Annie, I have a white/black one just like that. Mine is just tossed in a drawer.

Yea! Go Elery, love your gadget. My is identical to AnnT's. The kids think it's cool so that encourages me to use it to impress them.

My results are like yours but your gadget is metal. I might have to upgrade.

Cathy, I knew you'd be proud of him! (grin)

Ann T, I think mine will probably end up in the box in the basement with the cookie press which I use about every other year, the pickle grabber thing which no one ever used except Ashley, just because she thought it was neat, and the metal skewers that burn the heck out of your fingers if you try to cook anything skewered on them because even the handles are metal. They work OK for fruit and cheese skewers, which I've made exactly once, LOL.

How often to you actually cut up a fresh pineapple? Elery doesn't even eat pineapple and I find that I can't eat a whole one myself before it spoils as my mouth gets sore from eating very much of it.

Elery did say I could use it on watermelons too, but I can't imagine how that would work....

Annie

This post was edited by annie1992 on Thu, Mar 14, 13 at 23:13

I bought the Vacuvin several years ago after seeing KathleenLI use one. I love it.

One tip: Place the pineapple in a flat bottomed bowl when cutting it. Cuts down on the juice all over the counter and you can then drink it. The cooks treat.

Now tell Elery you need the OXO manger cutter/pitter.

Here is a link that might be useful: mango splitter

Where did you get it Annie? I've got to get one--love pineapple and can get really good ones at the farmers market. They sell whole pineapples for $2. Our Publix sells peeled pineapples for $5 but they often miss the core and take a lot of the good meat.

Beachlily, I got mine at a kitchen outlet but Amazon has some.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pineapple Corer

I bought this from QVC for myself and two SIL's just a couple of weeks ago and got to select from colors!

http://www.qvc.com/Stainless-Steel-Professional-Pineapple-Slicer-Search-Results.product.K37059.html?sc=K37059-SRCH&cm_sp=VIEWPOSITION-_-1-_-K37059&catentryImage=http://images-p.qvc.com/is/image/k/59/k37059.001?$uslarge$

Here is a link that might be useful: QVC Pineapple Corer

Hubs told me to get what I wanted after the kitchen is completed. I'm certainly going to add the pineapple corer to my list! Thanks.

Oh, I always forget to ask--how are you healing? Is your arm any better?????

Yes, I understand you can make pineapple upside down cake with fresh pineapple. I can't eat much fresh pineapple either. Alice loves it and when she was home I would buy fresh pineapples. I don't think I've bought one since. I certainly don't need cake! That's a nifty gizmo, though. Maybe I'll get one for Alice. I'm more inclined to want and use the mango gizmo. I might have to get one. I saw them at Target just today.

Eileen

Ann T, I should have known you'd have one before I did!

Arlene, Elery got it from QVC, which is surprising, most gadgets come from Amazon. He said it was $12 or $14, I don't remember which, but it's metal instead of plastic, so I always think that's better.

the arms doing fine, I've been released until "next time". I have nearly full range of motion with the elbow, only about 5 degrees off, which the doc says will come back with some work. He told me to be sure I always carried my purse in that hand and let my arm hang down straight by my side, the weight of the purse will help pull the elbow straight. Physical therapy, LOL.

Peppi, I've seen the mango pitter, even considered getting one. I never eat mangoes because they are just such a PIA to peel with, get all slippery and slimy and I'm ticked off before I ever get to eat it. You know how patient I am. (grin)

Eileen, I thought you could make something with fresh pineapple, besides jam. I don't get pineapples cheaply here, though, anything below $3 is amazingly inexpensive.

Annie

Hi Annie, I made a fresh pineapple upside down cake about 3 weeks ago. I don't have a pineapple corer, just used a knife. Not quite as pretty, but the taste is the same. I really like the flavor. The only disappointing thing to me is that the caramel cooked all the way into the cake instead of forming even a small layer for me to pick at.

Salted-Caramel Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
8 servings

1 cup dark-brown sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 Tablespoons dark rum
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
1 medium pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into rings; 1 ring cut into chunks

Coat a 9-inch cake pan with cooking spray and set aside. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat brown sugar and 1 stick butter, whisking occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook until caramel thickens and turns a deep brown, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in rum and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Pour caramel into prepared cake pan and swirl around to coat. Set aside and let cool completely, at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, remaining salt, and cinnamon. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium, beat together granulated sugar and remaining butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla; beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in half the dry-ingredient mixture and 1/4 cup milk. Repeat with remaining dry-ingredient mixture and milk.
Arrange pineapple rings atop caramel in cake pan. Fill in spaces between rings with pineapple chunks. Carefully pour batter over pineapple and smooth, using a rubber spatula.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the cake; invert onto a large serving plate.
NOTE: I donâÂÂt keep dark rum, so went to the liquor store & bought an airline-sized bottle, which turned out to be exactly 3 Tbsp.
Source: Country Living Magazine

Here is a link that might be useful: Pineapple cake recipe

Annie, it looks like Elery bought the same gadget from QVC that I posted above. It does work as you have found out. I haven't tried it on watermelon yet because they won't be fresh in my area until July or August. I've read it's best on the small melons.

Thanks, Kathleen!

Dixie, I'm sure it's the same item, and it's funny, we don't have cable/satellite television, so he had to have gotten some kind of advertisement on line. I don't think he's ever ordered from QVC before, although his sister does frequently.

I think the melons would have to be those small "personal" sized melons or there would be so much wasted it would be kind of ridiculous.

Annie

Thanks for the tips on these gadgets. I need both! :o)

Those tools are cool. They make cutting a pineapple a snap.

However, Pine apples come in different sizes and the sweetest part of the pineapple is near the skin. These tools cut away a lot of the skin. About 30% to 40% of the best part of the fruit is wasted.

The video shows in other parts of the world, most people cut pineapple in a better way. It takes a little longer, but the result is worth it.

-----------------
My tools for cutting pineapples.

dcarch

Here is a link that might be useful: Cutting a pineapple

Oooh Annie, I am jealous! I totally love gadgets and that one looks awesome. I think I need it! I buy fresh pineapple quite often and I think this gadget would actually get used in my house lol. Thanks for the info and the pictures!

Tracey

DC, Outstanding! I often noticed what my gadget was leaving behind. I don't have the culinary talent you do so I will continue to use my pineapple corer, I'll just scrap out what's left around the shell.

Cathy, I don't have the patience to fight with the eyes on a slippery, juicy pineapple, I either leave the residue of them there or I cut away a bunch of the fruit anyway.

Since I only eat them about twice a year, and then I end up throwing about half of them away , I don't spend much time on them, but Elery just loved that gadget.

Oh, and the pineapple? The slices are all in a Lock N Lock in the bottom of my refrigerator, untouched. I think I've mentioned that I really don't care at all about fruit and Madison, who will eat anything, didn't like the pineapple, she filled up on lamb chops and mashed potatoes.

Annie

I didn't like pineapple either for years - I thought it was too sweet. I happened to mention it to my mother who said to sprinkle salt on it which cuts the sweetness. Voila, I now enjoy pineapple quite a bit (easier to do here in southern California!).

Kathleen, I just don't care about fruit. I don't hate it, I don't love it, I just don't care about it.

Funny, I've seldom met a vegetable I didn't like, so I eat lots of those, figuring they have about the same vitamins and minerals as fruit.

Pineapple, kiwi and pomegranate all make my mouth sore, so I don't eat much of it at a time anyway, but if I cook it, it doesn't do that, just raw/fresh.

Annie