How to Pick, Cut, & Serve a Perfect Pineapple

If you've only tasted pineapple out of a can, you don't know what you're missing.

Fresh pineapple is a wonderful treat for your family and will please your pickiest guest when you entertain.

These simple steps will help you select, cut, and serve your fresh pineapple just like a pro!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Fresh pineapple
• Sharp knife
• Vegetable peeler
• Dishwashing gloves with ridges on fingers
• Pineapple corer (optional)
• Small round cookie cutter (optional)
• A bit of patience
• Large plate or cutting board

1. Picking the perfect pineapple is easy. Look for pineapples with a pleasing shape. Do you want to serve it the same day you buy? If so, make sure the body of the fruit has a uniform yellow/gold color. If you sniff the fruit, it should smell sweet.
   If you plan to serve the pineapple later in the week, it's OK to buy a pineapple that's green. It should ripen well on the kitchen counter.

2. 

   Before cutting into your pineapple, make sure it's fully ripe by CAREFULLY reaching into those sharp green leaves on top. The tiny leaf in the very center should pull out easily.
   
   Rinse pineapple thoroughly before cutting to avoid contaminating the fruit with bacteria/germs from the exterior!
   
   Put on a pair of dishwashing gloves (the kind with ridges on the fingers) to prevent your hands from slipping while cutting the pineapple.
   
   Cut a thin slice off the base of the pineapple and cut off the top. Remove the rest of the skin by cutting strips.
   
   You can get rid of the brown "eyes" by using the tip of a vegetable peeler.
   
   Use a pineapple corer (if you have one) to remove the core. If you don't have one and want to cut rings, just slice the pineapple into even pieces and use a small round cookie cutter to remove the core from each slice.
   
   If you're just going to serve pieces of pineapple, the easiest way to remove the core is to slice the pineapple in half (from top to bottom) and repeat the process with both pieces. Then, just use your knife to slice off the core.
   
   Cut your pineapple as desired and enjoy. Place any leftovers in an airtight container and plan to use within the next day or two.

3. For a fancy way to serve fruit salad, here's an alternate way to cut your pineapple. Cut off the base and the top (save the top!)
   
   Do not peel the pineapple. Just carefully cut around the outer edge leaving about an inch of pineapple on all sides. Remove the pineapple and cut/core as indicated in step two.
   
   Refrigerate your cut pineapple and the outer shell/top you plan to serve your fruit salad in. Prepare your favorite fruit salad recipe.
   
   Just before serving, place the base of your pineapple into a bowl. Fill the pineapple with fruit salad. You can either place the top of the pineapple back on or display it next to the salad.

Tips & Warnings

• A perfectly ripe pineapple is juicy. Be sure to frequently pour off excess juice from your cutting board or plate to prevent a slippery accident. Save the juice to keep stored pineapple moist.
• Planning to grill outside? Put a few slices of pineapple on the grill or add cubes of pineapple to kebobs. The natural sugar caramelizes to create a totally different taste sensation.
• Add pieces of pineapple to your favorite chicken salad or tuna salad.
• Instead of throwing away the core, use it to flavor water, tea, or orange juice.
• If you're planning to serve fresh pineapple to guests, always buy an extra one just in case something goes wrong with the first one!
• NEVER try to use fresh pineapple in a gelatin-based recipe! The enzymes will keep it from ever jelling. Canned pineapple works fine for recipes like this.