Trust your nose, not the leaves

Picking a ripe pineapple is less mysterious than it seems, but most of the folk wisdom is wrong. The color is a poor guide, since pineapples are often shipped green and do not sweeten much after harvest. The reliable test is smell: a ripe pineapple gives off a sweet, honeyed fragrance at the base. It should also feel heavy for its size and yield just slightly when you press it, with fresh, deep-green leaves. The famous trick of tugging a center leaf loose is unreliable, so lead with your nose.

Cutting it down to size

A whole pineapple looks intimidating and is genuinely easy once you know the moves. Slice off the leafy crown and the base so it stands flat and steady on the cutting board. Then run your knife down the sides in strips to remove the spiky skin, following the curve of the fruit. Quarter what remains lengthwise, and slice the tough, fibrous core off each wedge. From there, cut spears or chunks as you like. After a couple of tries the whole job takes about two minutes.

Grill it

If you only do one thing with a pineapple this year, grill it. Direct heat caramelizes the fruit’s abundant sugars into something jammy, smoky, and almost savory. Cut thick rings or spears and grill them a few minutes per side until you get dark marks, then serve them alongside pork or chicken, stacked on a burger, or over vanilla ice cream with a little chili powder and lime. It is one of the great and underused tricks of summer cooking.

A useful bit of chemistry

Fresh pineapple contains bromelain, an enzyme that breaks down protein, and it is worth understanding because it explains a few kitchen mysteries. It is why fresh pineapple will not let gelatin set and why it can turn a meat marinade tender, or mushy if you leave it too long. Use that power on purpose in marinades, but reach for cooked or canned pineapple, where the heat has deactivated the enzyme, if you want to fold it into a jelly dessert or a set custard. It is also why some people feel a slight tingle on the tongue after eating a lot of fresh pineapple; the enzyme is briefly acting on the soft tissue of your mouth, and it is completely harmless. Armed with a good knife and those few facts, National Pineapple Day is yours.

How to celebrate

  1. 1
    Judge ripeness by smell

    A ripe pineapple smells sweet and fragrant at the base, gives slightly when pressed, and has fresh green leaves. Color is a poor guide since many are shipped green-gold. The old trick of tugging a center leaf is unreliable, so trust your nose.

  2. 2
    Cut it the easy way

    Slice off the top and bottom so it stands flat, then cut down the sides to remove the spiky skin. Quarter it lengthwise and slice out the tough core from each wedge. A cored, peeled pineapple takes about two minutes once you have the rhythm.

  3. 3
    Grill it

    Pineapple is fantastic on the grill. The heat caramelizes its sugars into something jammy and smoky. Grill thick rings or spears a few minutes per side and serve them with pork, on burgers, or over ice cream with a little chili and lime.

  4. 4
    Do not put it in gelatin

    Fresh pineapple contains bromelain, an enzyme that breaks down protein, which is why it prevents gelatin from setting and can tenderize meat. Use it in marinades to your advantage, but cook or use canned pineapple if you want it in a jelly dessert.