The Pull-Apart Method For Opening Pineapples Without A Knife

Pineapples are notoriously unwieldy. Everything about them screams, "Don't open me!" If you buy a whole pineapple, you will either have to use a knife to cut and peel the skin, or you could try an unconventional method that requires no tools at all. Videos have circulated on YouTube about how to open a pineapple without a knife. Most people who filmed themselves doing this get the fruit open within a few minutes, but actually eating the pineapple is a sticky, time-intensive process.

To open a pineapple without using a knife, start by twisting the crown (the leafy green part) until it separates from the rest of the fruit. Now, hit the base of the pineapple about ten times on a clean surface while rotating it a few degrees between each hit. Then, turn the pineapple on its side and begin rolling it with your hands like you would a rolling pin on a mound of dough.

You will know you are applying the right amount of pressure when juice starts to shoot out of the fruit. Once the pineapple feels soft, dig your thumb into one of the edges of the eyes — the eyes are the scale-like hexagons that give pineapple its recognizable exterior. It will be hard to get your thumb in initially, but once you break through, getting to the rest of the fruit will be much easier.

It sounds easy enough, right? The steps themselves are straightforward, but when the time comes to actually eat the pineapple, things get messy. Pineapple pulled out by hand will come out in oddly-shaped yellow chunks attached to a piece of the pineapple's skin. There will be juice everywhere, and it will take a while to dissect the entire fruit. Some creators show this less-than-appetizing side of the process, but others make it seem cleaner and easier than it actually is. 

Creators who pull out the eyes with the same ease as moving a loose Jenga piece most likely scored their pineapple with a knife before the cameras were rolling. It would be nice for pineapple eyes to pop out in a perfectly snackable form; but as with most foods, humans have to put in some extra work to make pineapple easy to eat. 

The other thing to note is that these no-cut demonstrations use perfectly ripe pineapples. Once a pineapple becomes overripe, the walls of the pineapple will soften and the flavors will change. If you think your pineapple is past its prime, use the sniff test to see if the fruit is still salvageable and consider using a knife to get out as much of the edible flesh as you can. You might still be able to use the juice even if the fruit itself seems inedible. 

If you want to eat a pineapple and don't own a knife for some reason, the no-cut method is an option — but it does take a lot of work. The good news is that we live in an age of canned fruit and pre-packed slices that make the fruit's tart, sweet goodness very accessible the next time you want to grill pineapple or add pineapple to pizza.

That being said, canned fruit can contain added syrups that introduce a significant amount of sugar to your diet. If you buy pre-cut pineapple, you will be paying a premium and buying a plastic container for a food that nature pre-packaged with a formidable skin. Buying a whole pineapple (even a tiny personal-sized pineapple) is a cost-effective and healthy way to get your hands on the freshest form of an antioxidant-rich food.

It's all fun and games with the no-cutting method until someone ends up with very sore hands or with some pineapple juice squirting into their eye. Using a knife to score around the eyes or simply to peel and chop up the pineapple will be faster and yield more fruit than picking away at it tiny piece by tiny piece.