Post #401580 by Chip and Andy on Fri, Aug 15, 2008 8:32 PM

Pineapples contain no natural starches so once they are picked, that is all they are going to get as far as ripening/flavor production. To get a good pineapple, look for fruit that is a good size for what you are doing. Look for fruit that feels heavy for its size. Make sure all of the 'eyes' of the fruit are more or less the same size and that the color is mostly uniform. Lastly, smell the stem. Good fruit will smell good. If it has no smell, it will have no taste.

As to keeping them in the fridge or not, they will keep longer in the fridge, but only by a couple of days. Put them in the bottom/coldest part of your fridge for the maximum possible storage time, the goal is to get them as close to freezing without actually freezing.

Fair warning if you are going to use the pineapple as a vessel or garnish: keeping pineapples in the fridge will turn the crown brown and will darken the overall appearance of the fruit. Not a bad thing, just warning you.

And, to get the best flavor from your fruit, bring them back to room temperature before carving and serving.