Why Pineapples Don’t Ripen Like Other Fruits

Kate Yoshida of MinuteFood explained why pineapples can’t be ripened at home and why the same ripening methods used for different types of produce don’t apply to pineapples.

I’d bring a pineapple home from the store, and because it was always pretty green and firm, I’d leave it on  the counter to ripen up, just like a banana or a peach. A few days later, it would be yellower, and nice and soft, with a much sweeter smell,  so I’d open it up. But inevitably, it would  be not at all good…squishy, even fermented.   I’d always attribute the whole sad ordeal to  a bad pineapple, but no – I was the problem.  

This is because the pineapples are picked and shipped at minimal ripeness. By the time they make it to the store, depending on the distance, they have ripened even more. Yoshida offers a good way to tell peak ripeness in a pineapple.

Look for a sweet-smelling pineapple with a decent amount of yellow, about 25 percent or so; depending on the variety, the yellow will spread up from the bottom of the pineapple OR in-between those little diamond shapes. On the other hand, if the fruit is *really* yellow, the smell is  really strong, or the crown is dry or wilted, it’s probably already started that deterioration  process, skip that one. And once you get a nice  pineapple home, don’t wait, just eat the thing.