Life

This Handy Kitchen Gadget Will Cut Your Pineapple Right To The Core

by Margeaux Baulch Klein
amazon

Although fresh pineapples are a delicious treat, cutting one open and peeling off the skin with a knife is a chore. That’s why pineapple corers are so genius. The best pineapple corers turn the otherwise laborious work of peeling a pineapple and removing the core into a quick and easy task.

Most corers are made of a combination of plastic and stainless steel and essentially work the same. After cutting off the top of the pineapple, you place the corer in the center of the pineapple over the corer, and slowly push down and twist the tool’s handle. Eventually, you’ll get to the bottom.

Where models tend to differ is the quality of the materials, and if they have any additional features or tools included to make coring your pineapple even easier. For example, a more expensive model might have a sturdier grip on the handle, or come with a cutter tool allowing you to create pineapple wedges, as well. And, some corers even have measurements on the side to help prevent you from piercing through the pineapple's bottom. That'll be key if you want to save the pineapple shell to use as a glass to create fancy cocktails or smoothies.

Also, keep in mind the size of the blade. Most corers are made for a medium-sized pineapple, and with larger pineapples you will end up leaving more of the fruit behind.

Take a look, below, at three of the best pineapple corers you can buy.

1The Overall Best, All Things Considered

Made of dishwasher-safe plastic and stainless steel, this pineapple corer is easy to use and produces perfect pineapple rings every time. Best, of all, it comes with a bonus attachment that cuts the pineapple rings that the corer produces into smaller, ready-to-eat wedges. With nearly 500 reviewers weighing in and a 4.4-star rating on Amazon, this pineapple corer is one of the most popular on the market.

What fans say: "This is easily one of my favorite kitchen gadgets. I am blown away by how easy it is to use every time. It used to take me about 10 minutes and a mess of pineapple juice everywhere for me to cut up a fresh pineapple. With this, it takes literally seconds and almost all of the juice stays inside the hollowed out pineapple. If you like fresh pineapple, I highly recommend buying this."

2The Best Splurge

Although it’s pricier than the first pick, this OXO pineapple corer is made with BPA-free plastic and has a non-slip ratcheting handle, allowing for the most seamless process of cutting your pineapple. Plus, this option has measurements on its stainless steel body to prevent at prevents you from piercing through the bottom of the pineapple. (So you can re-use the pineapple shell as a glass for a piña colada, if you’d like.) It's also dishwasher safe and, at 10.2 inches in length, you'll be able to tackle larger pineapples with this corer when compared to others on this list. Nearly 1,000 reviewers have chimed in to say this kitchen gadget is worth your time.

What fans say: "I love pineapple. Hate the fuss of cutting it up. This gadget, which I learned about on America's Test Kitchen, has solved the problem! All you do is cut (or twist) the top of the pineapple off, then place the toothed circle at the bottom of the slicer over the pale central core of the pineapple, and twist the slicer clockwise into the pineapple... I love this thing. Now I buy a pineapple knowing I can have it cut up in about 5 minutes, with very little effort or mess. If you like pineapple, this is a really good buy."

3The Most Affordable

If you don't want to spend a lot on what might be an occasional use kitchen gadget, this Utopia Kitchen pineapple corer has got you covered. This corer offers three-in-one capabilities. If you remove the handle, you can use the blade as a cutting tool to cut the top of the pineapple off as well as core and peel, rendering a knife unnecessary. Granted, this option is hand-wash only. But for such a low price, it might be worth the extra time and effort when cleaning it.

What fans say: "A marvelous device. Easily bores through the inside of the pineapple to produce perfectly formed continuous spiraling rings. The only time it won't work well is if you have a pineapple that is too narrow for the circular part of the device to fit inside the shell of the pineapple. That is not likely, but just a warning to avoid excessively narrow pineapples if you expect to use this device."

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