Publication in the group: Processing and preparation of products
The aromatic pineapple is a perennial herbaceous plant that has a fairly hard peel and no seeds. The skin is unsuitable for human consumption. Peeling and cutting the fruit at home will not be difficult if you use a knife or a special device for cutting the product.
Why remove the peel?
Whether or not to peel a pineapple depends on the type of cooking and serving of the fruit. If the product needs to be cut into pieces or added to a dish, it is recommended to remove the skin. The juiciest edible part is located under the skin. Therefore, the skin must be removed very thinly, using a knife with a sharp blade. If the product is planned to be served as sliced fruit, the tops with skins can be left and used as decoration. To do this, you will need to rinse the pineapple well under running water and dry it with paper towels.
If the fruit is not peeled, it will remain fresh for a long period of time. The skin protects the product from drying out and chapping.
Using a knife
Despite the hard skin and thorns, the product can be cut quite easily at home using a regular table knife. Before cleaning, the fruit must be rinsed under a stream of water to remove dirt and dust.
For cutting you will need to prepare the following tools:
- 2 knives with sharp blades;
- vegetable peeler;
- a special device for peeling potatoes with sharp edges.
If the fruit needs to be cut into small cubes or added to a salad, the pineapple must be peeled in the following way:
- The product must be placed on a table or cutting board. Afterwards you will need to remove the leaves from the bottom.
- Next, the product must be turned in the form of a barrel. Then you should remove the skin.
- Using a potato peeler you will need to cut out all the eyes.
- Afterwards, the fruit must be divided into 2 parts lengthwise. Then each workpiece will need to be divided into several parts.
- Before cutting into small fractions, it is necessary to remove the hard middle at an angle.
Finally, the edible part of the fruit is chopped into portions and used for further cooking. This method is considered more economical because very little waste is left behind.
If you plan to serve the pineapple in the form of rings, the fruit must be peeled in the following way:
- Initially, you will need to get rid of the top and base of the fruit.
- Next, the raw material needs to be laid on its side and the skin removed. Movements should be directed in a spiral.
- Then use a knife to go along all the eyes on the right and left sides, holding the blade at an angle.
- At the end you will need to remove the triangular strip along with the spikes.
This method helps remove blackheads and retain a large amount of juice. It is possible to quickly peel the product using tops.
The essence of the method is based on the following:
- First you only need to remove the base. Then the fruit must be transferred to the board.
- Next, you should cut off the skin very thinly, holding the tops with your hands.
- Black eyes need to be cut diagonally on both sides with a knife. In this case, you must try to capture several points at once.
- The result should be a spiral pattern. Afterwards, you will need to divide the pineapple into 4 parts and remove the core.
The tops act as handles in the process of cleaning the fruit. Thanks to this, juice will not get on your hand and it will not slip.
To quickly peel a pineapple, you will need to follow the following step-by-step instructions:
- First you need to remove the top. Holding the knife perpendicular to the base, cut the edible part halfway along the skin in a circle from the inside.
- Next, you need to remove the base and cut out the remaining half of the pulp.
- Afterwards you need to remove the skin.
When using this method, there will be a lot of waste at the end, but there is no need to remove the thorns. It will be enough to use a knife with a very long blade that can pass through the entire length of the pineapple.
An easy way to peel a pineapple with a knife: step-by-step photos and recommendations
To enjoy the tropical aroma and tart taste of pineapple at home, you will need very little patience and maximum care when working with a knife. Just follow the proposed algorithm - and you will easily cope with the task:
- Take a ripe pineapple, rinse it thoroughly under running water and wipe it with dry cloths to remove excess moisture.
- Place the fruit on its side and carefully remove the top with the tail and the bottom, trying to retain as much pulp as possible. For such manipulations, you will need a large, sharp knife - the peel has a rather dense structure, so it is not always easy to cut.
- Stand the pineapple upright on one of the cuts and cut off a thin layer of the peel. Don’t be alarmed if there are dark “eyes” left on the flesh – that’s how it should be.
- After cutting the peel, carefully inspect the pineapple for “eyes”: they are usually arranged in a spiral, so it is easier to cut them out by making diagonal cuts on the side. As a result, you should get a solid spiral line that will beautifully encircle the flesh of the fruit.
- Using two vertical cuts, divide the peeled fruit into 4 parts and remove the fibrous core.
After this, you can safely cut the fruit in any convenient way - all inedible parts have been completely removed!
Slicing device
To quickly peel the fruit from its hard peel, it is recommended to use a special slicing device called a slicer. It is a corkscrew and has a similar operating principle. The device must be screwed into the center of the fruit and the pulp must be separated from the middle and the skin. The edible part is cut into a spiral. Before cutting the product, you will need to slowly screw the slicer clockwise into the pineapple. The core should remain in the handle of the device. As a result, the skin will remain intact and can be used to serve pineapple.
The edible part of the fruit will be held on the handle of the corkscrew and at the same time will be cut into equal thin circles. Peeling a pineapple using a slicer will take no more than 1 minute. As a result, it is possible to quickly remove the skin from the product and cut it beautifully.
Slicing rules
Cutting a pineapple at home will not be difficult and will not take much time. Initially, you will need to rinse the fruit well and dry it with a paper towel. When serving the product in the form of rings, you will need to properly remove the core from the fruit before slicing. It is recommended to use a special tool or a knife with a long and thin blade. The middle can be removed from the whole pineapple or from each part separately.
If you plan to add the product to pizza, it is best to use the following method to remove the middle:
- You will need to remove the tops along with the base.
- Afterwards, the fruit must be cut into rings of the required thickness.
- Next, the workpieces need to be divided into 4 parts, cleaning each in turn.
To preserve a large amount of the edible part, the knife blade must be guided along the skin, forming an outer arc. It is also permissible to remove the skin tangentially in small fragments.
The easiest ways to cut a pineapple beautifully
If you are a patient, purposeful person, try making, for example, this parrot:
Carving an exotic bird is a bit complicated at first glance - the process is simple. But I won’t describe it in words; I’d rather share a good video instruction:
Pineapple boats look impressive. It seems laconic, not complicated, but very stylish, and most importantly - delicious! These will be a decoration for any buffet table.
By the way, proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle are becoming more and more popular! Even office get-togethers and holiday celebrations are often spent at the table - fruits, cheeses, low-fat meat delicacies, seafood, fish delicacies. Whimsically cut exotic fruits are just the thing for such occasions!
Algorithm for how to beautifully cut pineapple for a festive table in the form of boats :
- remove the plume;
- cut the fruit into quarters;
- cut off the core;
- Using a knife, carefully separate the pulp from the peel;
- cut it into slices;
- move the slices - one to the right, the other to the left.
Based on the boats you can make the following birds:
This is also not a difficult process at all:
- the pineapple is cut into 4 parts along with the tops, which will be the bird’s tail;
- the core begins to be cut from the plume and is not cut to the end;
- Now all that remains is to bend it, forming a head, and secure it with a toothpick or skewer for canapés. You can place a grape inside.
To serve in a dish
For beautiful serving and adding to dishes, exactly how the pineapple is cut is of great importance.
To give the fruit the shape of a melon, you must do the following:
- Without cutting the tops, you will need to divide the product lengthwise into 4 parts. Then you need to remove the core.
How to cut a pineapple for serving in a dish. - Then, using a knife, you should first make a cut on one side and then on the other side between the peel and the edible part.
- The separated soft part must be left on the skin, cut into slices.
- Then each piece must be moved away from each other in different directions.
For an impressive presentation, you can make a basket from the skin of the fruit by placing the soft part of the pineapple there. To do this, divide the product lengthwise, cutting out the entire edible part. Next, you need to cut it into cubes and place it in a formed basket made of skins. For beautiful slicing and serving of pineapple, you can leave the core intact. It will be comfortable to hold with your hand while consuming the product. To do this you will need to cut off a few pineapple pucks. Each piece must be freed from scales using a vegetable peeler. Next, each ring needs to be divided into 8 equal segments.
When cutting a pineapple, the edible part with the skin needs to be peeled with different knives.
Kukharim
In our country, as in many European countries, pineapples are preferred in canned form. The pineapple in the jar is always ripe and juicy, already peeled and cut. But such canned food is not comparable in health and taste to real fresh pineapple. If you don’t yet know how to properly peel a pineapple , feel free to choose your first fruit in the store and start mastering the simplest methods of preparing it.
cut a pineapple correctly in all tropical countries, because there this fruit is eaten regularly, and you literally have to peel it like potatoes. Try peeling the fruit using a method that is popular in Thailand. To properly cut a pineapple without hurting your hands, cut off the top and bottom so that both are flat. Immediately cut off the leaves to expose the pulp, and place the fruit on a plate, where you will then peel it.
Take a thin and sharp knife and, using confident movements from top to bottom, remove the main layer of peel from the pineapple. Do not try to immediately get rid of dark and hard inclusions; it is better to make sure that there is not too much pulp left on the peel.
Cutting a pineapple correctly is an art, so don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t work out well the first time. When all the peel is removed, look carefully at the eyes: they are located in spirals from bottom to top; mark these lines by eye. If you do everything correctly, you can not only peel the fruit, but also cut the pineapple beautifully and make it a table decoration.
Trim these eyes as close as possible to the dark inclusions along the marked lines on both sides: make continuous cuts in a spiral with a knife from top to bottom. Your task is to make a kind of triangular strip so that the eyes are separated from the pulp on the right, left and bottom.
Stripes with growths will literally fall out of the fruit, and you will be left with a beautifully peeled whole pineapple, the pulp from which you can divide as you like. This is not the easiest way to properly peel a pineapple , but it allows you to retain as much juice as possible.
You don’t have to look for these very natural lines, but simply cut out the eyes with a small knife with a thin sharp end. There is no specific rule on how to cut a pineapple correctly , so you can use this familiar method. Don’t forget to take out the middle when you’re done cleaning. This is most conveniently done with a special knife for peeling vegetables and fruits.
cut a pineapple correctly in the usual way, making thin or thick rings out of it. This method is good if the fruit is served immediately and eaten instantly. It will not work to properly cut a pineapple for storage or in advance of a meal: soon all the juice will flow out, and the fruit itself will become a little stale in the air.
Cut the base of the pineapple so that you cut off all the seal at the bottom of the fruit. Cut off the leaves too. Now cut the whole fruit into rings along with the peel. Cut the peel off the rings, paying special attention to the same eyes. cut a pineapple beautifully if you use a carving knife to trim the edges.
You can leave the middle or cut it out in advance. In the first case, it will be more convenient to eat the fruit: just cut each circle into quarters and eat, holding it by the hard core. It is not tasty and differs sharply in color, so when eating pineapple, just leave it.
of how to properly peel a pineapple is not always important . The peel of this fruit is beautiful and durable, it has a pleasant exotic appearance and can be preserved for a long time, while it does not allow liquid to pass through and slightly maintains the temperature of the product. This is why pineapple is often served directly in the peel.
In this case, cutting a pineapple correctly It’s better to leave the base and leaves, the fruit looks better with them, and the tightness of the natural vessel is not broken. You can correctly cut a pineapple into two parts, if this is not a portioned dish, or into four parts, if the fruit is served to everyone separately.
It is not recommended to divide it into more parts, and this cutting method is mainly suitable only for small-sized fruits. Once the pineapple is cut into slices, use a sharp knife to cut out the tough middle, and then trim the flesh as close to the rind as possible so that it forms a single piece.
This method is very similar to peeling a watermelon or cantaloupe, so you will probably be able to properly cut a pineapple. Cut each piece of pulp into thick strips along the width. Place these pieces on the peel as if you were making a whole piece of pulp again.
All you have to do is move the pieces a little in a checkerboard pattern and the beautiful serving is ready. You can cut a pineapple beautifully even simpler: cut the whole fruit into halves, take out the core in a square, cut off the tasteless light part, and just cut into cubes, which you put back into the rest of the pineapple, and serve skewers with the fruit for canapés.
How to choose a ripe pineapple
No amount of cutting will help make a pineapple tasty if it is not ripe or already spoiled (a fruit that is too ripe is tasteless and begins to deteriorate inside, despite its beautiful appearance on the outside). When you go to the store, don’t expect to find fruit of perfect ripeness.
It is simply impossible to transport ripe fruit intact to distant, non-tropical countries; it will rot, which is what happens to some specimens on supermarket shelves. Most pineapples travel half green and ripen a little right on the shelves.
Look for fruit that has at least a yellowish skin without any moldy or sunken areas. Green color is allowed only at the ends of the fruit. The leaves should not be completely dry, but slightly dried out. When you press on the fruit, you will feel its softness and at the same time elasticity - this is a sign of ripeness, but not excessive.
In a ripe pineapple, the top with leaves turns slightly and deepens when pressed.
If you find such a pineapple on the shelves, feel free to buy it and serve it to the table. True, you can buy an unripe fruit, and at the same time, let it ripen on the balcony. How to choose, peel and cut a pineapple, watch this video:
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Read also:
- How to properly cut and cut fish
- How to properly cut and cut chicken
Fast slicing method
A quick cut of the pineapple allows you to free the edible part from the hard skin in a matter of minutes. However, the method is not entirely economical, because a lot of pulp is removed along with the skin. For slicing, it is best to use a knife that has a fairly strong and sharp blade.
Step-by-step instructions on how to quickly cut the fruit:
- Initially, you need to remove the bottom and tops to create a barrel.
- Next, you need to use a cutlery to separate the soft part from the skin. The movements should be circular.
- The skin must be cut very thin.
- Once the cutting is complete, the soft part needs to be pushed out of the skin.
If desired, it is permissible to remove the core. Then the pulp can be cut into pieces.
into slices
You can cut pineapple into slices at home.
To do this, it is recommended to follow the following step-by-step instructions:
- The pineapple needs to be washed and then divided into 4 parts using a knife.
- Then the fruit should be quickly cleared of the inner hard core by cutting it off on both sides with a knife.
At the end, after peeling each quarter, they will need to be cut into slices of the required width. Afterwards you can serve the treat to the table.
What you need to cut a pineapple
A ripe pineapple has been selected, now it needs to be peeled and cut. There is nothing complicated about this either. First, decide what you want to do with it. If you use it as an ingredient for various dishes or are going to calmly eat the fruit in the evening in front of the TV, you don’t have to worry too much. In this case, use the simplest method:
- Separate the sultan of the tops. Take the fruit in one hand, grab the tops at the base with the other and turn with a little effort. The tops will separate easily.
- Now pinch off the segments - they are easily separated from the core. You can eat them right away.
For culinary use:
- after separating the tops, cut off the bottom;
- place it on a board, cut off the peel, capturing the eyes;
- if there are still eyes left, remove them in any convenient way;
- cut into 4 parts;
- remove the core;
Do you feel bad about throwing it away? Don't! It can also be used in healthy nutrition recipes. Until you figure out which ones, put it in the freezer. Do you want a life hack on how to use the core? Add to pp-uzvar during cooking - the aroma of the drink will be brighter!
- cut into pieces of the desired size.
Don't be afraid to cut off the excess. The core and eyes are hard, they should not be eaten - no pleasure.
Another simple cutting method:
- separate the sultan;
- cut off the top and bottom parts;
- cut the fruit into rings;
- Cut off the peel from each ring, like potatoes;
- Use the sharp tip of a small knife to cut out the core of each piece.
This method is recommended for use when pineapple is needed in rings.
Circles or rings
Pineapple can be cut into rings or circles. Cutting can be done with or without peel.
To do this, you must adhere to the following instructions:
Method name | Description of cutting |
With peel | The bottom of the fruit should be removed with a knife. Then you need to cut the pineapple into circles, and then peel each one. The peel needs to be removed as thick as possible, capturing the dark spots. Finally, it is necessary to cut out the seals of a dark shade. |
Without peel | The product must be removed from the skin, and then placed on its side and chopped into even rings. Then the core should be removed, resulting in pineapple circles. |
When cutting pineapple for children, it is recommended to chop the rings thicker with the middle. It will be convenient for the child to eat the cut, holding it with his hands. It is not advisable to use skewers or toothpicks as they are dangerous. The pulp is very easy to cut using cookie cutters. You just need to squeeze them out using their figure, and a small metal circle is very convenient to remove the core. This method is applicable if the fruits need to be cut as a component of a dish in the form of regular pieces.
Into pieces
At home, to cut pineapple into pieces with your own hands, you must follow these steps:
- The fruit must be washed under a stream of water, and then the leaves must be removed with a knife.
- Then, using a kitchen utensil, cut off several rings along with the skin.
- Afterwards, the skin and eyes need to be carefully cut off in a convenient way.
Finally, the core should be removed and then the product should be cut into pieces of the required size.
Basket
Cutting a pineapple at home in the shape of a basket is permissible if you follow these steps:
- The fruit should be washed under a stream of water and then cut in half with a knife, placing the product vertically on a cutting board.
- Then you will need to remove the soft part from the two halves. To do this, you need to cut out a rectangle or square with a knife, and then carefully remove the yellow pulp with a wooden spatula. The distance from the edge of the peel should be approximately 2 cm.
- The extracted soft part should be freed from the core and then cut into cubes.
At the end, you will need to place the chopped cubes in the remaining pineapple peel and serve the dish.
In the form of boats
Cutting a pineapple at home for a boat-shaped holiday table is permissible if the following points are observed:
- The product needs to be washed under a stream of water, and then chopped into 4 equal slices.
- Each quarter should be divided into 2 parts to make 8 slices. If the fruit is too small for this cut, then initially it can be divided into 3 parts, and then each divided into 2 halves.
- Next, you need to remove the middle, trimming the edible part closer to the skin. This must be done in such a way as not to affect the dark seals.
- The soft part, protruding as the base of the boat, should be left in the peel after it has been cut into slices no more than 1 cm thick.
- Adjacent segments in the form of triangles should be moved apart in a checkerboard pattern in different directions.
The pieces need to be placed on skewers so that they do not slip out of your hands. If they are absent from the cut, it is recommended to leave the core, which is convenient for holding the fruit slice. The boats can be made larger and then used as real utensils for a complete meal, such as pineapple rice.
How to apply
If you are going to give it separately, it is better to pack it in gift wrapping or make a small applique on it: attach “eyes”, “nose” and “mouth” to the fruit. They can be made from a variety of things - buttons, candies, fabric, paper or cardboard.
Another interesting way to make a beautiful gift from these fruits is a cake. Cakes are now made from anything, even diapers, so what’s worse than pineapples?
To make a pineapple cake, you will need about a dozen fruits, which you need to lay out in two tiers and tie with a beautiful colored ribbon.
You can complement such a surprise with a nice postcard or tag on which you can write a congratulation - for example, a poem. Examples of poems can be found in abundance on the Internet or you can compose yourself.
Another option is to make a gift in the form of this “fruit”. This can be done, for example, using sweets and a bottle of champagne. What you will need:
- Champagne (in a standard pot-bellied bottle)
- Candies (round, yellow, for example Ferrero Rocher)
- A bunch of long, fleshy leaves (if you have ornamental palm trees at home, you can take leaves from them)
- Glue
- Packing tape
Cover the bottle with candies in even rows up to the neck. Using a ribbon, tie the leaves around the neck to create a pineapple “top.”
This is a very fun way to turn a few small things into a wonderful surprise. Such a creative craft, among other things, can be a good decoration for a holiday table.
Tricks and useful tips
Useful tips to help you easily cut a pineapple with your own hands at home:
- When cutting a pineapple, it is recommended not to throw away the eyes and core. From them you can later make a fragrant and sweet syrup, which will be necessary for making cocktails or pouring over pancakes. This syrup can be stored for no more than 3 months in the refrigerator compartment in a glass container. For these purposes, it is necessary to purchase a fruit that is sweet, juicy and slightly squeezable when pressed, with a dried tail and elastic skin.
- Before cutting, it is recommended to turn the pineapple over and leave it in this position overnight. This is necessary so that the sugar contained in the lower part of the fruit is evenly redistributed throughout the product.
- The pineapple frame should be used to serve appetizers and salads. To do this, you need to cut the fruit into 2 parts without removing the tail, and remove the pulp using a tablespoon or knife.
- The smell of the base of the product should be sweet and pleasant. If these criteria are absent, it is better to refuse the purchase.
- The skin should be removed in a thin layer, since it is under it that the sweetest and juiciest part of the pulp is located.
- The eyes present in the pineapple should be removed using a potato peeler or knife.
- Before serving, remove the core from the pineapple. This can be done with an ordinary kitchen knife.
- You can serve the pineapple by cutting its soft part into cubes, directly in the skin or on a separate serving bowl.
- When purchasing a product, it is recommended to inspect the tops of the fruit. It should be beautiful, thick and dense. In a mature fruit, the tops should come off quickly and without much effort. If the leaves are difficult to tear off the fruit, then the fruit is not yet ripe and should not be purchased.
- The peel should have a brownish-yellow or green color. If the skin is completely brown, you should not purchase the product, as it may be overripe.
- You should avoid purchasing fruits that have dents or external damage. This may be a sign that the product is rotten from the inside, and it is better not to eat it.
- It is possible to find out about damage that cannot be assessed externally using smell. For damaged pineapples, it should be sweet with pronounced shades.
You can properly cut a pineapple for serving or adding to dishes in a variety of ways. For this at home, use a regular table knife or a special cutting tool. For beautiful presentation, the fruits are arranged in the form of slices, rings and boats. The most original way of serving is considered to be cutting pineapple in the form of a basket.
How to choose a pineapple
Don’t let it seem strange to you that the ripeness of a pineapple directly depends on its cost. The fact is that the homeland of this plant is the distant tropics, and delivery involves two options: sea and air. The sea route, naturally, will be long, and therefore pineapples for such transportation are cut completely unripe, and even when delivered to our stores they can be either still green, or, on the contrary, overripe. But fruits sent for sale by plane are picked when they are already quite ripe, because the flight is not a long one. Transportation by air, of course, is more expensive, but the product in this case will be of higher quality.
Now the details. Pineapples come in different varieties, just like any other fruit: apples, pears, etc. Smaller varieties are considered more tasty, while larger ones will be less sweet.
The first thing we will pay attention to when purchasing is the “sultan”, the green tail of the fruit. Firstly, it should scroll a little, and secondly, its leaves should be quite easily separated from the pineapple itself if you pull them. But be careful: the tops can come off too easily from overripe or, worse, rotten fruit. The leaves should be thick and not dry or wilted.
Next, we examine the fruit itself. Its color can be green even in ripe pineapples, but brown spots can indicate that rotting has begun. Then we check the pineapple for density: a ripe one will be a little soft, but elastic, but a hard one should be returned to the counter and continue the search in another place.
Smell is another important criterion when choosing. A ripe fruit will have a sweetish, delicate aroma, a green one will not smell at all, but a rich, sugary smell will indicate that the process of rotting or fermentation has already begun. By the way, a vinegar smell will also indicate a fermented fruit.
Well, we can add one more criterion for buyers with good hearing: a dull sound will be a ripe fruit, and an “empty” sound will indicate a dried fruit.
When the question of how to choose the right pineapple has been resolved, the product has been purchased and brought home, and the time for the festive feast is approaching, new questions arise: how to peel, cut the pineapple and serve it to the table.