One of my favorite places in the world to visit with my family is Hawaii. Just the name alone makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I’m fortunate to have been dozens of times, including once just for dinner (to take part in United’s last 747 flight).
My family and I were supposed to spend Easter and New Year’s in Hawaii this year but sadly, COVID-19 threw a wrench in those plans. We could possibly still go for New Year’s Eve as the 50th state is scheduled to open up next week (October 15) for the first time since March, minus the strict, mandatory 14-day quarantine. That’s as long as travelers prove they’ve had a negative COVID-19 test in the last 72 hours. United Airlines was the first to offer rapid testing at SFO for $250, then Hawaiian Airlines followed suit the next day. Now, almost every airline and airport is scrambling to supply this service; it’s the newest trend in travel. FYI: Oakland International Airport offers COVID-19 testing for free.
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Unfortunately, I don’t think Hawaii is going to stay open for long because these tests aren’t foolproof and the virus can still be in your body before showing up in tests and a lot can happen in 72 hours. Just look at what happened in Iceland or even at the White House!
One of my favorite things about going to Hawaii, besides the beautiful landscapes, warm clear water, friendly people and laidback lifestyle … is the food. One item that particularly makes me think of the islands is fresh pineapple, even though the state only grows 2% of the world’s pineapples. In the 1960s, it was 80%.
It’s easy to find pineapples on the mainland and they’re cheap. Just yesterday, I bought a monster pineapple from Costco for $1.99. Usually, I get them from Trader Joe’s for $2.99. We eat a lot of pineapple because it’s so nutritious, especially for the kids.
But one of the problems I always found with pineapples was cutting them. Then a friend turned me on to an inexpensive pineapple corer and slicer that costs just $7.99 on Amazon. I was skeptical at first because it was so cheap. I didn’t think it would work. Boy was I wrong! This thing is amazing! Note: It’s really sharp so keep it away from kids.
Check out the video below to see how you use it. All you do is twist off the top of the pineapple. Then slice off the top and place the corer in the middle and twist. It doesn’t take any effort at all except sometimes when pulling it out. But once you do, you just take the handle off, flip it upside down and voila … you have a perfectly and professionally sliced pineapple that’s ready to be served.
FYI: I don’t like to waste food so I cut the sides of the pineapple off and filet any leftover meat (depending on your pineapple size) and I always drink the juice.
Amazon also has more expensive pineapple slicers and corers but I haven’t had any problems with the cheap one I have.
I love that tool! There’s one in my apartment in Portugal and it took a few attempts to figure out how to use it. Do NOT take the peel off the pineapple before you begin. Haha! Your video would have come in handy my first effort. Thanks for sharing. :)
I love new tools for the kitchen, and this one is a great one! Must get it, and thank you so much for the suggestion!
You mentioned that maybe the slicer is not directly to travel. Because of our travel to Hawaii every year the slicer is always packed in our suitcase. It makes slicing the pineapple so much easier.
I almost always avoid getting a whole fresh pineapple and opt for the pineapples pre sliced- it those days are over! Just ordered this handy looking tool! Thanks for sharing and the demo
Thanks Johnny. Nice job! If the travel thing doesn’t work out, you’d be a natural pitching products at the County Fair. Just be sure to bring Jack along…. And if you keep traveling, please keep your eye out at the local markets for cooking tools or gadgets that haven’t been seen much in the US. Those would make for more fun demonstration videos.
When the tool came I couldn’t understand why the pineapple was turning to mush. Turns out the flimsy envelope it came in from Amazon didn’t protect the device from the blade being bent, rather then straight. I thought that was the part of the design. The replacement worked great.
Great to hear!
Hi JJ
My wife ordered Pineapple Tool, I watched your video, purchased a pineapple, and used the tool as per your presentation, and had a delightful breakfast from the newly produced slices. This is a great find. Thanks for telling all of us about it. I guess we will be eating pineapple until we can get back to our travel writing adventures. I hope it will be soon for all of us stuck in the COVID mode.
I’m glad you like it! Thanks for sharing