Perfectly cut a Pineapple

Fresh pineapple is a household favorite around here and we have it as often as possible.  It is downright hilarious to watch my kids and husband all stare at it, with drool dripping, waiting for me to cut it for them.  Pineapple is one of those things that seem to confuse a lot of people.  How do you cut it?  What do you do with the top?  Do you eat the core?

While we were making homemade pizza recently I asked my hubby to give me a hand while I was rolling out the dough.  I tasked him with cutting up the fresh mozzarella and the pineapple.  He quickly chopped up the mozz, then looked at me like I was insane when it came time for the pineapple.  “I don’t know how to cut this,” he said.  So for him, for you, for all of us, here is what I have found to be the easiest way to perfectly cut a pineapple.

I like to wash my pineapple with my organic fruit wash before cutting into it as I don’t want the blade to get dirty and in turn dirty the fruit.  Using a large knife, cut off both the top and bottom and discard.

Stand the pineapple on end, with the bottom on the cutting board, and cut down the sides in sections.  Try not to cut straight down, but instead curve your cuts with the shape of the fruit (the most flavorful parts of the fruit are those closest to the skin, so you don’t want to cut too much!).  Also, try to make sure that you are cutting as many “eyes” or brown spots as you can without removing too much of the fruit itself.  Sometimes I go back in with a small knife and remove each one separately.

Next, cut the pineapple into four sections around the core.  Tip: don’t throw away the core, that is where most of the nutrients are.  Cut it up and freeze it to use in smoothies.  It will hurt your mouth if you try to eat it as is, but throw it in the blender and it’s perfect!

Above you will see my first two sections, and below all four, plus the core.

Now just lay each section down on the cutting board and slice in quarters lengthwise (you may need more or less, depending on how big the piece is and the size you want your chunks to be), then chop 1 inch pieces.

Yummy!  I am off to reap the rewards and enjoy this perfectly cut fresh pineapple.  And you’d better believe that I will bookmark this post for my hubby so he can cut up our pineapple on our next pizza night.  🙂