Pineapple. Just thinking about it takes me back to my one and only trip to Hawaii ages ago. So yummy fresh, but such a pain to prepare. And I really, really, really try not to bring any new gadgets into my kitchen because, you know, that’s just more to organize. Well, after reading my friend Sondra Lyn’s experience with a pineapple corer, I thought, “Yep, definitely gettin’ me one.”
I found mine at Bed Bath and Beyond. I went with the OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Ratcheting Pineapple Slicer
, even though it was double the price of the plastic one nearby. It’ll last longer. And it ratchets. HELLOOOO! It ratchets like my favorite screwdriver!
How to use a Pineapple Slicer and Corer
You start by slicing the top off, which always looks pretty on the plate.
Then push the corer in and start turning. The ratcheting handle helps here.
You see those little marking lines? They are supposed to be a guide to help you know when to stop, but they washed off the first time through the dishwasher, so don’t get too attached to them.
It didn’t take too much to wrestle the cored pineapple out of the skin. But I would not attempt this if you are wearing a fancy outfit. There was quite a bit of juice involved. (I have gotten much better at this step with practice. You just reverse slice one time, and the whole thing pulls right out.)
Here’s the brilliant part of a pineapple slicer and corer: just remove the handle and flip it over, and the whole pineapple ring comes right off.
I sliced mine in half, but you could end up with individual rings by making just one slice down the stack.
Pineapple is almost always in store, and are usually better priced than a lot of the other seasonal fruit at Aldi, where I tend to shop, so I’m looking forward to enjoying a lot more of these.
I have this same exact pineapple corer and really like it. So convenient too to have easily sliced pieces. It’s definitely worth it.
The only issue I have is keeping it straight when turning…I end up getting it slanted. I also take the outer shell and “skin” the fruit off so as to get the rest of the fruit rather than throwing it out.
Keeping it straight can be a bit of a challenge. I happen to be tall, so that’s probably an advantage. I can keep on top of it and shoot straight down. You might try doing this on a table, which is a few inches lower than the counter top. Let me know how it goes.
LOL, I use a serrated knife, cut skin off in sections, as close as possible to save every delicious bite Then I cut in quarters and then in 3-4 slices. Lay slice flat on cutting board and slice out core, then I gnaw on the core to get every sweet bit, cross-cut the cored parts in smaller slices. I’ve timed my self and it takes about 7-10 minutes to cut up a pineapple and have it in the bowl. Also I buy pineapples that are greenish looking, set on kitchen counter 2-4 days until they are turning brown. Do it almost every week! Pineapples are large and cheap at Sam’s. Pat in SNJ
Pat, that’s exactly what I did right up until I bought this little gadget. Now it takes me about 15 seconds, and I get these pretty circles. The only downside is that now I have this pretty “bowl” from the shell. Great for drinks, but that’s not really something I do often.