Pineapple

I really don't like these idiot pineapple devices (I don't have anything against Lakeland - they do do a lot of really good stuff too!) but they don't really save that much time compared to just using a good knife and waste a lot of pineapple. For starters, on a good ripe pineapple - the core is actually really nice and sweet without a lot of the acidity that the rest of the flesh does. Maybe this device is for those people who buy cheap crud - in which case they might as well buy a tin and stop pretending. If it's unripe, sit it on a windowsill with some bananas for a couple of days.

The way to peel a pineapple is quite simple - starting with a good, long sharp knife - I like the large Kitchen Devil Roast Meat and Bread Knife.

1. Top and tail the pineapple. If you sit the top in some moist compost it will root quite readily but you'll be lucky to get fruit in the UK climate.
2. Stand the pineapple on one of its (now) flat ends and shave strips of skin off the sides. YOu want the outer skin off but don't worry about the regular rows of "spines". These are actually the floral remnants on the fruit and have little sesame sized seeds at the bottom.
3. Pick up the bald pineapple in one hand and remove the spines by cutting diagonal shallow V's abut 5mm deep around the fruit. Follow the natural lines of the spines and keep going in the same direction. Not only do you get an attractive finish to the fruit but the most flavoursome flesh is between the spines. Sometimes you see little dark seeds in the flesh which you can flick out with the end of the knife.
4. Finally, take 1/4-1/2 a teaspoon of salt and rub it into the pineapple - the enhances the flavour no end and takes a little of the acid edge off. Wait a few minutes before eating the let the salt dissolve and penetrate.