How Do You Prepare A Whole Pineapple Quickly And Easily?
Whether you want to cut your pineapple into rings or chunks, the first steps are the same; you need to remove the tough skin and the small inedible ‘eyes’.
How To Peel A Pineapple
1. Place the pineapple on its side on a chopping board and, using a sharp chef’s knife, slice off the top to remove the spiky green leaves.
2. Cut off the base of the pineapple so it will sit flat on your chopping board.
3. Stand the pineapple up so that the base is resting on the chopping board. Remove the tough outer skin by slicing sections from top to bottom and then turning the pineapple; repeat until all the skin has been cut away. Try not to cut away too much of the edible pineapple flesh; if your knife is sharp enough you should be able to just take the skin.
How To Remove The Eyes From A Pineapple
You should now see that the pineapple flesh has lots of little tough brown spots; these are called pineapple eyes. There are three main ways to remove these, but you must balance time against food wastage:
a. Using the very tip of your chef’s knife, or the sharp point of a small paring knife, cut carefully around each eye until it can be removed. This is time-consuming but it works, and there is almost no wastage.
b. The reverse of this is the peel method. Instead of removing the peel as thinly as possible to avoid losing pineapple flesh as above, cut thicker slices to include about half an inch of flesh; the eyes are in this part near the skin – but so is the sweetest part of the fruit.
c. A method which saves both time and wastage is to cut out several pineapple eyes at once, but with precision. Look closely at the pineapple and you will see that the eyes follow a spiral pattern running down and around the pineapple.
Line your knife up diagonally along a line of eyes and make a shallow cut with the whole blade, angling slightly underneath the eyes. Repeat this on the other side of the eyes and you should then be able to lift out a thin, v-shaped wedge of pineapple containing all the eyes in that section.
Repeat, following the spiral lines across the whole pineapple; there is a small amount of wastage but nothing like as much as the peel method, and it is much quicker than trying to remove the eyes individually. As a bonus, the pineapple looks pretty if you are going to cut it into rings or large wedges.
How To Cut A Pineapple Into Rings
1. Prepare the pineapple as above. Lay the pineapple on its side and, taking a chef’s knife, slice down smoothly along the length of the pineapple to cut it into circular slices.
2. Lay one of the slices flat on your chopping board; you will see there is a clearly marked tough core. Using the tip of your knife, or a sharp paring or utility knife, cut around this core and remove it. Repeat for the other slices.
How To Cut A Pineapple Into Chunks
1. Prepare the pineapple as above. Lay the pineapple on its side and, taking a chef’s knife, cut it in half lengthwise. Lay each half flat side down on the board and cut in half lengthwise again, so you have four quarters.
2. Slice down the lengths to cut out the tough inner core and then slice each quarter lengthwise again. Place two or three lengths next to each other on the board, lined up tightly, then slice down, moving along the lengths smoothly; they should fall into regular chunks.
The Best Knife To Use For Preparing Pineapple
1. Paudin Pro Kitchen Chef's Knife
The 8 inches blade fulfills the difficult cutting job of the busy kitchen with grace. The blade is a fine result of German high carbon stainless steel.
The sharp edges confirm the comfort of the knife. You will get the perfect and same edge retention on both sides of the knife. The sleek texture of the blade provides a buttery smooth cutting experience every time you deal with it. The modern wavy pattern of the blade resists the rust boldly and doesn’t let the 2mm thickness corrode a bit.
The bolster of the knife knows how to assist the user while doing a tough job like cutting a pineapple. The ergonomic handle adds more to the beautifully sharped knife. The full tang handle has a metal-based bottom to increase its beauty. The shape of the handle is done in a tricky way that will reduce the stress that your hand has to apply.
2. Paudin 3.5 Inch Paring Knife
It is specifically used in the kitchen mostly for detailed and accurate peeling without the wastage of food. It is used for cutting fruits and vegetables in the most artistic way for your guests. This gives a great presentation of your food and dines skills. The handle length is more than the blade length which gives it precision in cutting and control.
3. Paudin VG10 Stainless Steel Damasus Chef Knife
This knife offers effortless and smooth cutting. No matter the ingredients, it will be able to cut it. This Paudin knife will make your kitchen tasks easier, efficient, and, compared to traditional knives, consume very little time. The Paudin Damascus knife also comes with a stylish black-colored gift box.
The Damascus knife is another high-quality product from Paudin. It is durable and offers effortless cutting. The knife will also put very little strain on your wrist, and its high rust resistance will help it last longer.
