Here's A Clever Hack For Removing Pineapple Eyes Without A Knife

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There are many hacks for cutting pineapple to suit all your favorite fruity recipes. Though canned is preferable for some recipes, there's nothing quite like cutting into a fresh pineapple for fruit salad, grilling, and more. 

Once you've taken care to cut the outer peel from a fresh pineapple, you might just find some brown spots from the leftover peel, which are commonly referred to as "eyes." Albeit unsightly and unpleasant in taste and texture, the simplest way to remove these eyes while reducing food waste is with the use of a spoon. This is the quickest and easiest method that will leave the most fruit intact. Whether using a Chef Craft Select Serrated Grapefruit Spoon or simply digging out the eyes of a pineapple with the narrow curved edge of any standard spoon, removing these tiny pieces of peel makes all the difference. While Ree Drummond's simple way to cut a pineapple still leaves some of the eyes behind, carefully digging them out with a sharp spoon is both safe and effective.

With the peel and eyes properly removed, you can remove the core to slice the pineapple into rings, cut it into spears or chunks, or even leave the fruit whole. Consider the usefulness of a whole, fresh pineapple over canned for grilling and how delicious it will taste when brushed with a coating of butter, brown sugar, bourbon, and cinnamon before cooking over a rotisserie.

Despite its spiky exterior, proper cutting, peeling, and eye removal doesn't have to be a challenge. This easy hack takes the guesswork out of pineapple preparation. However, as always, it's important to exercise extreme caution when using any sharp utensils. Whether using a spoon or a knife, both can still pose a risk for cuts and scrapes. This is exponentially increased by the presence of a naturally acidic fruit like the pineapple. 

With that said, the natural acidity and sweetness of the pineapple lends itself to tenderness in every tasty bite. The fruit is certainly deserving of its crown and the process of making your favorite pineapple-based recipes will yield royally delightful results. Keeping your fresh fruit peel-free and with the eyes carefully removed opens up the possibilities to create a number of crave-worthy recipes. Sans the eyes, fresh pineapple gives way to juicy and delicate dishes including fried rice, curry, and smoothies. Whether consumed raw, cooked, fried, or grilled, this tropical favorite will be a staple of your table.