I am intimidated by pineapple. Well, by the idea of cutting pineapple. It isn’t as easy as taking a knife and slicing an apple or pear. Pineapple skin is thick and rough, which makes it a difficult fruit to deal with. Pineapples are beautiful and delicious, but I only recently learned how to cut one (without a fancy pineapple cutter). Here is a step-by-step (and free!) way to slice and dice your pineapple.

Next week I will feature a recipe that calls for pineapple rings – stay tuned!

1. Clear a space to cut your pineapple. Use a cutting board with a large, sharp knife. Careful you maintain a solid grip on the knife and pineapple – you don’t want to cut off any digits!

2. Lay the pineapple on its side and cut off the stalk and a bit of the top of the pineapple.

3. Either remove a slice of the bottom of the pineapple now or at the end. Hold the pineapple upright and start slicing the skin from the side. There will be many strips because you are cutting at a round angle.

4. Continue slicing the skin until it has all been removed. Use your knife or a melon-ball scoop to remove the ”eyes” (the small brown spots) in the pineapple.

5. Turn the pineapple on its side and start cutting it into slices. You can decide how thick you want the slices to be.

6. Once you have all your slices, it is time to cut out a round center. You could use a knife and cut a circle in the center or use a shot glass (which works really well, just watch out for the pineapple juice that shoots up). You have now successfully cut a pineapple – congrats and enjoy! Practice with a couple of pineapples so you’re ready for next week’s recipe.

{photos by a dash of cinema}