Pineapple

Pineapples have always been intimidating to me. Recently I picked one up at the store and decided to learn how to prepare it...it's easier than you'd think.

Let's start by first discussing how you can tell whether a pineapple is ripe. Pull one of the leaves from the top. If it comes out easily, it is ripe and ready to go!

Before you are ready to cut the pineapple, turn it upside down and put it in the refrigerator for about a half an hour. This redistributes the natural sugar throughout the fruit (when the pineapple sits, the sugar tends to settle on the bottom).

Next, twist off the top leaves (or cut them off). Then, cut off both the top and the bottom of the pineapple. Now comes the trickiest part. Take a knife and trim the outer edges of the pineapple only taking off the outer shell. You want to trim along with the shape of the fruit to minimize the amount of insides lost.

Lay the pineapple on its side and cut about 1 inch segments. Use your knife to cut around the center to remove the core (it is tough and not as sweet as the rest). Now cut the pineapple slices into pieces as you would a pizza.

That's it! It is a little laborious, but it is cheaper than buying pre-cut pineapples (and more rewarding)...