The pineapple should be very firm, not soft or spongy, with no bruises or soft spots. If you find a good-looking pineapple and you're going to use it right away, ask the shop manager to cut it in half to make sure it's not discolored inside. Reject it if it is. Finally, use your nose. If the pineapple has a good aroma, it's ripe. If you can't smell much of anything, it needs to be ripened. If it has a fermented smell, don't buy it! For more information: http://www.producepete.com/shows/pineapple.html

To tell if a pineapple is ripe usually the leaves, or whatever they are called, in the center will pull out easily. I do this everytime I get a pineapple at the store and it's always perfect.

Pineapples should look fresh with deep green leaves that show no yellowing, browning or dryness. It is imperative to select pineapples that are fully ripe since pineapples lack a starch reserve, like some other fruit, so they will not ripen or get any sweeter after they are picked. Tugging at the inner leaves of the crown to see if one comes out more easily or thumping their sides is not an indicator of ripeness. The most important thing is the smell. Ripe pineapples should give off a good, fresh tropical smell, so avoid pineapples that give of an unpleasant odor or have any discoloration of the skin. Also avoid pineapples that have soft spots and dark or watery eyes. The eyes of the pineapple are those thorny studs within the puffy squares of the skin. The Central American pineapple is still green when ripe and sometimes the Hawaiian pineapples may still be green when they are ripe. The true test for ripeness in all pineapples, especially green ones, is to look at the bottom of the fruit. A yellow color breaking through the bottom indicates that sugar has developed in the pineapple and it is ready to eat. If no yellow coloring exists, the sugar has yet to be developed and the pineapple will not be sweet.

The pineapple should be ripe and yellow.

1. Be alert for two key elements of a ripe pineapple: freshness and deterioration. You are looking for a fresh pineapple, not a rotting one. The stem is the area of the pineapple that feeds sugar to the fruit. It is from here that the pineapple changes color. 2. Look at the pineapple. It should reflect a golden yellow color. The minimum area for this should be on the eyes at the base of the fruit. Never purchase a pineapple that is fully green as it will not ripen well. The higher the color rises up the pineapple, the sweeter it will be. The pineapples in the photo above indicate good coloring. 3. Smell the pineapple. If it smells sweet, then it's ready. If it has no scent, it's not ripe. If it smells fermented, it's over ripe! 4. Touch the pineapple gently. It should be firm to a gentle press and only yield slightly. 5. Beware the myth! It is an urban myth that a pineapple is ripe when a leaf can be removed from the crown easily. It is proof of nothing in terms of ripeness. 6. Beware the deteriorating pineapple. A deteriorating pineapple will be a reddish, bronze color or it may even be green. It will smell as if it is fermenting, like vinegar. It will also be mushy when pushed gently and it will likely have wrinkled skin. Other clear indications include mold, oozing sticky juices, cracks in the skin and leaves turning brown and dropping off.

Any easy way to tell, is the eyes of the pineapple are the same size, at the top, as at the bottom.

This was mentioned before, but I'll expand - a good rule of thumb with ANY fruit is to follow your nose. The sweetest, juiciest smelling specimen is the sweetest and juiciest-tasting. Also, if it's heavier than it looks, that's a good indicator that it is full of sugary juiciness.