Perfectly Peeled and Pared Pineapple

Well, I bought another pineapple, and as promised, I’m going to show you how to prep it. I’ll be honest, I used to be pretty intimidated by whole pineapples. So much so, that I refused to buy pineapple that wasn’t already processed for me. I know they make tools that are supposed to make it “super simple”, but I just don’t have room for something like that. A few months back, I had some incredible pineapple on a buffet. Then, I came across some pineapples at the store that smelled amazing, so I just decided it was time to get over my fear and dive it. Turns out, it couldn’t be easier!

To pick a good pineapple, try to find one that has a fair bit of yellow on it, but even more importantly, smell the bottom of it. If it’s ripe, it will have a wonderful pineapple aroma. Lay your pineapple on its side and cut off the top.

Turn it around and cut off the bottom.

Now you have a flat surface for it to stand on.

You should be able to see a line of eyes around the edge. Place your knife behind one of those and slice all the way down.

If there are still eyes or seeds, make another thin cut in the exact same place until it looks like this.

Now place the knife behind the next row of eyes and slice all the way down again.

Repeat until you’ve gone all the way around the pineapple.

Now, cut vertically, straight through the middle of the core.

Two perfect halves.

Now take each piece and cut it in half.

Nothing too difficult yet, huh?

Place your knife just above the core and cut at a 45° angle to the board.

Don’t throw the core away though. Pineapple Sweet Tea is to die for!

I like to just cut each quarter in half lengthwise and then slice pieces that are something like ½ inch thick.

I have discovered that fresh pineapple is fabulous with vanilla yogurt. Seriously, if you haven’t tried it, do. The yogurt really mellows the acidity and the whole things just becomes sweet, fruity, creamy deliciousness. For yogurt, I prefer smaller pieces, so I cut each piece into the quarters and then slice.

So there you have it. It literally takes about 5 minutes and you have pineapple for snacking, for yogurt, and a core for making pineapple water, or even better, Pineapple Sweet Tea. As a bonus, I’ve been finding pineapples consistently for around $3, which makes it way cheaper than the already processed stuff.

What kind of produce are you intimidated by?