Pineapple — Forget the Leaf-Pull Test, Trust Your Nose

The old trick of tugging a leaf from the crown to check ripeness is more myth than method — a leaf can come away easily on an unripe pineapple too. A better approach is your nose: a ripe pineapple smells sweet and fragrant right at the base, where it was cut from the plant, while one with no smell at all usually isn't ready. Colour helps too, though it varies by variety — look for the shell shifting from green toward golden-brown rather than staying uniformly green. It should also feel heavy for its size and give slightly when pressed. Pineapple continues to soften a little after picking but doesn't get sweeter, so a firm, fragrant one bought slightly underripe is a safer bet than one that's already very soft.