Peeling Pineapple - Tip of the Day

by Alexa Weibel, Posted Nov 10th 2009 @ 9:00AM

Don't be daunted by the pineapple's prickly shell -- peeling the fruit is easy in these simple steps.

There's no reason to get your pineapple fix from a can, especially when a variation of the tropical fruit can be purchased fresh in every season. And with the help of a good sharp knife -- and perhaps some kitchen gloves for particularly sensitive hands -- freeing the juicy fruit for year-round cooking is a breeze.

Placing the fruit on its side atop a cutting board, you'll need to slice off the top and the bottom in a steady downward motion using a sharp chef's knife. Once both ends have been removed, place the fruit upright again on its now-flat bottom end. Gripping the pineapple tightly in your free hand, shave down the sides, removing the bristly exterior. Once you have finished shaving it off all the way around, you can slice the juicy fruit as you like.

If you prefer rings, simply cut circular slices crosswise and carve out and discard the tougher inner core of each individual wheel. Otherwise, keeping the fruit upright, slice long, rectangular chunks until you've freed all the soft, juicy pieces and only the rigid core remains, which you can then discard.

For autumnal inspiration, check out tasty pineapple offerings like AOL Food's Pineapple Coffee Cake, Epicurious' curry-tinged Grilled Pineapple with Coconut, Brown Sugar and Rum or a unique Thanksgiving dessert such as Ina Garten's Carrot and Pineapple Cake.

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Filed Under: Tip of the Day
Tags: fruit, peeling pineapple, PeelingPineapple, pineapple, pineapple recipes, PineappleRecipes, shaving pineapple, ShavingPineapple, tip of the day, TipOfTheDay