Buying pre-cut pineapple chunks might seem like the convenient thing to do when faced with the option of choosing between a friendly-looking container or the spiky fruit itself.
But fear not, fruit lovers, peeling and cutting a pineapple shouldn't scare you away from saving some money at the grocery store.
James Briscione, director of culinary development at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, shares these simple tips to easily remove that tough, pesky skin, chop up the fruit and finish with core-less bites ready to serve up in your next fruit salad or any other recipe.
Ready to get some perfectly chopped pineapple? Here's how:
1. Lay the fruit on its side, and chop off the top and bottom from the pineapple so it has two flat bases.
2. Place the fruit on its flat bottom and cut off the sides, lengthwise from top to bottom, by staying in one spot and rotating the pineapple. Each strip of green peel will be about 1 to 2 inches. Try not to chop away too much of the yellow flesh with the peel.
3. With four big chops, cut away the fleshy fruit from the core. You'll be left with a rectangular center that's too tough to eat, but you'll have four nicely-cut wedges of fruit.
4. Finish by cutting the wedges into slices or bite-sized pieces for a fruit salad.
Love pineapple? Here's how to use that freshly-cut fruit:
