One of our favorite spring and summer treats is fresh pineapple! I love picking a pineapple up at the grocery and bringing it home to cut up. For years, I avoided those gorgeous, prickly pineapples because I had no idea how to cut them. One day, I just decided to grab one and give it a try, and there were directions on the tag that was attached to the pineapple. It is so easy, and takes minutes! Today, I'm going to show you how to cut a pineapple into chunks in minutes!
First...buy a ripe pineapple.
How can you tell if your pineapple is ripe you ask? Simply tug gently at one of the middle pieces of the stem...if it comes out easily, your pineapple is ripe!
Now, lay your pineapple on its side and cut the bottom and top off.
Now sit your pineapple up on your cutting board...cutting the bottom off will keep your pineapple from wobbling while you cut it.
Now, cut the skin off by slicing downward in strips all the way around.
Next, cut the fruit off leaving the core in the middle. I usually cut the right and left sides first, then trim the remaining pieces away from the core. (The core is the middle part that is really tough and not yummy.)
This is what you should have when you are finished cutting the fruit away from the core.
Now just slice those pieces lengthwise, then cut into chunks!
Now they are ready to eat as is, make pineapple salsa with or cook on the grill, which is my favorite!
I love to serve mine with my Fruit Dip! You can find that recipe, HERE!
Chelsea says
That's how I do it! I love fresh pineapple! so yummy!
Tressa says
I have a pineapple corer which is so easy to use then trying to peel the hard peeling off it. Works great! Has anyone else ever used one save a lot of time trying to peel that prickly pineapple and dig out the spots that always remain in the fruit. Just a suggestion as someone might like to try one. I use mine all the time and love it instead of using a knife. thanks.
Judy says
To make pineapple rings I follow the same preparation part but cut into slices instead of dices. To remove the core I take use a bottles my pills come in press it in the pineapple to remove the core. . It's just the right size and makes a nice little circle.
Jessica says
What a great idea! I am definitely going to try this, Judy! Thanks for sharing! ~Jess
Rashika says
Hi, I also hated peeling pineapple because of the thorns and I finally found a Corer and it works like a charm..
Brenda says
Jessica, do you cut your oranges like this? I don't like the white part of the orange and would not eat them until I learned to cut them like this. After trimming the whole orange just like the pineapple, I I pull or cut it apart carefully, into 2 to 4 sections. After pulling out the white core, I trim off the edge of the white skin, from the middle. (where the seeds are). After that the only skin that is left is in between the sections and it is so thin it is usually unnoticeable. Now you can cut up your sections in bite size pieces. If your orange is not very sweet, a sprinkle of sugar on top makes it yummy. You need a sharp knife to keep from squishing the orange. It is more time consuming and if your kids already like oranges the regular way, you may not want to start this. It is easier for toddlers to eat them this way and my 3 year old grandson practically inhales them when they are cut this way.