What A Chunk! (Pineapples)

Member Name: Emmald

Product:	Pineapples
Date:	15/01/09 (91 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A juicy fruit

Disadvantages: none

Hawaii still produces the largest amount of domestically consumed Pineapples but the major producer of the fruit is China.
Now when you go to Tesco to pick your pineapple you have to get it right first time around. Due to a lack of starch reserve pineapples don't ripen after they are picked, so you could choose the best looking fruit on the shelf but if it isn't ripe then you have had your chips!
The green leaves that sit at the top of the fruit should be deep green and perky looking, its no good squeezing the pineapple or seeing if it is soft as that doesn't indicate ripeness at all.
The pineapple needs to smell good, a good ripe rich fruity sweet smell. Watch out for leaky areas or soft patches on the fruit , this is a sure sign that all is not what it should be.



You need to cut your pineapple...so first of all take off the top and the bottom, right down to the flesh using a good sharp knife.
Then using a paring knife or a good sharp knife ( using extra care ) hold the pineapple upright and trim the hard thick scaly skin off. Then make little cuts into the flesh to access the `eyes`. These are the knobbly studs that are in the puffy squares of thick skin.
Then you need to take out the core by either slicing the fruit and taking out the centre with a biscuit cutter or stand it upright and pare off the fruit all the way around until you reach the core.
The fruit is ready to use then.



As long as you wrap the sliced pineapple in a plastic bag it will keep for a few days in the fridge. I have sometimes slipped up and not wrapped it tightly enough, gone back into my fridge later on and found it has tainted the other food stored in there-maddening.



Pineapple is good with meat, on kebabs, ham and pineapple, in curries. It looks and tastes good used in salads too.
Fruit salad tastes good with a few chunks added and if you ever make homemade punch for a family party then the acidity of the pineapple tastes great with it.
The fruit makes a really good Upside down cake, use a few cherries to add some colour though.
Any recipe that contains gelatin isn't any good for pineapple, it just doesn't set properly, I thought I was being dead clever one day and instead of using canned peaches I made a pineapple sponge flan, im afraid it ended up in the bin!



Pineapples are rich in Vitamin C and Bromelain ( Bromelain is a natural anti-inflammatory) Sipping the juice can ease a sore throat.



Tesco value pineapples can be as low as £1 which represents good value for money.
They are juicy and very delectable, I have one problem though, I have to limit myself to a small amount at a time or the acid takes the skin off of the roof of my mouth!

Summary: A juicy fruit packed with Vitamin C