A Hack for Sweeter, Juicier Pineapple

Get the pineapple you were hoping for with this dead-simple trick.

Once a pineapple is off the plant, it doesn't ripen any further. So what if you have a pineapple that's not that sweet and a little more stiff than you want from your easy, breezy tropical fruit? There's a great solution in the pages of the new book Dessert and Booze Hacks, and it goes a little like this:

• Cut the top crown of the pineapple off.
• Place the pineapple, cut side down, on a plate.
• Cover the pineapple with foil or plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge for 2 days—3 if you're patient.

Cut into your pineapple; taste it. What you'll encounter is fruit that's sweeter and juicier, the thinking being that the sugary juices from the riper part of the pineapple (the bottom, where it was connected to the plant) trickle down and spread about the fruit.

Above: slice from pineapple that sat upside down in fridge for 3 days; below: less juicy piece cut before fruit went into the fridge.

When we tried out the trick, we could see a difference between the piece we cut from the overturned pineapple (top slice above) and the shrively, whiter piece we cut before the pineapple went upside down (bottom slice shown above)—especially on and near the core.

Once you've marveled at your supremely good pineapple, all that's left to do: Make a piña colada.

Tell us: How have you been eating (or drinking) pineapple this summer?

from Food52 http://ift.tt/1MR8WC9