Introducing - a new kitchen gadget

I love fruit. Almost every fruit I know. And probably some I don't know, I just haven't tasted them yet to find out how much I would love it.  This doesn't mean that we always have fruit in the house. We'll go spells with lots of fruit filling the fridge and sometimes without it.  It's those spells of "without" that make me realize how delicious fresh fruits are. Then I buy all the fruit in sight (apples, bananas, blueberries, strawberries, grapes, sometimes a grapefruit or mango,...those are the usuals) and we try to eat it all before it goes bad (we are not always successful).

But my favorite of all favorites is pineapple. And I never buy it. Ever. I've just never cared to attempt to cut away that dangerous looking thick skin, and the pre-cut containers are just too expensive. Now realize, I'm talking FRESH pineapple. For those of you kids who think the canned stuff is the same thing - think again (or if you think you don't like pineapple because you don't like what you've tasted out of a can). You have NO idea what you are missing out on!  I've eaten plenty of the canned so-called "pineapple" in my life, but once you have a bite of real pineapple you will forever be changed.  You should run to the store right now (after you finish reading this, of course), buy one, and taste it in all of it's juicy, sweet glory.

So where am I getting this deliciousness if I don't buy it myself?  You might find me gorging on it at any sort of party or shower where it is present. Or picking it out of a fruit bowl (no shame). 

But recently I came across an article reviewing a pineapple slicer. Maybe I'm late to the kitchen gadget game, but I didn't know such a thing existed that would allow me such easy access to my beloved fruit. I thought about purchasing one, but the one I had read about was $20 and I just wasn't sure it was worth it. Not too long after that I was at a friend's house and she had fresh pineapple (Lord bless her) which she had sliced quickly with her handy pineapple slicer!  Exposure #2 (now I'm really wanting one). Previously mentioned pineapple slicer got added to the Amazon wishlist. Not too long after that I was checking up on my deal websites and there, right before me, was a deal for a pineapple slicer for no more than 6 bucks.  Thanks to Amazon, free shipping, and some man in Hong Kong my pineapple slicer was on it's way! (Slowly, but surely.)

Last weekend while grocery shopping at Aldi pineapples were 99 cents (what?!), so I got one in hopes that the slicer would arrive in time before I had to figure out how to hack into it. When it arrived this past weekend I immediately came back from the mailbox, washed it, and put it to the test.  And this is what happened:

I prepped my station: cutting board, knife to cut off the top, and the slicer.

Then I lined up the core with the center circle of the slicer.

Then I basically screwed in the slicer with just a little pressure.

Next, I pulled out the slices:

Then took off the handle and released the rings:

Chop, chop, chop. Ready to eat! And eat, I did.

One of the best $6 I've ever spent.  Even looking through the ones Amazon offers there are all kinds - plastic, stainless steel, ones with interchangeable cutting rings for various sized pineapples, some that slice and then another attachment that quickly cuts the whole stack into wedges (who knew?!). So check them out for yourself if you're interested. Or keep an eye out on this one and see if the price drops again to score it for cheap. 

What do you think? Do you like pineapple, too? Or do you have another fruit obsession? Do you have this handy slicer?