How to Cut a Pineapple (Spears, Rings and Chunks)

Faith's pick

The knife you want for pineapple

Cutco 7-1/2" Vegetable Knife #1735

Cutco lists pineapple as a job for its Vegetable Knife: the tall, wide straight-edge blade takes the skin off in long strips and carries the chunks to the bowl.

Blade: 7-1/2 inches
Edge: Straight edge, 15° per side
Steel: 440A high-carbon stainless
Build: Full tang, 3 nickel-silver rivets
Made in: Olean, New York
Guarantee: Forever Guarantee with free sharpening

$215list price · Faith confirms your total

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Pair it with

9-1/4" French Chef #1725 · $214French Chef works great too

2-3/4" Paring Knife #1720 · $97Paring knife for stubborn eyes

The short answer

Cut off the crown and base so the pineapple stands flat. Slice the skin off in strips from top to bottom, following the curve. Remove leftover eyes in shallow diagonal grooves, then quarter it lengthwise and cut out the tough core. Cut the quarters into spears or chunks.

Pick a ripe one

A ripe pineapple smells sweet at the base, gives slightly when pressed, and has golden color creeping up from the bottom.

Cutting, step by step

Top and tail. Lay it on its side and cut off the leafy crown and about half an inch of the base.
Remove the skin. Stand it up and slice down from top to bottom in strips, following the curve and cutting just deep enough to remove most of the brown eyes.
Take out the eyes. The eyes run in diagonal lines. Cut shallow V-shaped grooves along each line and they lift out in strips.
Quarter and core. Cut it top to bottom into quarters, then slice the hard core off each quarter.
Spears or chunks. Cut each quarter lengthwise into spears, or across into chunks.

For rings

After removing the skin and eyes, lay the pineapple down and slice across into rings, then cut the core out of each ring with a small round cutter or the tip of a paring knife.

Sharp is safe. A dull knife slips off skins and crushes food. Cutco sharpens its knives free for life; bring yours to one of Faith's service events.

Questions

What knife is best for cutting a pineapple?

A large, sharp straight-edge knife. Cutco lists its Vegetable Knife for pineapple; a chef's knife works well too.

Do you have to remove the pineapple core?

The core is edible but tough and fibrous, so most people cut it out.

How do you get the eyes out of a pineapple?

Cut shallow diagonal V-grooves following the lines of eyes; they come out in strips.

Keep reading

Sources: Cutco: Types of Knives