Our family loves pineapples! I can't help but sing the theme song to Sponge Bob Squarepants whenever I see one of these peculiar looking fruits. Picking a sweet, juicy pineapple from the grocery store...is a struggle. Especially after eating the most unbelievably delicious pineapples we had ever eaten, during our family trip to Maui last summer. There aren't even words to explain how much better they taste in Hawaii. Its almost as if they are a completely different fruit than what we get here in the continental US. At the resort, we struck up a conversation about pineapples with another vacationer. He shared a very interesting tip with us. Although we can't have fresh Maui pineapples here at home, this trick makes store bought pineapples a very close 2nd place!
The natural sugars settle to the bottom of the pineapples during shipment and while sitting on the grocery shelves. This method forces the natural sugars to trickle back down throughout the fruit, making it sweeter and very juicy. Who knew?! It's so simple, and it really makes a big difference!
Start with a fresh, whole pineapple. Turn it on its side, and slice off the top. Then turn the pineapple upside down onto a plate, and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours. We like to let ours "marinate" overnight. Then slice and enjoy!
I found a few other interesting tips on The Huffington Post website. I have summarized a few of them below. Be sure to click on the above link to see their entire post.
The pineapples you get at your local grocery store or farmer's market are as ripe as they will ever get. Once picked, they do not continue to ripen. Don't leave a green pineapple out on the counter in hopes that it will ripen. You will end up with a spoiled fruit, trust me I know from experience! The green and brown color variations that you see, depends upon where the pineapple was grown. A green pineapple can be equally as sweet as a brown one (I try to choose pineapples that have a combination of both green and brown colored flesh). The sweetest part of the pineapple is the outer flesh, so when slicing off the outer skin, shave thinly. Don't worry about those "brown eye" spots. They can be cut out in a shallow diagonal "v" cut to insure that you keep as much of that sweet outer surface as possible (see Huffington Post article for a photo demonstration). Pineapples kept at room temperature should be eaten within 2 days, and refrigerated pineapple will last about 1 week. Pineapple cores contain Bromelain, an enzyme that is an anti-inflammatory, muscle relaxer, digestive aid, and also interferes with tumor growth. Take that, cancer! Fun fact...pineapples are a great meat tenderizer!
I picked up this pineapple slicer/corer at Bed, Bath, & Beyond today for $20. I was curious after seeing a similar one on this same Huffington Post article. I prefer to slice it by hand, but I'm anxious to try this when I'm in a time crunch.
*** For those 21 and older...we like to drizzle a little Malibu Coconut Rum on sliced pineapple for parties or an adult beach snack! Please drink responsibly!***
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