Cutting a Pear

Pears offer a sweet but healthful treat.

As versatile as they are delicious, pears provide a sweet addition to various dishes. Pears contain a healthful combination of fiber, potassium, copper and vitamins A and C. The pear's odd shape -- rounded at one end and narrow at the other -- can make it tricky to cut. The pear's core contains multiple seeds. Unless removed, these seeds can prove an unpleasant surprise during mealtime. Cutting and coring a pear properly prepares the fruit for immediate enjoyment or for use in dishes.

Things You'll Need

• Soft cloth
• Small knife
• Chef's knife

Instructions

1. Rinse the pair thoroughly in cold water then pat dry with a soft cloth.

2. Remove the skin by holding the pear with the wider end facing you while using a small knife or peeler to slice evenly from top to bottom. Although it contains valuable dietary fiber, the skin's texture may not be to everyone's liking.

3. Fold the soft towel over on itself and lay it on your cutting board. Lay the pear on its side on the towel.

4. Lay the blade of a chef's knife parallel along the center of the pear. Slice down through the pear just to the side of the stem.

5. Grab the tip of the stem and pull it down and away from the pear for removal. If any stem remains at the bottom of the pear, use the small knife to carve it out.

6. Scoop the seeds from both halves of the pear using the small knife or a melon baller.

7. Cut each pear half down the center to create more slices or leave the two pair halves intact. If your recipe calls for smaller slices, use your chef's knife to carefully cut down the middle of the slice from the non-skin side.

Tips & Warnings

• Oxidization causes the exposed flesh of the pears to brown within minutes. Preserve the pears until ready to serve by placing the slices in water mixed with lemon juice.

• Pears ripe and ready for cutting give slightly under light finger pressure.

References

• WHFood.org: Pears
• Mary Bell's Complete Dehydrator Cookbook; Mary T. Bell