How much Chunks are in a Pineapple?

This food grows on a short spiny bush from a cluster of flowers that merge together and become a single piece of tropical fruit - a pineapple. It takes a good 2 years for a plant to make 1 fruit. Pineapple plants can be grown from seeds but most often they use a cloning technique to speed up the process.

When most people think pineapple, they think of Hawaii. However, pineapples are tropical plants that originally came from Central American and the Caribbean. Today, pineapples are easily found in most big-box grocery stores.

Pineapple juice is a common ingredient in cooking. It is included in marinades, many Asian and tropical dishes and enjoyed as a cold beverage. Due to its chemical makeup, it also effectively tenderizes meats.

Most foods that come from the ovary of a flower are classified as fruit and all other edible parts of the plant are considered vegetables. Since pineapples come from flowers, they are fruits.

In fact, they develop from many flowers joined together to make just 1 pineapple. Two other fruits that expand this way are raspberries and mulberries.

Most folks recognize 4 main groups of pineapples: Smooth Cayenne, Red Spanish, Queen, and Abacaxi.

• Smooth Cayenne:

It is one of the largest pineapples and normally weighs between 4 to 10 pounds. It is sweet to taste and very juicy. The flesh of the Smooth Cayenne is a medium yellow color.

This is the type of pineapple that grows in Hawaii and is found in all grocery stores in the United States. Smooth Cayenne is the most popular one to grow for canning pineapples.

• Red Spanish:

This medium sized but distinct pineapple is easy to identify with its bright red skin. Besides enjoying its external decorative appearance, it also tastes sweet even though it produces less juice. Compared to the other groups, it has a milder flavor in general.

It readily grows in Mexico and the Caribbean, but you will rarely find a Red Spanish pineapple in a United States grocery store.

• Queen:

This group of smaller pineapples is known for its very sweet taste and enhancing aroma. The texture of a Queen pineapple is refreshingly crisp. The skin is usually a dark yellow and the flesh is golden yellow in appearance. These are most often eaten fresh.

Queen pineapples grow in Australia, South Africa and India. This pineapple doesn't like the cold weather, so don't store them in your refrigerator.

• Abacaxi:

The Abacaxi pineapples have very pale, sweet flesh. This group grows to between 2 and 11 pounds. Since they bruise easily, Abacaxi pineapple is not used in commercial applications.

The outside of a fresh pineapple is a tough waxy feeling skin made up of hexagonal sections with small pointy tips. The inside contains juicy fibrous flesh that depending on the variety, can range from whitish to a deep golden yellow to reddish orange in appearance.

Pineapple, with its sweet but slightly tart flavored juicy flesh, is a versatile tropical fruit. It can be eaten raw, mixed into cocktails and drinks, made in desserts, included in salads, and incorporated into savory dishes. It always adds a burst of freshness

Besides fresh whole pineapples, you can purchase ones diced or in cans, or bags of frozen pineapple pieces. In addition, you can purchase jars of pineapple juice.

Once picked, pineapples do not continue to ripen, so when buying, look for one that is already ripe.

For a sweet and tart flavored dish, you can replace pineapples with chopped green apples. When making a citrusy, sweet treat, oranges or orange juice can be substituted for pineapple in a recipe.

In a pinch you can use nectarines, mangos, or papaya to replace pineapple in a fruit or green salad. For a beverage, you can use grapefruit or orange juice as an alternative selection.

Whole fresh pineapples are actually quite easy to cut, all you need is a sharp chef's knife.

Place the whole pineapple on its side on a cutting board. Remove the crown of leaves by cutting across the body of the pineapple about 1 inch down from the connection point. Now cut a thin slice off the bottom end.

• For cutting cubes, wedges or spears, cut lengthwise down the remaining pineapple and cut it in half. Cut each half lengthwise so you end up with 2 quarters of pineapple. Repeat for the other half.

With the chef's knife, remove the skin from the outside of the quarters and the core from the center. Now you are only left with the inside flesh of the pineapple that is edible. Continue cutting the flesh into either cubes or spears as your recipe calls for.

• For cutting round slices, next stand the pineapple on the cutting board and begin removing the outside skin with a chef's knife. Make your cuts from the top down toward the cutting board. Continue making these cuts as you rotate the pineapple until all the skin is removed.

Next carefully remove the center by cutting around the core until the only edible pineapple is left.

Place the pineapple on its side and slice across the flesh making a ring or circular shape. Continue cutting the pineapple into rings the width you prefer for the recipe you are making.

The leaves and waxy skin with pointy spikes are not eaten. They should be removed as explained in the How to Cut a Pineapple section.

These should not be fed to your pets either.

Cut both edges to remove the leafy and the bottom end of the pineapple. Remove the waxy skin from the outside of the pineapple by cutting in a downward motion. Cut the edible portion of the pineapple into the size of pieces that will easily fit into your electric juicer. Toss in the raw pieces and puree. Pineapple juice can either be enjoyed by itself or combined with other fruits for a beverage with a more complex flavor profile.

Whole fresh pineapples can be stored on the kitchen counter for 2 or 3 days before it starts to deteriorate. The acidic content of the pineapple will increase, causing the sweetness to decrease.

Most whole pineapples you can store in the refrigerator for about 7 days. However, for optimal sweetness, it is best to let the pineapple return to room temperature before eating.

Once the pineapple has been cut, it can be stored in an airtight container submerged under some of its juices for about 1 week. For longer storage up to 6 or 7 months, freeze the pineapple in an airtight container.