A Pineapple Corer tool peels, slices, and cores pineapples with minimal use of a knife. We love fresh pineapple, but don’t love using large, sharp knives any more. Could a pineapple corer work better than a knife for older hands?
We tried out two stainless steel pineapple corers, the Newness Premium Pineapple Corer Remover and the OXO Good Grips Pineapple Corer and Slicer. These tools make much faster work of slicing, peeling, and coring pineapples than the standard knife method. But they do require some effort to use, so they may not be the answer for everyone with older, achy hands.
Check Pineapple Corer prices on Amazon:
Newness Premium Pineapple Corer
OXO Good Grips Pineapple Corer
How Do Pineapple Corers Work?
Pineapple Corers peel, core, and slice fresh whole pineapples into ready-to-eat rings.
As you press down on the handle and turn clockwise, the pineapple corer twists into the pineapple and
- separates the core from the fruit
- spiral cuts the pineapple into rings
- slices away the peel
In an ingenious mechanical feat, the pineapple corer performs all these actions at the same time.
Our pineapple corer instructions below use the Newness Pineapple Corer for demonstration. The instructions for how to use the OXO Pineapple Corer are similar, except that the the OXO pineapple corer has a ratcheting handle and a Depth Guide as we note below.
As with all our fruits and vegetables, we washed the pineapple before cutting into it. Also, be careful washing the pineapple corer cylinder. The cutting blade and serrated coring blade are sharp!
Skip to the Difference Between the Newness and the OXO Good Grips Pineapple Corers.
VIDEO: OXO Good Grips Pineapple Corer
How to Use a Pineapple Corer
1. Cut the top off the pineapple.
Cut the top off the pineapple about an inch down, so that the corer has enough space to slice through and leave behind any hard bits of the peel.
2. Snap the handle onto the stainless steel cylinder
Attach the corer’s detachable plastic handle onto the top of the stainless steel cylinder by pressing in on the two buttons, one on either side of the handle, and sliding the handle down into the cylinder.
The handle snaps into place in the cylinder and the buttons will stick out through the little cylinder holes.
3. Note how far to twist cylinder into the pineapple
Hold the pineapple corer next to the pineapple and make a mental note of how far the cylinder should be inside the pineapple when you stop turning the handle, a “Stop Point”. This is about an inch from the bottom of the pineapple.
If you get too close and go through the bottom, the core of the pineapple can get stuck inside the cylinder. I made this mistake on my first try and found out how difficult it can be to remove the core from the cylinder once it’s wedged in there.
The OXO Good Grips corer has a Depth Guide printed on its cylinder for easy reference:
4. Align the cylinder with the pineapple’s core.
Line up the “teeth” at the bottom of the cylinder with the core of the pineapple. The core will go through the middle of the cylinder.
5. Press the cylinder straight down onto the core
Press straight down to get the Coring process started. The bottom part of the cylinder will surround the core to enter the pineapple.
6. Turn the handle clockwise.
While still pressing downward on the handle, begin to turn the handle clockwise. The blade will engage the pineapple and begin to twist downward, spiral cutting through the fruit.
Continue pressing down and turning clockwise until you get to your Stop Point from Step 3.
Note: With a ratcheting-handle corer like the OXO Good Grips pineapple corer, you will make half turns.
7. Stop twisting corer near bottom of pineapple
Stop turning when you get near the bottom. Be careful not to go through the bottom or the core can get stuck inside the corer and be difficult to remove.
Note: The OXO Good Grips Depth Guide (pictured below) shows you a number reference for when to stop turning:
8. Pull the corer back out of the pineapple.
To remove the pineapple rings from the pineapple, lift the handle upwards to pull the cylinder out of the pineapple.
You may have to rock the corer gently and twist a little bit as you pull up to break any suction that might keep the pineapple from releasing.
Once the suction is broken, you can pull out the corer with the pineapple rings attached to it.
9. Detach the handle and set aside
Push in on the buttons on either side of the corer to release the handle and set the handle aside.
10. Invert the cylinder and slide off the pineapple rings
Turn the corer upside down and let the rings slide off the cylinder. You may have to help them off with your finger or a spoon. The ready-to-eat rings will be spiral cut, so just slice through the stack to unspiral them and use as rings. Or slice into chunks for a salad or your favorite pineapple recipe.
Added bonus: Check the pineapple shell for pineapple juice!
VIDEO: Newness Pineapple Corer
Tips for Cutting, Slicing, and Coring a Pineapple
- Try coring on the table instead of the counter. The lower surface height might make it easier to press down while turning the handle.
- Keep the corer straight while pressing down. Otherwise you might accidentally go through the side of the pineapple.
- Be sure to stop turning the handle before you hit the bottom of the pineapple.
- The empty pineapple shell (cut out the core) makes a great serving dish for fruit salad.
- If you have a particularly wide pineapple and some fruit remains in the shell, just cut the shell in half and cut out the remaining fruit for a snack.
How to Store Cut Pineapple
According to the Dole website, you can store pineapple in the refrigerator in a tightly covered container for two to four days. It doesn’t last longer than two days in our house, but I tried freezing some for smoothies and it seemed fine.
Cleaning the Pineapple Corer
Both the OXO Good Grips and Newness Pineapple Corers are listed as dishwasher safe by their manufacturers; however, I hand wash all my kitchen gadgets. Once finished coring, I quickly put the cylinders into the sink with soapy water, just to make sure no bits of pineapple get dried and stuck on in the crevices.
I use a bottle brush to clean the cylinders, like I do with the cones of my Pro Salad Shooter. The pineapple coring tool blades are extremely sharp and I find the the bottle brush is a great solution for cleaning all my sharp kitchen gadgets.
What’s the difference between the OXO Good Grips Pineapple Corer and the Newness Pineapple Corer?
The major differences between these two corers are (1) the ratcheting feature of the OXO Good Grips pineapple corer, which allows you to make half turns instead of fully rotating the handle and (2) the Depth Guide, which provides a visual reference of where to stop cutting before you reach the bottom of the pineapple.
The OXO is also taller than the Newness and has a taller, wider handle. The OXO Good Grips also has a wider blade and, unlike the Newness, the OXO’s blade is not round. It’s more of a butterfly shape.
The handle on the OXO is advertised as non-slip and does have a grippy feel to it. The handle on the Newness is hard plastic with a bit of texture to it.
Comparison: Newness Vs. OXO Pineapple Corers
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| Features | ||
| Core, Peel, and Slice Pineapple | Yes | Yes |
| Stainless Steel Cylinder | Yes | Yes |
| Dishwasher* | Yes | Yes |
| Ratcheting Handle | No | Yes |
| Depth Guide | No | Yes |
| Cylinder Blade Cover | No | Yes |
| Full Blade Cover | No | No |
| Dimensions** | ||
| Cylinder Height | 7 “ | 6 7/8 “ |
| Cylinder Width | 1 3/16“ | 1 3/16“ |
| Handle Width | 3 7/8“ | 4 1/2“ |
| Handle Height | 3 1/2“ | 4 1/8“ |
| Handle Height (assembled) | 2 1/2“ | 3 1/8“ |
| Blade Width | 3 1/4“ | 3 1/2“ |
| Assembled Height | 9 1/2“ | 10“ |
| * According to manufacturer; however, we always hand wash kitchen gadgets. **Measurements are approximate. |
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Senior Friendly?
The first time I used the Newness Pineapple Corer, I had a hard time pressing down while twisting. Gripping the handle and twisting is not something I can do easily. But is still a lot easier and faster than trying to core, cut, peel, and slice the pineapple with a knife.
I thought the OXO Good Grips with the Ratcheting Handle was easier to use, and I did not seem to have to press down with as much effort. Plus I appreciated not having to readjust my grip with every turn.
My husband has some pain in his hands but he has more strength to press down and twist, so he is able to core pineapples much more easily with the Newness pineapple corer, although he agrees with me that the OXO is easier to use. He also remarked that the OXO was larger and felt a tiny bit heavier.
He also made the mistake of turning too far down and cut through the bottom of the pineapple with the corers, and the cores got stuck inside the corer. Be careful to stop before you get to the bottom.
One of my friends who has arthritis in her hands agreed to try out both corers. She was able to use the Newness Corer with no problems. And she actually liked the Newness corer more than the OXO.
She thought the Newness corer took less time (full turns instead of half turns) so there was less movement required of her hands. She said she did not miss the Depth Guide. She held the corer next to the pineapple and just made a mental note where she was going stop turning.
Verdict
We gave both corers to yet another friend to test out in hopes of breaking the tie.
Usually we all agree on the best product, but this time we really have two winners. She thought the Newness brand corer worked fast and easily, but appreciated the ratcheting handle and the Depth Guide of the OXO.
So I think we have two worthy products here and you probably won’t go wrong coring your pineapples with either one.
Also, I keep it handy and when one of the kids or neighbors asks if I need anything, I’ll ask them to bring me a pineapple and have them use the pineapple corer on it when they come by. It’s a great conversation starter and so far everyone has been glad to help out. They’ve even wanted one for themselves!
Both are excellent pineapple corers, Both are very easy to use,Money well spent !!!!
Thanks for letting us know your experience with the pineapple corers Christopher! Glad you are enjoying your fresh pineapple 🙂