https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o5TKzk-rcE Photo by: Rockin Robin’s Cooking Mexican Recipes

Pineapples are one of the most delicious fruits out there (IMO) but their preparation has perplexed many people who dare hack away at their understatedly spiky exterior. This has become such a common issue that various tools have been developed and supermarkets make it a routine to stock pre-trimmed and cored pineapples, however this convenience always comes at a cost. I was first served pineapple using this prep method in Costa Rica (the land of pineapples) after a long day of attempting to surf and the genius of it hit me like a happy slap to the face. Drained of all energy, I ate nearly an entire pineapple with the enthusiasm of someone you’d think had been lost at sea for days. The best part was that it was cut into these easy, mess-free snacking bites. Here’s how to do this at home:

1. Turn the whole pineapple on its side and cut off the green top. Then do the same with the bottom.
2. Stand the pineapple back on its end and slice it through the middle into quarters (skin still on.)
3. Now lay each quarter with the flesh facing up and cut along the sides to separate skin from flesh. Leave the flesh inside the ‘shell’ and then slice across into bite size pieces.

I like to leave the core in and eat around it while I use it as a sort of grippy finger hold (pineapple slices can be slippery little buggers) but if you prefer, it can be removed once you’ve quartered the pineapple. That’s it. Pineapple has never looked so inviting. Here’s a quick video for visual reference.
*Note: in CR they don’t even bother to cut off the top or bottom before quartering, but cutting through the spiky, leafy top can be challenging…then again, they did have machetes.