The peeler-corer

This is for Tabor, who has travelled all over the world without coming across a pineapple peeler!

There are expensive, stainless-steel peeling machines designed for commercial kitchens, but these cheap plastic gadgets are perfect if you only want to prepare the odd pineapple for home consumption.

Here's a side view of my peeler.

First you slice off and discard the bottom half-inch of the pineapple. 

You then grasp the yellow plastic handle and insert the spike on the end into the centre of the core.  Next to the spike are two short metal blades -- one that removes the core and the other the outer skin.

The outer cutter slides in or out so that it can be adjusted to fit the diameter of the pineapple.

Once the two cutters are in position, rotate the device 360 deg.

This separates the skin and prickly bits from the fruit and cuts out the core as a little plug about an inch across.

A strong knife is then used to cut one slice from the fruit.

And ... voila, this is what you get! 

Repeat the procedure for more slices.

This handy little tool costs only a few dollars. I bought my first one around 20 years ago with 'Patent pending AUST' stamped on the back.  The next one had been patented in AUST, UK, US and JAP. 

The latest, bought recently for a friend, cost me $A 8.95 from a kitchen shop. 

With no inscription, it is probably a pirated copy.

If you think you need one -- like everything these days, they can be bought on the web. 

Depending upon where you live, you can order one from here, or here.

For dinner tonight we ate sweet and sour pork with fresh pineapple -- much nicer than using fruit from a can.

Comments

[joared]

Thanks for a link for a pineapple peeler. This looks so much easier than by hand, plus the pineapple rings are so perfect.

[Sonia]

Hi Jude, first of all thank you so much for your visiting and comment!
About the Meme, "better late than never", isn't?

Love this peeler! The pineapple looks yummy!

Have a nice weekend!

[pablo]

Well, clearly everyone needs one of those.

[Tabor]

This is so deja vu in that I was preparing a pineapple this very morning as part of our breakfast! I had purchased a whole pineapple, and the whole time I was slicing, cutting out the skin and little 'pukas' I thought of you and your recent blog. It was tedious and painful and I really need to get one of these.

[Tjilpi]

It's odd, but I would never think of cutting out the core if I had peeled the skin and prickles off by hand with an ordinary sharp kitchen knife.

[Jude]

The main value of the peeler is to get rid of the prickles. Also, rings with a hole present well and are easy to handle. I always eat the core pieces as I go.

There is another good way of preparing pineapples just with a knife, which I learnt in PNG. First you cut the skin off the whole fruit in straight strips. You then remove the prickles by cutting out V sections in spirals around the circumference of the fruit. After that you cut the fruit into slices -- each with a neat serrated edge and the core left in.

[pat]

I need one of those. Yesterday. We were gifted with a beautiful pineapple and it's growing old in my kitchen. We've all been too lazy to break into it.

[Googs]

That settles it, next time I see one of these handy gadgets I am going to buy it.

[Roberta S]

For far too many years I wondered who decided that pineapple went with pork. But I had always used canned pineapple. A couple years ago I did up some pork with sautéed 'fresh pineapple'..and now I know why pineapple should be served with pork. It's so-o-o good.

[Tjilpi]

Jude, if you just let this post sit there - and don't write anymore - you'll end up with the highest comment score ever! Pineapples must have universal appeal. Except for the prickly skins.

[Jude]

I was thinking the same thing, Tj. This post has had a long shelf-life. But mostly because I have been too busy this week to come back with anything new.

[Neagle]

I've prepped a lot of pineapple and it is rare to prep rings because of the waste left with the skin. I have a commercial grade tool for this task and with a bit of skill you can hallow out the fruit leaving the shell to be utilized for garnish. Nifty gadget.