3 Tips to Picking the Perfect Pineapple

Isn’t it so sad and disappointing when you get home from the store with a big, beautiful pineapple, and after you into it and take your first bite … it’s just so bland and blah?

While there are many thing in life with no guarantees, but pineapple doesn’t have to be one of them. Here are three easy tips to make sure you choose the one that will taste as good as it looks.

1. Smell the bottom of the pineapple.

Your nose will give you a lot of helping determining how things will taste. It might take a little practice, but begin to use it and let it be your guide.  A pineapple should smell sweet and very much….like a pineapple.  If you’re having a hard time picking up a scent, chances are the pineapple is not quite ripe.  Move on to the next one until you find one with a strong aroma.

2. Note the color and give it a squeeze!

The pineapple should be plump and healthy looking. Like other fruits, pineapples have a shelf life and a window of opportunity for perfect ripeness.  Typically the more green and firm they are, the less ripe.

On the contrary, the more wrinkled and squishy the pineapple gets, the more ripe or even over-ripe they become.  If you’re eating the pineapple right away, you want one right in the middle.  You want a soft golden color that gives just a bit when you squeeze.

3. Leaves should be firm and “healthy looking”.

A common belief is that if the top, middle leaves come out easily, the pineapple is ready.  The answer to that is both true and false. Healthy leaves feed the plant the nutrients it needs so grow.  If the leaves are withered and pull out too easily it could mean the fruit is over-ripe or has even gone rotten.

Leaves that are firm and healthy looking will produce healthy plants, and yes, they do come out easier as the pineapple becomes more juicy.  There is some validity in this test, but only after it passes the two prior tests.

And now that you’re armed with some of the basics … you can probably start to smell them even now. It’s time… go out now and bring home your perfect pineapple!