How To Cut A Pineapple

We've been obsessed with pineapple since we got to Costa Rica because they are so damn good!  They actually taste like drinking a Pina Colada, they're so sweet with almost a slight coconutty flavor.  We can't get enough!  I've been buying one at the produce market every few days.  I even bought one as a gift for our neighbors.  What's a better gift than a pineapple?

I'm not an expert on picking out pineapples, but I've heard/seen a few different things.  Tamara told me to shake the stalk (the leaves) and if it's somewhat loose then it's ready.  I've also heard that when it's turning yellow it's ripe.  I've also seen Ticos look at the bottom of the pineapple, but no idea why.  I know, this is sketchy advice, so what I do is just buy the biggest pineapple I can find and wait two days before I cut it.  There's no science to it, it just works.  I also think it's pretty hard to buy a bad pineapple here, so good luck if you live somewhere else.  I got nothing.

I never got any sort of lesson on how to cut a pineapple, I just sort of figured it out.  Pineapples can be daunting because they're quite prickly and the shell is tough, but once you got the basics, it's easy peasy.  Let's cut this sucker!

Here's my pineapple, cutting board (a bigger one would be better), knife (a bigger one would be better) and iPad (I was watching Moonrise Kingdom-I absolutely adore Wes Anderson).

I start by lopping off the leafy top:

and bottom:

Now, the skin is pretty thick, so make sure you cut at least an inch into the body.  Now here's what we've got:

We start slicing the sides in strips (remember, go in at least an inch to get it all):

It looks like I've wasted a lot, but that's just how it goes with pineapple.  Now we cut our cylindrical pineapple in half lengthwise:

Then cut the halves in half:

Now I've got (you guessed it) 4 pieces:

The core of the pineapple can be a bit tough, so I like to cut it out:

Do this to each section and this is what you're left with:

Then you can slice it however you want:

Again, I know it seems like we wasted a lot, but you still end up with a lot of pineapple.  I can't eat half this much without my tongue getting tingly and weird (that means take a pineapple break).  

I know this seems like a lot of work for a pineapple, but trust me, it's SO worth it.  Go out and buy a pineapple today!