Posted on 03/16/2017 4:00:27 PM PDT by Jamestown1630
In recent years the pineapple has superseded peaches to become my favorite fruit – perhaps partly because it’s so much easier to find very good pineapples in my area. But getting at the fruit inside a pineapple is a real project!
I’ve often been tempted to buy one of those pineapple-coring gadgets, but I always turned it down – I thought it would be hard for my small hands to use, and it seemed like the kind of ‘unitasker’ (channeling Alton Brown, here) that would take up space and hardly be used.
A few weeks ago, I saw one of them on the half-price rack at the grocery store, in perfect condition except that the packaging had been damaged; so I gave in and scooped it up, still thinking that I'd probably have to enlist the Husband Unit's man-hands, to make it work.
But this thing is amazing! It isn’t hard to use at all, even for my small and not very strong hands; and it does exactly what it’s supposed to do. There are a lot of them out there, but the one I purchased is from Farberware. When I think back to all my ugly, butchered pineapples, I wish I had gotten this gizmo sooner. (And when it’s all done, you have a nice hollow pineapple to use for a centerpiece "vase".)
Pineapple is especially nice as a snack when dehydrated – it doesn’t require pre-treatment, and the corer does a very good job of making uniform slices that will dry evenly (if you don't have a dehydrator, this link also includes directions for drying in the oven):
http://www.ehow.com/how_4792892_dehydrate-pineapple.html
And of course, there’s the beloved of many, Pineapple Upside Down Cake:
Another use for pineapple that I’ve always liked, is Carrot-Raisin-Pineapple Salad, which is usually made with mayonnaise; but I first made it while low-fat dieting many years ago, and still prefer it with yogurt, instead:
http://www.food.com/recipe/no-fat-carrot-raisin-salad-68514
-JT
This week: Pineapple - and I acquire a new Gadget!
(If you would like to be on or off of this weekly cooking thread ping-list, please send a private message.)
-JT
That ham and bean soup I mentioned a while back came out great, folks couldn’t get enough of it. Two gallons gone just like that. Next up: Beef Stroganoff.
I have to apologize - I just realized that my link to Pineapple Upside Down Cake goes to a recipe that is definitely ‘Party Size’!
I will try to find the original ‘Betty Crocker’ one that I thought I was posting ;-)
Outstanding, beautiful work.
I have a fresh pineapple on my kitchen counter.
Here we go (but if you’re cooking for a real crowd, the original one looks good ;-)
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/pineapple-upside-down-cake/a1c9a639-0748-4f2c-89f5-fd33cf138986
My father was stationed in Hawaii when I was a youngster. My sisters & I competed for the pineapple core. Just loved it. I bought a pineapple a few years ago & was anticipating enjoying the core...tough, chewy, ick. Have pineapples changed or did I just have tougher teeth & jaw back then?! :-)
I saw an interesting recipe for a Pinapple Upside Down Cake on Facebook (from The Trend) a few days ago & jotted down the recipe. It wasn’t specific on measurements for some things so you’d just have to ‘wing it.’ (See final note.)
In a bundt cake pan, pour in melted butter.
Add brown sugar & mix together, smear up sides.
Take a can of sliced pineapple & cut in half. Place the slices in the pan with ends sticking up. Use maraschino cherries to keep pineapple spaced evenly & upright.
Take a yellow cake mix & add a package of vanilla pudding mix. Add a cup of pineapple juice, a cup of milk, a quarter cup of vegetable oil & 3 eggs & blend together. Pour over pineapple slices in the bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove from bundt pan onto plate.
Note: the exact amounts of the fluid are estimated. Might want to use ¾ cup & add more if not thin enough.
I like pineapple as well but i also eat the core and some of the seeds.
Where are the seeds in a pineapple? I once tried growing one, by cutting off the top and planting it; it lived a while, but my South-facing balcony was really too hot for it in summer; and it died:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/children/planting-pineapple-tops.htm
Dole Whip
FIST MAKE THE PINEAPPLE SLUSH--Blender smooth 2-20 oz cans drained Dole Crushed Pineapple, 2 tbl ea l/juice, lime juice, pineapple juice, 1/3 c sugar. Freeze 1-2 hours.
ASSEMBLY Stir pineapple slush into soft-serve vanilla ice cream.
SERVE completely frozen.
Interestingly, pineapple juice can help dissolve it. (Or Coca-cola.)
You probably had fresh, young ones. I’m sure I’ve eaten edges of core, in my ‘pineapple butchering’ days; but it’s generally too tough.
I had no idea!
Nope, never heard that before. I doubt I’ll bother having another pineapple core after the last one, but thanks for the info! :-)
Pineapple in Hawaii and pineapple in the US are two entirely different things.
I made this a few days ago. My husband’s had four slices of it already! I did not add the coconut and I used a different frosting recipe. I’m not a fan of buttercream type frostings. I used whipped cream, cream cheese, lemon juice and vanilla.
Carrot Cake
Ingredients
2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups finely grated carrots
1 cup flaked coconut
1 (15 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
2 1/2cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup butter
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk. Stir in carrots, coconut, vanilla, and pineapple. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; gently stir into carrot mixture. Stir in chopped nuts. Spread batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine butter or margarine, cream cheese, vanilla, and confectioners sugar. Blend until creamy. Frost cake while still in the pan.
Sounds neat - I always wondered about those gadgets. I worry they’ll cut away part of the good stuff?
I don’t know if I’m alone in this, but I LOVE fresh and crunchy pineapple cores. I wish they would can them too!
yum!
carrot cake goes great with a simple cream cheese frosting - 1 stick butter, 8 oz cream cheese, 1 tap vanilla, 1 lb (~3 3/4 cup) powdered sugar)
I was curious, and found these; (and apparently there are other plant products that also cause phytobezoars):
https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/pdf/10.1055/s-0034-1377598.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola_treatment_of_phytobezoars
In my local Hispanic grocery store, I see ‘pineapple tea’, and always wondered about it. This is from Food52:
https://food52.com/blog/15910-stop-tossing-your-pineapple-peels-turn-them-into-tea-instead
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