You’ve been eating your pineapples wrong. This entire time, you’ve been trying to split your pineapple in the wrong manner. You probably know it deep inside your heart, too. It’s a fruity, messy showdown every time you encounter a pineapple and attempt to pull it apart.
Don’t worry though, because we’ve got you covered. Learning how to pull apart a pineapple isn’t as difficult as you think it is. All you need is a sharp knife and a ripe pineapple, and you will also be pulling apart perfect pieces of pineapple chunks like a pro in no time!
How to pull apart a pineapple:
- Use a sharp knife to cut around the pineapple crown.
- Pull apart the crown.
- Roll the pineapple over to loosen the individual fruitlets.
- Slightly push each fruitlet at its base.
- Pull the fruitlet apart.
- Repeat on further pieces.
Sounds easy right? We will be elaborating on these steps later on in the article. But first, let’s discuss what kind of a pineapple you should be choosing.
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How to choose a pineapple
In order to choose the perfect pineapple that you can easily pull apart, make sure it is fresh, and adequately ripe. Fresh and ripe pineapples are not only easy to pull apart, but are also delicious and juicy to devour.
There are a number of things you can look out for when assessing the ripeness of a pineapple, such as its colour, scent, and even the texture and weight. Let us guide you to pick the perfect, ripe pineapple:
How to tell if a pineapple is ripe
Study the colour
Fresh pineapples are those that have healthy green leaves attached to them. This is the first thing you have to look out for when choosing a pineapple. Next, choose a pineapple with a greenish-yellow coloured exterior, which is an indicator of its ripeness.
Check its exterior
The next thing you have to do when selecting a ripe pineapple is to feel its texture. Pineapples that are ripe usually have a firm shell. However, when squeezed, they feel slightly soft. Pineapples that are too firm when squeezed aren’t as ripe, so you don’t want to pick on them yet.
Do the scent check
A lot can be said about fruits and vegetables by simply smelling them! If you’re looking for a ripe piece, smell the bottom of the pineapple, at its base. If it smells sweet, you have found the perfect ripe pineapple.
Assess its weight
If a pineapple seems to be heavier as compared to its size, it generally means it’s riper. Pineapples that are heavier than their sizes generally tend to be juicier, sweeter, and are an indicator of their ripeness.
Pull on the leaves
Remember the fresh, colourful leaves we told you to look out for? You can also pull on them as an added measure to assess the ripeness of a pineapple.Ripe pineapples have leaves that can be pulled out quite easily.
Now that you have a fresh, ripe pineapple in your hands, let’s learn how to pull apart a pineapple:
How to pull apart a pineapple
Even though pineapples look like they are one large fruit, they are in fact a fusion of multiple fruitlets. Pulling on these fruitlets is the main thing you need to learn in order to master the art of pulling apart a pineapple.
Once you get the hang of it, you will learn how to eat a pineapple without cutting it. Here are the step by step instructions:
- Remove the crown: To begin, use a small paring knife and cut around the pineapple crown in a zigzag pattern, guided by the pineapple bumps and cutting in between the fruitlets. Next, pull the pineapple crown by grabbing it from its leaves. Make sure your knife is sharp to minimize fruit wastage. You can learn knife sharpening essentials here.
- Roll over the pineapple: Next you must roll over the pineapple. Now this step may seem useless, but it’s actually a very clever way of loosening up the individual fruitlets.
- Pull apart the fruitlets: This is the step where you finally pull the fruitlets apart, one fruitlet at a time. Simply give a slight push at the base of each fruitlet before you pull it out. It will be easier to pull them out this way.
- Repeat: Remove as much of the fruitlets you require or simply get done with the entire pineapple. Devour the pineapple chunks and save the rest for later.
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Pineapple tips and tricks
It is considerable easy to learn how to pull apart a pineapple if you know some basic tips and tricks:
- Make sure your pineapple is fully ripe for easily pulling apart the chunks.
- Loosen the fruit fibers by rolling it over first.
- Japanese “snack pines” are best for pulling apart pineapple trick since they have soft flesh.
- Stick your pineapple crown into potting soil to grow a new plant.
What to do with the pineapple’s skin
You may be surprised to discover the many ways you can use leftover pineapple skin. Here is a small list:
Pineapple skin tea
Combining the ingredients of turmeric, pineapple skin, ginger, honey as well as turmeric, pineapple skin tea makes for an excellent anti-inflammatory tea. Learn how to make pineapple tea here.
Pineapple vinegar
Pineapple vinegar is fairly easy to make and is a great concoction for everyday cleaning, especially because it leaves a feeble fruity smell all over the place. Learn how to make pineapple vinegar here.
Body scrub
Another great use you can get out of pineapple skins is making body scrubs. They are best for use on the foot as they contain bromelain, and help to soften the toughest parts of the foot. Learn how to make pineapple peel body scrub here.
Notes on consuming pineapples
Pineapples are nutritious, healthy fruits. However, here are a few things you must know before consuming pineapples:
They are highly acidic
If you are prone to suffering from conditions such as acid reflux, you might want to avoid consuming pineapples. This is because the highly acidic nature of pineapples may make your condition even worse.
In order to reduce acidity from pineapples, try eating them with yogurt or some other dairy item.
Unripe pineapple juice may cause vomiting
Consuming unripe pineapple juice may cause vomiting as well as diarrhoea.
Consuming large amounts is toxic
Pineapples contain high levels of the Vitamin C. Consuming large amounts can cause conditions such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, heartburn, and even abdominal pain.
Pineapples contain bromelain
Pineapples contain an enzyme called bromelain that helps in digestion, and is also used as a meat tenderizer. Consuming high levels of bromelain is researched to cause skin rash, intensive menstrual bleeding, vomiting, etc.
Why does it hurt when we eat a pineapple?
You might have noticed feelings of irritation and tenderness every time you eat a pineapple. If you have also experienced these feelings, be assured that you aren’t the only one. Almost everyone experiences these emotions.
As discussed earlier, pineapples contain an enzyme called bromelain, great for digestion and healing. It is also extensively used as a meat tenderizer. It is because of the presence of this bromelain that eating too much pineapple can cause feelings of tenderness in the mouth, specifically the cheeks, tongue and lips.
What actually happens is that the bromelain breaks down the proteins and attacks your mouth in the process. The reason this soreness goes away later is that your tongue rebuilds these amino acids and proteins.
To avoid mouth tenderness, however, you can soak your pineapple in salt overnight and rinse it in the morning. Or, you can also cook the pineapple to break down the enzyme.
How to store pineapples
Now that you have learned how to pull apart a pineapple, and you also know that you can’t consume large amounts at once, you must learn how to store them properly.
If you want to store pineapples at room temperature, put them in an airtight container first and squeeze some lemon juice to avoid them turning brown. Consume within 2-3 days.
If you want to refrigerate your pineapples, let them semi freeze first in a flat tray. After they have been semi-frozen, shift them into an air-tight container. You can consume these for about 6 months.
Pineapple nutrition facts
Pineapple is a highly nutritious fruit containing 0.89 grams of protein, 0.2 grams of fat, 22 grams carbohydrates and 2.3 grams of fiber per one cup serving.
It is highly packed with Vitamin C (133% of the daily recommended dose) that is crucial for healthy growth and development, as well as aids a healthy immune system. Also, 76% of the daily recommended dose of manganese in a cup of pineapple serving holds antioxidant properties that help in maintenance of a healthy metabolism.
Other pineapple hacks
- You can sweeten a pineapple before pulling it apart. All you have to do is keep the fruit intact, at room temperature, turn it upside down and leave it overnight. This will allow the sugar at the bottom to circulate and sweeten the whole thing!
- Use pineapple juice as a meat tenderizer as well as to enhance flavour.
- Mix pineapple juice with a dash of honey to make a great cough syrup.
- Eat some pineapple to relieve indigestion and heartburn.
- Lastly, you can also make fun jack-o-lanterns!
Pineapple FAQs
How do I choose a ripe pineapple?
Look for a pineapple that smells sweet at the bottom, has a yellowish green exterior, and weighs heavier in comparison to its size.
How can I store pineapples?
You can store pineapples by keeping them in airtight bags or containers for 2-3 days at room temperature and up to 6 months in the refrigerator.
Does the pineapple’s size impact its taste?
Not necessarily. Larger fruits hold more juice, though.
We hope you found our article on pineapples useful. Now that you’ve learned how to pull apart a pineapple, let’s get down to some pineapple slicing!
