How To Cut A Pineapple Bowl For Impressive Summer Snacking

During the warm summer months, fresh fruit is a delicious snack to cool you off and keep you hydrated. It can be a sweet snack to enjoy on its own, but fruit salads are often present at many parties. And while they can be served in a plain old glass bowl, it's always a little more fun to fancy things up and elevate your food's presentation.

If you're looking for a fun and creative way to serve your guests some fresh fruit salad at your next backyard barbecue, the bowl alternative you need might just be hiding amongst the very fruit you planned to serve. Thanks to its large size and sturdy outer rind, the pineapple may just be the perfect fruit to decorate your table.

The next time you go to slice up your pineapple, try scooping out the fruit inside so you can use the leftover rind as a fruity bowl.

To start, grab a knife and slice your pineapple down the center. Once your pineapple has been halved, use that knife to slice out the inedible core. Then, you can begin removing the fruit. You can use a spoon to scoop out the pineapple or slice through with a knife if you want more uniform pieces. Be careful to leave a wall around the edges — you'll want at least ¾ of an inch left around the edge to keep the "bowl" sturdy.

Once you've removed all of the fruit from inside the pineapple, you should be left with a hollow bowl shape. You can drain the extra juice from inside the fruit, then fill the inside with your pineapple chunks, fruit salad, or any tropical-flavored filling of your choice. Keep that pineapple bowl in an airtight container in the fridge until you serve it — it'll only last for up to a week when sealed after it's been cut.

In addition to fruit salad, you could serve up a side of pineapple avocado salsa, or portions of sweet and sour chicken served inside your pineapple bowl. Since the food will be resting inside a bowl made from the fruit, a little extra juice could remain around the edges. You will wind up with a little extra tangy flavor to every bite you take, in addition to admiring the extra special presentation.

This trick is even endorsed by The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond. She takes her version a step further and suggests making a dressing for her fruit salad. She uses the leftover pineapple juice combined with a tablespoon of honey, then drizzles it over the top of the fruit to sweeten things up a little bit extra.

No matter what you choose to serve inside your pineapple bowl, this method is a creative way to present your dishes, and it's sure to be a hit at your next party, luau or otherwise.