How to Cut a Pineapple (and Choose & Grow It)

Pineapples: They’re amazing.  Don’t let that spiky exterior scare you.

How to Choose a Ripe Pineapple

(Holley)  Picking out a pineapple, picking out the right pineapple, can be the toughest part. I didn’t know until recently: once picked, pineapples don’t continue to mature, (like men? kidding… just kidding…).  As they change color on your counter they are degrading or rotting! The color of the pineapple also has no impact on ripeness.  So when you are in the market, how do you know if that gorgeous fruit “eying” you up is ripe for the eating?  If you are lucky enough to live in a tropical region, buy locally!  Here in the not so tropical, try to buy fruit that comes from a region as close to you as possible.

What do you do after that?

1 – Squeeze that pineapple: it should be firm yet give ever so slightly under your press. I have seen a method where you pluck a leaf from the top palm.  If it releases easily the fruit is ripe. But then what the heck do you do with the torn off leaf? I put it in my pocket for later, I’m always looking for good food photo props (again kidding). If it comes off too easily, it could mean the fruit is rotten. ***The Dole website (and they should probably be experts) says this method is not reliable.

2 – It is a good idea to inspect the leaves, green and fresh looking foliage is important. Handle the fruit, the heavier it is the juicier it will be.

3 – Inspect the pineapple skin, wrinkled, orange-ish-brown, cracks, mold, or brown withering leaves should be avoided, these will indicate the fruit is rotten, and spoiling.

4 – ***The bottom “button” of the pineapple is usually the spot I go to. I look like a crazy person sniffing pineapple bottoms, but it’s effective. If it smells sweet like pineapple, we have a winner.  Just watch that the “button” doesn’t smell fermented or acrid. Vinegar or wine smell: *waves hand over your face hypnotically* this not the pineapple you are looking for (Star Wars reference, too much of a reach?).

Now you have picked the one, set a date and bought a dress… nope, that’s not right…now you have purchased the pineapple and brought it home to meet the family, you are ready to carve it. There are a couple methods:

How to Cut a Pineapple

Method 1: Fancy Pineapple Cutter

I love gadgets, so I have this fancy Pineapple Corer. Next, I want a banana slicer; well, someday (you need to check that out). This fancy pineapple corer doesn’t look spectacular until you see what it can do. It peels the inside fruit in uniform curls. It does leave more meat inside than I would like, but then you can make fancy patio drinks in the leftover shell. I have also seen the skin used as a serving bowl. Fancy schmancy! The upside, pineapple is a uniform size and shape. It’s quick and easy, and you are left with a killer patio drink cup!

1. 1. Slice the top off where the pineapple starts to flatten out.
   2. Center the tool over the core.
   3. Apply pressure while turning the tool until you hit the bottom of the pineapple, this part can be quite juicy.
   4. Once at the bottom, gently lift upwards; there will be some suction.
   5. Once removed I just un-click the handle and slide the rings over the top area onto a cutting board or into a container (this will vary depending on your fancy tool).
   6. There will be juice left inside the skin, this is delicious! Add some rum and drink while admiring your handy work. That was easy! Yay you!

      

      

      

      
      

      

      

      

      
      

      

      

      

      
      

      

      
      

Method 2: Knife

Most people aren’t going to have that great tool, so here’s how you do it with a knife:

1. 1. If you don’t have a fancy tool, a plain old knife will do just fine. Make sure it is sharp: you are more likely to cut or injure yourself with a dull knife. A dull anything is never good in my opinion.
   2. Cut the bottom off, straight.
   3. Do the same to the top, you could leave the leaves on and use them as a handle, but I prefer to get them out of the way so I can see where to cut, (or check out the method below for planting your own pineapple palm)
   4. Stand the pineapple up on the cutting board and using a downward motion remove the skin.  I prefer a thin cut to leave as much of the fruit as possible.
   5. Once the main outer area is removed you are left with “eyes” or barbs dotting the fruit.  These are in a diagonal pattern. You can carve them out individually which is painfully time consuming, or you can channel them out in a spiral (see picture).  Look at the creation you have made! It’s beautiful (even if it’s not, I’m sure it’s delicious!).
   6. But we aren’t done yet. Look at the center of the fruit, see that circle? That’s the core, we need to take that out. It is edible, but tough, fibrous and a little woody.  Again, there are a few ways to take that out, the easiest I find is to quarter the fruit (lengthwise) and simply lop off the pointy part, but you can cut into the core in a “V”.
   7. Now you can spear, slice, freeze, dehydrate, or straight-up eat the fruit. Good job, you have mastered pineapple cutting!

Check out our pineapple recipes.

Pineapple Planting Instructions

(Raj) Pineapple plants are beautiful tropical plants (the picture at the top of the page is a plant that I saw in Thailand) which are very easy to grow.  Eventually, you can even grow the fruit!

Option 1

1.     Firmly grab pineapple crown (the spiky leaves at the top) and twist to remove from the body.

2.     Peel off leaves at the base of the crown.  Peel off enough layers so that some eyes or sprouts are visible (1/3 – 2/3 inches).

3.     You can actually just put this as-is into the damp soil (line the bottom of the planter with about an inch of gravel for drainage), remembering to keep this soil moist, and after a few weeks, it will take root.

Option 2  (1st 2 steps as above)

3.     Cut the cone off of the base of the crown.  Cut enough off so that you can see the eyes around the perimeter of the cut.

4.     Plant this into the damp soil (line the bottom of the planter with about an inch of gravel for drainage), remembering to keep this soil moist over the next few weeks.

Option 3  (1st 2 steps as above)

3.     Cut the cone off of the base of the crown.  Cut enough off so that you can see the eyes around the perimeter of the cut.

4.     In a glass or jar filled with cold water, place the base of the crown so that only the bottom 1/4-1/3 inch is in the water (if too much of the plant is submerged, more will just rot away).  Make sure to add water each day as the water level will drop.  If it starts to stink, change the water, wash off the base, and if the bottom leaves are starting to rot, pull them off.

5.     Allow to sit in water for enough time to sprout from eyes (about 2 weeks).  Periodically replace with fresh water.

6.     Plant this into the damp soil (line the bottom of the planter with about an inch of gravel for drainage), remembering to keep this soil moist over the next few weeks.

Notes:

• I have used all three methods successfully, though Options 2 & 3 have given me better results.
• Water weekly.
• It will take some time for the crown to take root, and in that time the leaves will brown and dry out.  It will look dead.  That’s ok.  Right when you’re about to give up on it, you’ll notice some small new leaves pushing up through the middle.  Give it a little more time to become stable, then cut off the dry dead parts.
• It is possible to produce a pineapple fruit in time (starting around 12-14 months) given appropriate temperature and enough sun.  I have not attempted to do this, but I have read that in order to do this you will need to fertilize the plant every 3 months.  The good people at Dole have suggested a method of doing this (their planting instructions are different from mine as well).