Cutting fresh pineapple yourself is so easy, in fact, you may soon find myriad reasons to make your favorite fresh pineapple recipes, from Pineapple Caramel for ice cream to Maple Glazed Salmon with Pineapple. If you’re a fan of smoothies, you can save money by buying fresh pineapple, cutting it up, and then freezing it for your fruity beverage. Fresh pineapple, once cut, will last in your refrigerator for about 5 days, and one large fruit will make about 8 cups of chopped pieces.
Best Tools for Cutting a Pineapple
Before you get started learning how to cut a pineapple, you need to make sure you have tools ready for the job. These gadgets are essential:
a large chef’s knifea paring knifea large, sturdy cutting board
How to Tell When a Pineapple Is Ripe
A ripe pineapple is firm, but not hard. A warm golden yellow color appears beneath the brown skin. Now give it a whiff. A ripe pineapple smells fresh but not overly sugary. The leaves in the crown should also be vibrant green with few gray or brown spots. If the pineapple is spongy to the touch or feels “heavy” at the bottom," it may be too ripe.
How to Cut a Pineapple
Alternative Methods for Cutting a Pineapple
If you want to cut a pineapple into rings instead of pieces, you’ll need to try a different approach. It’s easy, but it requires a few more cuts.
Tip: Don’t Toss That Core
Pineapple core is too hard to eat, but you can use it to infuse water.
