Freezing pineapple is one way to preserve the fruit at the moment it is freshest, making it available for use all year round. For freezing pineapple, choose a container that is made specifically for freezing, or can withstand the harsh temperatures of long-term freezing without becoming brittle and breakable. Pineapple can be frozen in strips, chunks, or crushed pieces, and deciding what the pineapple will be used for can help determine how it should be prepared for freezing. Before freezing, pineapple should either be dry packed in dry sugar, or syrup packed in a solution of sugar and water.
It is important to choose a proper container when freezing pineapple. The right container can keep the pineapple fresh for up to 10 months. Pineapple can be frozen in many types of containers, including freezer bags, plastic freezer containers, and canning jars. If choosing jars to freeze pineapple make sure they are canning jars, because jars not manufactured specifically for canning could be too fragile for freezing, and may break in extreme freezer temperatures. Also, choose jars with wide mouths, because the necks of jars with more narrow mouths can break more easily, especially after being in the freezer for a while.
Before freezing pineapple the fruit must be prepared. If freezing fresh pineapple, first cut off the top and core the pineapple, removing the center. Next, cut off the outer skin, or rind, of the pineapple, until the skin is smooth. Finally, cut the pineapple into cubes of the desired size. Pineapple can also be frozen in strips, or crushed. Deciding what the pineapple will be used for before freezing will help determine which of these preparations to choose.
An important decision to make when freezing pineapple is what it will be packed in. Most experts recommend pineapple be packed in either sugar or syrup. When using a sugar pack, simply sprinkle sugar in the bowl with the pineapple, mix until the fruit is well covered, and place the fruit in the freezer container. When using a syrup pack, fill the container with pineapple, but leave about 0.5 inch (1.27 cm) of space near the top of the container. Create a syrup made up made of 3 cups (675 ml) of sugar and 1 quart (946 ml) of water, and pour it into the container so that it covers the pineapple.