5 Ways to Core a Pineapple

Pineapples are best consumed when fresh, so all that remains is mastering the art of slicing it the right way. Tastessence tells you how to core a pineapple in 5 simple ways.

Tastessence Staff

Juicy grilled pineapple on plate on table close-up

The Fruit of the Regal

Special hothouses called "pineries" were constructed in the eighteenth century to grow pineapples. Pineapples became a symbol of wealth in Europe around that time!

Doesn't a picture of you sipping a piña colada somewhere in Hawaii, with the salty ocean breeze in your hair, pop up in your head every time you hear the word 'pineapple'?! The sweet, tart, and juicy flesh of this fruit breathes life into everything it touches with its vibrant taste and appearance. From an upside-down cake, to a pizza, or to a Hawaiian punch, you just can't ignore pineapples!

Apart from its incredibly delicious taste, this fruit is considered as one of the healthiest foods. It is a rich source of vitamin C, fiber, calcium, and magnesium. It contains some amount of the enzyme bromelain, which can act as an antioxidant.

If the core of the pineapples is not properly removed, it can irritate your throat. The core is the central part of the fruit; it is usually very hard, and is considered inedible. The task of cleaning, coring, and peeling a pineapple can be a bit daunting to beginners. For this reason, many people opt for the bland, canned pineapples available. But don't you worry! You don't have to deprive yourself of all the pineapple goodness anymore. We teach you how to core a pineapple in a few simple steps.

Things You'll Need

● Chopping board

● Sharp knife

● A pineapple (of course!)

● Corer

With a Corer

This might be the easiest and the most hassle-free way to remove the core of a pineapple. This method doesn't even require you to peel its skin away. Just five minutes and it's sorted!

Method

Lay the pineapple on a chopping board and cut off about half an inch from the top of the pineapple.
Place the pineapple in such a way that its exposed flesh is facing up. Make sure that the surface of your pineapple is leveled.
Place the corer with its blade on the exposed flesh of the pineapple.
Press it in the flesh of the pineapple a little, and twist the corer in the clockwise direction.
After sometime, you'll feel some resistance to the twisting; this means that you've reached the bottom of the fruit.
Now, pull the device out of the fruit. If the fruit doesn't come off easily, wriggle it a bit.
To remove the fruit from the corer, push the release button on the corer. In some corers, the fruit has to be pulled out of the corer.
To get separate rings of the fruit, cut a lengthwise slit through the fruit.

With a Knife

Although corers can make your life a bit easy, we don't think it's an investment that you really need to make to have fresh pineapples. You can core a pineapple without a corer just fine! Besides, there may be a lot of wastage of the flesh, especially if it's a large one. There are many ways in which you can core a pineapple using a knife; it all depends on which method you prefer. So just try a few ways, and see what suits you the best.

Method #1

Lay the pineapple on a chopping board and cut off the top and bottom of the pineapple.
Cut the pineapple lengthwise into quarters and run the knife through the flesh of the fruit about one-fourth inch from the core.
Now fillet the flesh of the fruit of the skin.
Cut the fruit into slices.

Method #2

Lay the pineapple on a chopping board and cut about one-fourth of an inch off the top and the bottom of the pineapple.
Place the pineapple vertically such that it is resting on the freshly cut, flat side of the base.
Slice off strips of the skin by placing the knife a quarter of an inch inside the edge of the fruit and press it down gently. Repeat this step till all the skin comes off the fruit.
Even after peeling, there may be some notches left on the outer surface of the fruit. These notches are called eyes or divets. You can remove this by digging them out with the help of a peeler.
The eyes are arranged diagonally; make shallow 'V'-shaped grooves diagonally along the length of the diagonal pattern and remove each set of eyes.
Quarter the pineapple lengthwise, and once again, run the knife through the flesh of the fruit, about one-fourth inch from the core.
Cut them into the type of pieces you want.

Method #3

Cut the top and bottom of the pineapple.
Peel the pineapple by the method mentioned above.
Now, place the pineapple in an upright position and make a cut right from the top to bottom about a quarter of an inch away from the core.
Turn the fruit and repeat this step thrice; you should get four big chunks of the fruit separated from its core.
Cut them in any way you desire.

Method #4: To Get Perfect Pineapple Rings

Once again, cut the top and bottom end of the pineapple, peel off its skin, and removes the eyes.
Lay the pineapple on a chopping board and slice off moderately thin discs of the fruit.
Now, if you look at each slice, there is a core present at the center; run the knife around the edge of the core.
Push the core with your finger so that it gets dislodged from the flesh of the fruit.
If you could find a cookie cutter of the core's size, you can use it to cut out the core from the fruit (this will definitely be easier).
Another way of getting these rings is to follow step 1. Make sure that the cut surfaces are pretty much even. Cut the pineapples into two pieces (not lengthwise).
Place a piece of the pineapple in an upright position. You will be able to see its core; run the knife throughout the edge of the core such that it comes off when pushed.
Repeat the same with the other piece.
Gently slice the pineapple into rings.

The core too is full of all the goodness of pineapples, so don't throw it away! Freeze it and use it the next time you wanna have a glass of pineapple juice or smoothie. The puree of the core can also be used in marinades (to make the meat more tender).