Pineapple is a universally loved flavor in desserts and drinks. While the fruit is an awesome mix of tangy and sweet, it’s also a great source of fiber, vitamin C and antioxidants. Moreover, it is cholesterol free.
There are so many reasons people love to relish in its exotic taste with gusto, but only if someone else prepares it. Hardly anyone wants to be the one responsible for peeling, cutting and serving it.
Peeling a pineapple can be like a stone-in-the-shoe situation. Its thick outer layer makes the task messy and complicated. Then there are people who can cut a pineapple like butter (remember the famous Indonesian pineapple seller video on YouTube?).
What if there was a simple yet effective method to cut and serve a pineapple in no time without creating much fuss? Here are two ways to do just that.
Method 1: Using a Pineapple Peeler/Corer
Things you’ll need:
- Pineapple
- Chef’s knife
- Pineapple peeler/corer/slicer
- Plate for serving
Step 1. Cut off the head and base of a pineapple
Place the pineapple on its side on the cutting board. Use the chef’s knife to cut off the head of the pineapple, at least 1 inch below the top.
Keep in mind that the edge of the knife must be sharp so that you get a clean, flat cut on top.
Now, cut off the base of the pineapple in a clean, flat cut parallel to the top cut, about 1½ inches above the base.
Step 2. Peel and core the pineapple
Place the pineapple in an upright position and put the peeler/corer on top of the pineapple so that the hollow center of the peeler is right above the tough core and their edges align with each other.
Insert the peeler/corer into the pineapple and rotate it in a clockwise direction.
After a while, you will see that the flesh is completely free from the outer skin. Keep rotating until you reach the bottom of the pineapple and you feel the flesh is free to move.
Carefully pull the peeler/corer with the pineapple on it away from the outer skin. You will see the flesh is collected around the center in spiral slices.
Step 3. Serve the pineapple
To serve the pineapple, you’ll have to remove the handle from the peeler/corer. Near the top of the corer, you will see two black knobs jutting out from diametrically opposite ends. Press them into remove the handle.
Carefully remove each piece of the spiral-cut flesh from the corer and put them on a plate. It is now ready to serve.
Method 2: Using a Chef’s Knife
Things you’ll need:
- Pineapple
- Chef’s knife
- Paring knife
- Plate for serving
Step 1. Cut off the head and base of a pineapple
Place the pineapple on its side on the cutting board. Use the chef’s knife to cut off the head of the pineapple, at least 1 inch below the top.
Keep in mind that the edge of the knife must be sharp so that you get a clean, flat cut on top.
Now, cut off the base of the pineapple in a clean, flat cut parallel to the top cut, about 1½ inches above the base.
Step 2. Cut off the outer skin
Place the pineapple in an upright position on one of its flat cut ends. Using the chef’s knife, begin cutting away the outer skin.
While cutting off the hard skin, make the peel as thin as possible since the outermost flesh of the pineapple is sweeter than the inner part.
Slice it off from top to bottom along the curve of the pineapple to retain the most amount of flesh.
Try not to remove the brown eyes just yet, as in doing so you might remove a lot of ripe flesh.
Step 3. Remove the eyes
Now you have flesh with a lot of brown eyes. There is a wonderful method that will not only efficiently remove the eyes from the pineapple, but also increase its aesthetic value for serving.
Notice the pattern of brown eyes in a pineapple looks like a swirl or they align diagonally from top to bottom. You can check their alignment with your knife, too.
Use a paring knife and make a V-shaped cut (like a groove or wedge) in the flesh of the pineapple along the diagonal alignment of the brown eyes.
Repeat the process for all the eyes. Try to take out as many eyes as possible with each cut.
As a result, all the eyes will be removed and your pineapple will appear quite beautiful.
Step 4. Cut the pineapple
Cut the pineapple in half by slicing it from top. Slice each half in two parts, so you end up with four parts.
Hold each quarter in the upright position and cut off the center core pieces by placing the knife half an inch away from the core and parallel to the outer edge.
Removing the center portion is completely your choice, as it is an edible part of the pineapple. It is a bit tough to chew but rich in antioxidants.
Step 5. Serve the pineapple
Slice each quarter into pieces. Place those slices collectively on a plate. Push the consecutive pieces in opposite directions with your fingers to create a unique presentation.
Serve and enjoy your pineapple.
Additional Tips:
- Use a sharpened Chef’s knife as the skin of pineapple is quite hard.
- While selecting the pineapple, its distinct aroma will tell you whether it is fresh or not.
- Another way to check a ripe pineapple is the color texture- lemon yellow at the base and it turns to green as you move up.
- The core of the pineapple may be hard but it’s rich in fiber and antioxidants.
- You can use its juice to marinate tough meat but don’t keep it in the meat for a long duration.
- You can use a cooked pineapple to make gelatin desserts.