The Easiest Way to Cut and Core a Pineapple

Do you love pineapple but hate the process of slicing and coring? Check out this amazing, cheap tool to cut and core a pineapple quickly and easily!

Pineapple is one of the many fruits that we all agree on. There have been times that we get a pineapple and the entire thing is eaten before we can even get it in the container. But slicing and coring a pineapple was not always easy until we got this one cheap tool.

For Christmas last year, I was at our neighborhood Walmart store looking for a few small things to add to Justin’s stocking, when I came across a pineapple corer. With how much we eat pineapple, and how much he hates to cut it up, I figured it was worth a try. Especially for less than $10. Not to mention that there are many times that pineapple is on sale at our local grocery store for less than $2 per pineapple.

The corer I bought is plastic, but there are even better ones available on Amazon (I was shopping last minute and didn’t have time to order online). They are about the same price for a stainless steel tool. We haven’t had any problem with our plastic one, but I can definitely see how this would be a bit stronger.

EDIT: Our plastic corer finally cracked after a couple of years. We bought a stainless steel replacement and it’s very strong.

Do you know how to check if a pineapple is fresh? Smell the bottom of it. If it smells sweet then it is ripe and ready to eat. So if you plan to cut it that day, grab one that smells sweet. If you want to wait a day or two, grab one that doesn’t have the sweet smell yet and just check it every day. You don’t want to wait too long to slice the pineapple once it is ripe. It starts to get a little squishy and the texture just isn’t the same.

The Best Tool to Cut and Core a Pineapple

Step 1

Cut the top off of the pineapple.

Bonus: You can then plant this in the garden, and it will eventually grow another pineapple. Both of the ones growing in my garden are from doing just this. If you want to use it to grow a pineapple, you need to cut as much of the flesh off as possible. Then start peeling back the lower leaves until you see the brown roots in there. Put the pineapple in water for a few days until tiny roots start to grow, then plant outside in a place that gets plenty of sunlight.

Step 2

Center the pineapple corer over the pineapple and start to turn it while adding pressure downwards. The turning will cut the pineapple in a spiral, but you have to keep pressing down so it doesn’t cut the same spot over and over. Think of it similar to driving a screw into a piece of wood.

Step 3

Once you get close to the bottom (you’ll know because it will get hard to turn) slowly and gently pull the corer up and out of the pineapple while turning. You want to make sure to keep turning because this will loosen the bit that doesn’t get cut at the bottom. This step can be hard. I often find it’s helpful to have two people, one to hold the pineapple base and the other to use the corer. Beware, sometimes it ends up coming out fast and a little juice may spill. My boys think this is hilarious and loves that part!

Step 4

Take the top off of the corer and flip it upside down, sliding the pineapple off of the tool. You should have a stack of pineapple spiral now. Unless you need it in rings for a recipe, I usually cut it in quarters which makes a pretty good size to grab and eat, even for the kids. Sometimes the core stays in the pineapple, other times it comes out with the rest of the flesh.

Step 5

Enjoy your pineapple!

Bonus Step

Did you notice what a perfect pineapple cup this leaves you with? We haven’t yet, but we want to make a drink, such as a pina colada, and use the pineapple shells as the cups for it. How fun would that be?

Video of the Pineapple Corer in Action

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Pineapple Recipes to try

• Grilled Pineapple Pork Chops
• Pineapple Bread Casserole
• Pineapple Coconut Dessert Bars
• Hawaiian Chicken Wraps: An Easy Summer Meal
• Crystallized Pineapple: A Sweet Snack with Only 3 Ingredients
• Pineapple Shrimp Stir Fry
• Hawaiian Chicken
• Strawberry Pineapple Daiquiri Frozen Drink Recipe
• Carrot Cake with Pineapple Filling
• Hawaiian Meatballs in the Slow Cooker
• Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
• 5 Ingredient Rum Runner Cocktail Recipe
• Hawaiian Lit’l Smokies in the Slow Cooker
• Frozen Piña Colada
• Fluffy Frozen Fruit Salad
• Tropical Yogurt Parfait
• Frozen Fruit Cups: The Perfect Summer Treat
• 5 Cup Salad Recipe: A Perfect Cool Summer Dessert