How to cut pineapples

Pineapples are not only delicious when eaten alone as fresh fruit, but they are also excellent additions to sauces, smoothies and juices. Slicing up your own pineapple should only take a few minutes.

Tools

• Paring knife
• Cutting board
• Fruit/ vegetable peeler

Materials

• Ripe pineapple

Instructions

Buying pineapples

1. Pick a ripe pineapple. To know that the pineapple is ripe, hold the pineapple and pull out a centre leaf. If the leaf comes out easily it is ripe and ready.
2. Place the pineapple in a refrigerator for about 30 minutes, upside down. Leaving it upside down will allow the sugars settled at the bottom of the fruit to run down throughout it.

Cutting pineapples

1. Take green leaves off the top by twisting it off with your hand.
2. Cut approximately ¼” off the top and bottom ends.
3. Go around the pineapple shaving the skin off the sides with a sharp knife.
4. Take the edge of a vegetable or fruit peeler to get out the brown spots around the pineapple.
5. Place pineapple chunk on its sides and cut evenly into slices of your preferred thickness.
6. If you prefer, cut out the centres by lying slices flat on a cutting board and using a paring knife to cut around and along the line in the centre.
7. If done properly the centre will pop out.

Tips and warnings

• Before peeling, pineapples are best kept cool but not in the fridge.
• After peeling, place pineapples in an airtight container and store in the coldest part of the fridge.
• Chop up leftover pineapples into small pieces and store in freezer. Add frozen to other fruit and blend to make a great smoothie or use frozen as ice cubes in cool summer time fruit drinks.