You can grill pineapple into a caramelized dessert, toss it into a spicy salsa to serve with seafood or pork or use it in an upside-down, sticky pineapple cake. Or think about adding pineapple to a smoothie, make an ice cream or a skewer with meat, chicken, fish and vegetables and fruits. One thing is for sure, pineapple knows how to steal the show. Read on and you see how to get past that spiky exterior and enjoy the tropics at home. Once you master a few simple steps, you will not buy the canned version ever again or even the pricey pre-cut tubs you find at the grocery store.
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What is a Pineapple?
A pineapple is a tropical fruit from the Ananas comosus plant that is part of the Bromeliaceae family. It has a very familiar shape and sweet taste, and I think we can all easily recognize a pineapple. Did you know that this fruit is in most languages called an ananas and that a pineapple is botanically classified as a multiple or a collective fruit. That is a type of fruit that is derived from a cluster of flowers.
Pineapples do not grow in tree, but they grow on plants, low to the ground. The first time I saw a field of pineapple plants, I was unimpressed. The fact that they were not in bloom may have something to do with that.
While a pineapple is often thought to be Hawaiian, it is not native to the islands; it origin is in South America. Pineapples are commercially grown in South, Central and North America, as well as Asia and some African countries. They don’t like extreme hot climates, and take more than 1 year to ripen and be harvested. A harvested pineapple does not ripen any further, so when they are unripe in the grocery store, they were cut before their prime.
When we cut a pineapple, the 3 major parts are the core, the flesh and the eyes. Each eye or section on a pineapple’s surface is an individual fruitlet that developed from a flower.
The core of a pineapple is edible, but it is is harder and more fibrous than the flesh and thus a little harder to digest. Pureeing or grating it is an easy way to use it, like in breakfast bowls, smoothies etc.
When Is a Pineapple Ready to Eat, aka Ripe
The characteristics of a ripe pineapple may vary from one fruit to the next, but in general, these are the tells.
- It feels heavy for its size.
- The base/bottom has a sweet smell. If you experience no smell, keep on searching for that tropical aroma.
- Most ripe pineapples show more yellow than green-gray as their color. The crown should look green and firm, not wilted away.
- A ‘ready-to-eat’ pineapple is firm, but gives way to slight pressure with your fingers.
How to Cut a Pineapple
I’ve been guilty of buying tubs of pre-cut pineapple and most of the time, I was disappointed. Disappointed because they were not cut the way I wanted, and not very juicy. Resulting in me reworking every piece.
Why You Should not Fall for Buying Pre-cut Fruit
- It is not convenient – if you have to work on each piece to make the work for your recipe.
- It takes about 5-10 minutes to cut your own pineapple, anyway you want.
- It is not difficult to cut a pineapple – Read on. If you how to use with a sharp kitchen knife, you will master cutting a pineapple the first time you try.
Step 1 – Place the pineapple on its side on a cutting board, using a sharp knife slice off the crown and the base. Cut close to the leaves and cut about 1/2-inch from the bottom.
Step 2 – Cut the skin/peel/rind off the pineapple, following the contour of the fruit. Start thin, to avoid you’re cutting off too much. You can always make a second round. If there are stubborn eyes, use a small knife or melon baller to cut them out.
Step 3A – If you want to end up with rings. Place the peeled pineapple on its side and cut slices to your preferred thickness. Use a cookie cutter (the size of the core) to cut out the core.
Step 3B – You need spears, or chunks for your recipe. Cut on either side of the core, so you end up with 3 pieces. Two half moons without a core and one piece that consists of the core with flesh on 2 sides. Cut that flesh away from the core and all that is left is a clean core and spears. Leave as is or cut spears in chunks.
Alternatives to step 3B are:
- Cut the cleaned pineapple in quarters and cut off the core, which is the pointed side. Then you can cut the quarters in spears and/or chunks.
How to Store a Pineapple
- Store a whole pineapple in your kitchen on the counter for a couple of days.
- Store a cut pineapple in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3-5 days.