How To Pick The Best Pineapple At The Store Using A Simple Test

Perfectly ripe pineapple is juicy, sweet, and a tad tangy. Its texture is slightly crisp but not too firm, falling somewhere between rock-solid and mushy. While unripe pineapple can be bitter and overly crunchy, overripe pineapple is too soft, sometimes brown, and sour tasting. Like most foods, this spiky tropical fruit isn't a try-before-you-buy type of item. Without the option to slice open and taste-test, how can one choose the best pineapple at the grocery store? Luckily, there's an easy test that can be done right in the produce section: Simply tug on one of its many spiky leaves and see if it comes loose.

Most pineapples have 30 to 40 thick, spiky green leaves or fronds sticking out from the fruit's stem. If you pull on one and it comes out easily, the fruit is ripe and perfectly sweet. However, if it takes considerable effort to remove a leaf, it is likely unripe and not good for eating. This is because the leaves transform as the pineapple ripens, loosening overtime. Leaves that are brown, dry, and wilting likely indicate an overripe pineapple, which you may want to avoid (while not harmful unless there's mold or a funky smell, it won't taste the best). 

Bear in mind that pineapples only ripen while still on the tree. Unlike other fruits, such as bananas and most stone fruits, a pineapple that is picked before it's ripe won't continue to ripen properly as it sits on your counter or in the refrigerator. 

Pineapple is delicious on its own but is also a key ingredient for a wide variety of dishes and drinks. Whether you're putting together a Southern sandwich that's all about pineapple, making tasty piña colada-inspired grilled pineapple, or using pineapple planks for your grilled fish, this tropical treat can be incorporated into numerous recipes. For the best sweet and tangy flavor, it's important to make sure you've picked a good one, which is where the leaf-picking test comes in. 

However, picking the leaves isn't the only way to test if your pineapple is perfectly ripe. In addition to pulling a frond, you can check the color, weight, and firmness. Ripe pineapples should be light to medium yellow in color (a little bit of green is fine too). A very dark yellow or orange color indicates it is overripe, while too much green signifies an unripe pineapple. Looking at the bottom of the pineapple is a good way to see the correct color of the fruit.

You can also pick up a few pineapples and see which one weighs more. The heavier the pineapple, the more ripe and juicy it is. Besides weight and color, you can get a sense for ripeness by giving the middle of the spiky fruit a squeeze. Perfectly ripe pineapples will be firm with a small amount of give, while an unripe pineapple is completely solid and overripe pineapple feels very spongy.