How to carve a Pineapple Boat

I saw some fresh pineapples on sale at our local grocery store a few days ago, so I decided to buy one to make some Pineapple Fried Rice (will post up the recipe later). Instead of just cutting the pineapple the usual way, I decided to make a Pineapple Boat, so that I can serve my Pineapple Fried Rice in it later on. Yeah, that's right. Just like how they would serve it in Thai restaurants :P Anyways, for those of you wondering, this is how you carve a pineapple boat.

Start off by laying the pineapple on it's side. Then, with a very sharp big knife, cut off about 1/3 of the pineapple.

This is how the pineapple likes after cutting. Put aside the smaller half (we will work on that later on) and we can start cutting up the bigger half.

Using a small but very sharp pairing knife, cut all around the edges of the pineapple.

Now, run the knife down both sides of the middle of the pineapple.

Then, cut the pineapple into cubes. It might be a little bit harder to cut through the middle of the pineapple, so you might need to apply a little bit more pressure.

Now, you can remove the pineapple cubes. Once you get the first piece out, it just gets easier with the rest.

Since this pineapple boat is pretty deep, you might not be able to remove all of the bottom with a knife. So, just use an ice cream scoop to remove all of the leftover pineapple.Try to make the base of the boat as smooth and clean as possible. Then, repeat all the steps for the smaller half of pineapple.

There you go! Two pineapple boats, ready to be used. I have also saved some of the juices from the pineapple, so that I can use it in my Pineapple Fried Rice recipe later on. You can fit enough fried rice in the bigger boat to feed about 2-3 people. The smaller boat is just perfect for one serving of rice. If you like, you can even serve up some salad, fruit cocktail or dessert on the smaller boat. It's totally up to you. So, the next time you are having some company over, why use boring plates? I bet they will be impressed if you serve up their meal in a pineapple boat! :P