Pineapples are a great source of nutrition and taste, so knowing choose a ripe one helps. What color do you look for? Is there any truth to the idea that you thump it for a certain sound? Here are tips for picking the right pineapple.
Instructions
1. Color. You want a nice golden color all the way around the fruit, especially the base. It is still good and ripe if it has green on the upper portion. Stay away from a dark brown color as this means the fruit is overripe.
2. Smell the bottom of the pineapple for a fresh, sweet aroma. If there is only a faint aroma, it may have been brought in too soon and is not ripening, as it should. Pineapples are sweeter toward the base of the fruit and this is your source of true ripeness.
3. There is no truth to the rumor that you can thump a pineapple to tell if it is ripe, though this does work for melons. For pineapples stick to your sense of smell and sight. A dried crown means the pineapple is sucking moisture from the top and may be overripe.
4. Once you have chosen the pineapple use it within a day or two. It is acceptable to refrigerate or leave it on the counter at home. Refrigeration will add a day of freshness to it and a crisp cold taste when served.
5. When cutting your pineapple, remember that they are sweeter toward the bottom. If you core the fruit and slice it in rings, some people will get very sweet servings and others more tart. Instead, slice the pineapple lengthways into quarters and cut out the core on each quarter. This way each serving has a bit of all flavors available.
Tags: sweeter toward, that thump