind and buy it more often than ever.
The tropical fruits gains more attention during the summer season when it’s produce is bountiful and people enjoy all the tropical treats made of pineapple. If easy and convenient to buy pineapple all cut and stored in box. But let me tell you, buying whole pineapple not only going to taste better but it’ll save you money.
The sweet scent of fresh pineapple when you cut it is unmatched and incomparable to cut pineapple ready to go. You can easily cut it into cubes, spears or rings. If you planning to juice it for your favorite tropical drinks, you can easily cut into cubes. If you want to grill it, cut into spears or rings.
There are many ways to cut pineapple. This method is the more effective way to cut it without much wastage. It may look a little more complicated and lengthy compared to other methods, but you’ll end up wasting a lot of fruit. If you do not want to waste and throw away half of the fruit, follow this method. Bonus point you get super fancy looking pineapple rings.
Let’s get started.
Make sure you sharpen your knife before you cut a pineapple. You’ll you a good chef’s knife, a small pairing knife and a stable cutting board, preferably a sturdy wooden cutting board.
Pick the right pineapple – it has to be ripe.
How To Cut A Pineapple Without Wastage?
Step 1 – Place the fruit on the cutting board and lay on it’s side. Using a sharp chef’s knife cut off about ½ inch from it’s green crown. Turn the pineapple and cut ½ it from the bottom of the pineapple.
Step 2 – Place the fruit on it’s bottom flat side upright. Then carefully cut off the sides, close to the edges. Run the knife from top edge all the way to the bottom of the fruit.
Cutting close to the edges exposes a bunch of brown dot called the eyes. These eyes are prickly and not edible. And if you look carefully the eyes are distributed in a spiral along the fruit.
Step 3 – To remove the eyes, use a sharp pairing knife. Run the knife close to the prickly eyes making a V shaped cut, keep rotating the pineapple and run the knife in a spiral to remove all the eyes.
Step 4 – It’s ready to be cut into desired shapes. Cut into rings, spears or chunks.
Step 5 – Cut Into Rings: Place the pineapple on it’s side on cutting board. Using chef’s knife cut into rings about ½ inch thick. You can serve these rings as it is to kids. Fun way to eat pineapple. The center core if tough and it’s hard to eat, remove the center core using a small round cookie cutter.
Step 6 – Cut Into Spears: Cut pineapple lengthwise in the middle into two halves. Take one half, run chef’s knife diagonally at it’s core to remove it on one side, turn the pineapple and run the knife again diagonally, thus removing the center core. Cut the halved pineapple lengthwise again to make spears. Insert a wooden skewer in the middle of a spear and use it to grill on BBQ or serve it as it is.
Step 7 – Cut Into Chunks: From the rings – cut the ring into half, remove the center core, slice pineapple into chunks. From spears – cut pineapple spears into smaller or bigger chunks.
Step 8 – Use cut pineapple in salads, making juices and cocktails, in smoothie, in popsicles, or to grill and serve as dessert.
How To Choose The Right Pineapple?
The best way to pick a right pineapple is by smell. Smell the pineapple from it’s bottom, if it smells like sweet then it’s ripe. Also the outer skin and leaves should be firm and have a slight shine to it and with a slight give when you feel the skin. The skin on the pineapple can be golden, green or a mix of both in color.
If it smell fermented, it’s over ripe.
If it doesn’t smell of pineapple it’s not ready to be used.
How To Store Pineapple?
It’s best to use cut pineapple the same day. It’s tastes fresh and better. If you want to stretch the storage, place them plastic bags and store in fridge for not more than 3 days.
If you want to use it in smoothies or other frozen drinks, place in zip lock bags and store in freezer. Can be frozen for upto 6 months.
How To Use Pineapple?
There are endless possibilities on how you can use cut pineapple.
Use frozen pineapple chunks to make delicious pineapple smoothie.
Smaller pineapple chunks can be used to make pineapple fried rice.
Use chunks of pineapple inserted into skewers along with shrimp to make the best teriyaki grilled shrimps with pineapple.
Best way to use pineapple rings to make grilled pineapple dessert in brown sugar rum glaze.
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How To Cut A Pineapple
Equipment
- chef's knife
- pairing knife
- wooden cutting board
Ingredients
- 1 pineapple ripe
Instructions
- Step 1 – Place the fruit on the cutting board and lay on it’s side. Using a sharp chef’s knife cut off about ½ inch from it’s green crown. Turn the pineapple and cut ½ it from the bottom of the pineapple.
- Step 2 – Place the fruit on it’s bottom flat side upright. Then carefully cut off the sides, close to the edges. Run the knife from top edge all the way to the bottom of the fruit.
- Cutting close to the edges exposes a bunch of brown dot called the eyes. These eyes are prickly and not edible. And if you look carefully the eyes are distributed in a spiral along the fruit.
- Step 3 – To remove the eyes, use a sharp pairing knife. Run the knife close to the prickly eyes making a V shaped cut, keep rotating the pineapple and run the knife in a spiral to remove all the eyes.
- Step 4 – It’s ready to be cut into desired shapes. Cut into rings, spears or chunks.
- Step 5 – Cut Into Rings: Place the pineapple on it’s side on cutting board. Using chef’s knife cut into rings about ½ inch thick. You can serve these rings as it is to kids. Fun way to eat pineapple. The center core if tough and it’s hard to eat, remove the center core using a small round cookie cutter.
- Step 6 – Cut Into Spears: Cut pineapple lengthwise in the middle into two halves. Take one half, run chef’s knife diagonally at it’s core to remove it on one side, turn the pineapple and run the knife again diagonally, thus removing the center core. Cut the halved pineapple lengthwise again to make spears. Insert a wooden skewer in the middle of a spear and use it to grill on BBQ or serve it as it is.
- Step 7 – Cut Into Chunks: From the rings – cut the ring into half, remove the center core, slice pineapple into chunks. From spears – cut pineapple spears into smaller or bigger chunks.
- Step 8 – Use cut pineapple in salads, making juices and cocktails, in smoothie, in Popsicle, or to grill and serve as dessert.
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