A good pineapple is truly amazing. In this post I'll explain what I consider to be the good and bad of pineapple, how to choose the best ones and how to ripen them.
Living in Canada, I'm a bit geographically challenged when it comes to pineapples because they are typically shipped in from South and Central America (don't even get me started on the sustainability issues). So while I'll try to be general, I am speaking very much from a (northern) North American perspective.
To me, the ideal pineapple (see below) is one that is very ripe (but not overripened) with a very sweet scent and taste. A ripened pineapple typically looks a very deep bright golden yellow on the outside with a hint of orange or purple and a bit of green mixed in around the edges of the eyes.
When buying a pineapple, I have found that the best ones are typically a little bit colourful, showing signs of ripening (orange and yellow) peaking through an otherwise green pineapple. It's important that the pineapple be as evenly coloured from one end to the other as possible. This is because the pineapple will ripen more evenly and consequently less of the pineapple will be pale, bland and acidic. The typical pineapple, when ripened, tends to be the most golden yellow in colour and sweetest in flavour near the base, gradually becoming more pale and bland towards the leaves. Don't worry if you don't have a perfectly even pineapple. They tend to be hard to come by and once you slice the pineapple into chunks and mix them all together, the sweet pineapples pieces and their juices will tend to balance out the less sweet ones.
Ripening a pineapple is fairly straightforward. I like to leave it on a countertop lying on its side to prevent mold and rot from developing around the base. Then you ripen it until it's a deep golden yellow like the one above. Some people say that the leaves should be dry and easily plucked out. Be careful not to overripen it as it can start to take on a fermented flavour or worse it can develop dark spots that might might need to be cut out or ruin the pineapple altogether. You can usually see the signs of overripening if you notice the uncut pineapple going from a golden yellow to an almost brownish maroon colour.
That's basically all there is to it. To slice a whole pineapple (see example below), lie it on its side and use a bread knife to cut off the top and the bottom. Then stand it upright and and cut the outer hull off from top to bottom in roughly eight even strips so as to not cut away too much of the pineapple meat. Cut the pineapple in half down the length of the pineapple. Take each of the halved pieces and cut them again in half lengthwise. With these quartered lengths of pineapple, carefully cut out the tough core by cutting down on a 45 degree angle from about an inch up the cut side of the pineapple. Finally, slice the pineapple to desired sized chunks and enjoy.
Some interesting ways to serve pineapple that I enjoy include with strawberries, plain yogourt, cinnamon, shredded coconut and even sea salt and cracked pepper (seriously, try it!).
How do you like to eat pineapple?
