The Basics Series: How to Cut a Pineapple

Cutting a pineapple can seem a bit daunting at first, but it really couldn't be easier! Your first step is picking out a ripe pineapple at the grocery store. To find out if a pineapple is ripe, simply smell it. If it smells sweet like pineapple, then it is ripe. If it doesn't smell like anything, it's not. Yes, you will look silly smelling pineapple after pineapple at the store, but there is nothing worse tasting than non-ripe pineapple. If none of the pineapples seems ripe at the store, no problem. Pick one out and let it sit on your counter for a few days to ripen. Be careful not to pick out a too ripe pineapple. If the pineapple is too ripe, it will feel squishy, it will look discolored and will smell a little boozy.

How to Cut a Pineapple

First things first, lay the pineapple on its side and chop its top off with a very sharp, large serrated or chef's knife.

Turn the pineapple around and chop its bottom off.

Place pineapple right side up. Cut the skin of the pineapple by sliding your knife as close to the skin as possible. Don't worry if you have remnants of the skin left on your pineapple, you can trim those off later.

Once all the skin is cut off, find the core of the pineapple. It's the circle in the middle of the pineapple.

Cut off the side of the pineapple, running your knife right along the core.

Repeat this process until all the sides are cut off. Throw the core away or save it for juicing, if that's your thing.

Place your pieces of pineapple, flat side down.

Trim any remaining pieces of skin.

Slice the pineapple lengthwise (sorry for the blurry picture, I must have had shaky hands).

Then, slice horizontally. Repeat this process with the rest of the pineapple. Slice them to whatever size you want.

Throw cut pineapple in a bowl or serving dish. It will keep in the fridge for a few days, or if you have fruit crazy toddlers, a few hours.

You can throw the skin, tops, bottoms and core in the trash or in compost bin. If the top looks good, I will sometime use it as a decoration on a fruit tray. I have also read you can juice the skin and core, but I have never tried it. We usually give our fruit/veggie scraps to our chickens, but pineapple is not a favorite of theirs.

Troubleshooting

The pineapple was not ripe when I bought it either because they did not have any ripe pineapples or I did not want to look like a crazy person smelling pineapples. I have read that pineapple does not ripen once it's picked. Tell that to the many pineapples I have let get too ripe on my counter and they would tell you different. If there are no ripe pineapples at the store, pick the ripest one and let it sit on your counter for a few days until it passes the smell test. No one will think you are crazy by smelling the pineapple in the privacy of your own home, so you should be in the clear.

The pineapple was not ripe and I already cut it. Well, you can let it sit in your fridge for a few days and see what happens. You could also try mixing the cut pineapple with pineapple juice, but pineapple really doesn't ripen further once it's cut. So, if the pineapple doesn't ripen further in the fridge use it for smoothies and start over.

The pineapple was too ripe. Well, if the pineapple is too ripe you really only have two choices, either turn it into moonshine or toss it. If you turn it into moonshine, send some my way.