Some fruit can be tested for ripeness easily, and in just a few seconds. A tomato? Color and feel are dead giveaways. A banana? Easy. Other fruits, not so much. Like watermelon, pineapple is a fruit that has more secret clues to ripeness than obvious ones. Unfortunately, the texture of a pineapple is not a good way to tell if it's ripe, according to Emanuela Vinciguerra, a pineapple farmer and educator at Kumu Farms, which grows tropical fruit on the Hawaiian Islands of Molokai and Maui. "For pineapple, it's not really the feel," she says. "Even when it's really ripe, it's kind of hard." So how do you know when a pineapple is ripe and ready to eat? Skip the squeeze test and check out these other pineapple attributes that are far more useful.
A single pineapple usually has between 30 and 40 spiky dark green leaves, which bear some similarities to agave and succulents. On an unripe pineapple, these tough leaves will be firmly embedded into the pineapple and difficult to remove without tugging hard. But as a pineapple ripens, its leaves change. "If you are able to take off one of its leaves easily—boop—that's a sign that it's ripe," Vincinguerra says. She adds that pulling a leaf until it detaches should "not be a struggle. It should come off easily."
Unripe pineapples lack aroma, Vincinguerra says. On the other hand, fully ripe pineapples have a certain easily detectable smell. When smelling the bottom for ripeness, she expects a sweet, rich smell, not unlike the bright, tropical, sugary spirit of the ripe fruit's flavor. When there's a "sweet smell," she says, there's a "sweet taste." She also believes that a sweet smell tells you the pineapple won't be as acidic. A lot of the acidic notes will have mellowed with ripeness, allowing fruity nuances to shine. RELATED: 16 Fresh Pineapple Recipes
This ripeness clue is more obvious, but it's still worth emphasizing. At supermarkets, pineapples often appear green. Green pineapples are underripe. A pineapple is ripe and ready once it has turned yellowish—and not a smidge, but a good portion of the fruit. Vicinguerra explains: "When at least one side has yellow color… that's the best tip." Don't cut your pineapple until it has lost most, if not all, of its green.
Should you put a pineapple in the refrigerator? "Never!" Vicinquerra says. She advises keeping green pineapples out of the refrigerator—no exceptions. But she softens her stance for fully ripe yellow pineapples. "When the fruit is ripe and it has turned all yellow, that's the only time you can put a pineapple in the fridge." Even so, she recommends that you eat refrigerated pineapples within a tight window—three to five days maximum. And keep them in the crisper until you're ready.
The hard, spiky-from-top-to-bottom outside of your pineapple is protecting something pretty glorious inside: Bright yellow, sweet, juicy fruit that tastes like sunshine. That is, if you pick a ripe one. Underripe pineapple can be woody and tart. Overripe pineapple can lose its texture and taste a bit off. So how can you tell if a pineapple is ready to eat? Try any or all of these five tests to tell if your pineapple is ripe. Look for the outside of the pineapple, called the shell, to be a light or medium yellow color. Some green is fine, but avoid pineapples that are entirely dark green (underripe) or are dark yellow or orange (overripe). If you're not sure, check the bottom of the pineapple: Its color will give you the best sense of whether or not it's ready. You've likely heard that ripe fruit should be heavy for its size. This is definitely true for pineapples. A relatively heavy pineapple also means that it's juicer, and a juicy pineapple will be much sweeter. Pick up the pineapple and sniff the bottom. When ripe, it should smell fruity and sweet. If it has no smell, it may be underripe. If it smells slightly funky or vinegary, your pineapple may be overripe as the natural sugars are starting to ferment.
 Give the pineapple a squeeze. It should feel firm but give very slightly when ripe. You want just a little give, as too much is a sign that the pineapple may be too ripe. It's actually easier to feel for what you don't want: Rock solid is probably underripe, so anything less than that is likely ready to eat. You can also use the spiky green top of a pineapple, called the fronds, to check for ripeness. Gently tug on one of the leaves. If it feels loose or comes off, your pineapple is ripe. While the fronds should mostly look green and healthy, a couple dry leaves won't make a difference. Once a pineapple is picked, it won't ripen much more or get much sweeter. You can try a couple tricks to help soften the fruit though. Store the pineapple upside down for a couple days to let the natural sugars at the bottom seep into the rest of the fruit. You can also try storing with bananas and other fruits that give off ethylene, a natural gas that speeds up ripening.
Pineapple is a sneaky fruit. It loves to hide behind spiny scales, taunting you to cut into it before it’s ripened to that sweet, tangy state of crisp freshness we know and love. Don’t play the games of a devious pineapple. Instead, carefully inspect a pineapple’s color, scent, texture, and weight to tell that it’s ripened to perfection.
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Co-authors: 48 Updated: March 25, 2022 Views: 3,585,547 Article Rating: 80% - 4 votes Categories: Featured Articles | Food Selection and Storage
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