I'm one of those people who is usually too lazy to buy a whole pineapple and
cut it up. So when I bought a pineapple with plans to do so, I was very proud
of myself. However, pride was quickly replaced with frustration and
disappointment when I cut myself trying to follow the directions. A big, sharp
knife and a slippery pineapple, I discovered, do not cooperate.

I followed the directions on the label, which briefly went as follows: Cut the
head off. Quarter the pineapple, and remove the quartered core lengthwise from
each portion. Then, use the knife to slide just under the skin, freeing it from
the meat. The rest is easy.

I got as far as quartering the pineapple before I cut myself. Removing the core
was not as straightforward as it looked....the way I was holding the piece down
while de-coring put my hand right in the way of the knife. After taking a time
out to recover, I had to continue with the process, although I wasn't able to
properly hold anything down with my left hand due to the cut. (Pineapple juice
stings, by the way.) Also, perhaps because my knife was too big, I couldn't
really follow the curve of the skin to free it without losing a lot of rounded
meaty bits.

I'm a bit traumatized. Surely there must be a better way? What's the right
knife? (I used my new santoku knife, which cut the pineapple like butter, but
is perhaps too big.)
-Jen
Half the people you know are below average. -Steven Wright