I love pineapple. I prefer to buy fresh pineapple and slice it for lunch or salads. This is generally not an easy task. Or let's say, it is a task that I have not perfected. So I decided I would get a little help in this area. I did and I would like to share it with you today.
Here, a beautiful, fresh Chiquita pineapple. Also some fresh peppers in the bowl on the counter. I love to rough chop those and have them with just a little salad dressing. We talked about that last week.
I found this OXO Ratcheting Pineapple Slicer at Target. It certainly looked easy enough to use. The pineapple in the picture released from the rind with great ease. Or so it seemed. Would I have the same experience? I had to find out.
Of course, I did not need to follow the directions on the package to know that I needed to cut off the top of the pineapple. I've been around long enough to know that you need to do that first. But then I started reading the directions and I found out that someone at OXO had been thinking the day they designed this contraption.
There are markings along the slicer/corer marked 1, 2 and 3. After cutting the top off the pineapple, you sit the corer on a parallel surface beside the pineapple. You choose the line that most closely aligns with the height of your pineapple. When you begin coring, you know not to go any deeper than the numbered line which represents the height of your topless pineapple. In my case, line 3.
I inserted the slicer/corer as closely to the center as possible. You need to be as exact as possible with this because it will determine how cleanly your pineapple is removed from the rind.
Once you have the slicer/corer positioned, turn the handle clockwise, then counter-clockwise as far as comfortable for your hand, then clockwise again, applying slight pressure. Continue with this motion until you reach the line marking on the corer which you previously determined was the stopping point for coring your pineapple.
Turn the pineapple on its side and begin removing the slicer/corer by grasping the handle and just giving it a pull. The pineapple will release with great ease. Just like in the picture.
And look. How perfect is that? Perfectly cored and sliced pineapple. The markings on the corer prevent you from going through the bottom of the rind.
Here, a picture of our cored and sliced pineapple still on the corer.
Now, you simply remove the core and discard.
To remove the sliced pineapple, you simply press on the two gray buttons which lock the handle onto the corer and remove the handle.
Slide the sliced pineapple off the corer and you have perfectly sliced rings of fresh pineapple. Pineapple upside-down cake anyone? My mother's birthday is coming up in July. Pineapple upside-down cake would make a wonderful birthday cake! I would certainly be pleased with one for my birthday. I think she will have one for her birthday this year.
I used a stainless steel knife with a large blade to cut through each ring. Then I placed the rings in a container and put them into the refrigerator.
I was really very impressed with how this corer/slicer performed. I can tell you this is definitely much easier and a thousand times less messy as carving a pineapple by hand. This was a great investment of $10.99. If you like fresh pineapple, you must buy one of these today. You will wonder why you have not had one all along. It would also make a great gift for a friend who likes to cook and is just starting to learn their way around a kitchen.
Here, a beautiful, fresh Chiquita pineapple. Also some fresh peppers in the bowl on the counter. I love to rough chop those and have them with just a little salad dressing. We talked about that last week.
I found this OXO Ratcheting Pineapple Slicer at Target. It certainly looked easy enough to use. The pineapple in the picture released from the rind with great ease. Or so it seemed. Would I have the same experience? I had to find out.
Of course, I did not need to follow the directions on the package to know that I needed to cut off the top of the pineapple. I've been around long enough to know that you need to do that first. But then I started reading the directions and I found out that someone at OXO had been thinking the day they designed this contraption.
There are markings along the slicer/corer marked 1, 2 and 3. After cutting the top off the pineapple, you sit the corer on a parallel surface beside the pineapple. You choose the line that most closely aligns with the height of your pineapple. When you begin coring, you know not to go any deeper than the numbered line which represents the height of your topless pineapple. In my case, line 3.
I inserted the slicer/corer as closely to the center as possible. You need to be as exact as possible with this because it will determine how cleanly your pineapple is removed from the rind.
Once you have the slicer/corer positioned, turn the handle clockwise, then counter-clockwise as far as comfortable for your hand, then clockwise again, applying slight pressure. Continue with this motion until you reach the line marking on the corer which you previously determined was the stopping point for coring your pineapple.
Turn the pineapple on its side and begin removing the slicer/corer by grasping the handle and just giving it a pull. The pineapple will release with great ease. Just like in the picture.
And look. How perfect is that? Perfectly cored and sliced pineapple. The markings on the corer prevent you from going through the bottom of the rind.
Here, a picture of our cored and sliced pineapple still on the corer.
Now, you simply remove the core and discard.
To remove the sliced pineapple, you simply press on the two gray buttons which lock the handle onto the corer and remove the handle.
Slide the sliced pineapple off the corer and you have perfectly sliced rings of fresh pineapple. Pineapple upside-down cake anyone? My mother's birthday is coming up in July. Pineapple upside-down cake would make a wonderful birthday cake! I would certainly be pleased with one for my birthday. I think she will have one for her birthday this year.
I used a stainless steel knife with a large blade to cut through each ring. Then I placed the rings in a container and put them into the refrigerator.
I was really very impressed with how this corer/slicer performed. I can tell you this is definitely much easier and a thousand times less messy as carving a pineapple by hand. This was a great investment of $10.99. If you like fresh pineapple, you must buy one of these today. You will wonder why you have not had one all along. It would also make a great gift for a friend who likes to cook and is just starting to learn their way around a kitchen.
