Knowing how to cut pears is a useful skill when making yourself an afternoon snack, preparing a fresh salad, charcuterie board, or baking a sweet treat. With just a few simple tips and tricks, you'll know how to tell if a pear is ripe, how to slice and dice, and how to use pears in every day cooking.
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📋 What are pears?
Pears are a pome fruit from the Rosaceae family and are related to apples, peaches, plums, and apricots. Their peak season is in the fall months, particularly August through October. Most pears are grown on trees in the United States, particularly in the western states such as Washington, California, Oregon, Michigan, and New York.
Like many fruits, pears grow in a variety of shapes and flavors - over 3000 to be exact! Here are the Top 10 Most Popular and Common Types of Pears. In my home state of Michigan, Bartlett pears and Anjou pears are the most common.
⁉️ What You'll Need
- Sharp chef's knife - One of the most important tools in the kitchen. It may be counterintuitive, but using a small knife or a dull knife is going to make it more likely that you will cut yourself and have difficulty cutting your lettuce uniformly. A good chef's knife should glide through whatever you are cutting without resistance and feel comfortable in your hand.
- Cutting board - The larger the better! Using a small cutting board is going to make your workspace feel crowded and take you longer to prep.
🔪 How to Cut a Pear
How to Slice Pears
- Cut pear in half lengthwise. Place the pear on its side on the cutting board and slice it lengthwise through the stem.
- Scoop out the seeds. Using a spoon, scoop out seeds in the middle, then cut off the stem on both the top and bottom.
- Cut lengthwise into strips. Place the pear cut-side down on the cutting board and cut into even slices following the curvature of the fruit.
How to Dice Pears
- Follow the above steps and cut the pear into even slices.
- Dice pear slices. Turn the pear slices so that they are horizontal and dice into small uniform pieces.
❄️ How to Store a Pear
To store whole, uncut pears: Whole, uncut pears can be stored at room temperature until ripened. Once ripe, pears should be transferred to the refrigerator to slow the ripening process and prolong their freshness.
Refrigerated ripe pears will typically last up to 5 days and should be enjoyed before they become too soft and browned.
To store cut pears: Similar to apples, cut pears will oxidize quickly and should be consumed within a couple of days for best results. Store cut pears in an airtight glass container for optimal freshness.
🍽 How to Use/Cook Pears
Aside from making a healthy snack, pears can be used in a number of sweet and savory recipes. You can even feature them in a homemade cocktail, like this Pear White Sangria Recipe. Here are a few of my favorite ways to use pears in cooking:
Sweet Pear Recipes
Savory Pear Recipes
- Pear and Gorgonzola Salad
- Pear and Blue Cheese Crostini
- Honey Pork Chops with Pears and Bourbon
- Slow Cooker Pear and Sausage Stuffing
🔍 FAQs
Absolutely! The skin of a pear is not only safe to eat, but nutritious. Similar to apples, most of the nutrients in pears are most prominent in the skin.
If you are serving pears for snacking, slice them thinly. This will make them easy to snack on and allow them to layer nicely on top of one another on a charcuterie board or fruit and vegetable platter.
The inner seeds and core of pears, while technically edible, are typically tough, bitter, and unpleasant to eat. No matter if you are slicing or dicing pears for your recipe, always follow step 2 and scoop the inner seeds and core out of the pear.
Ripe pears are similar to avocados and dragon fruit and are ripe when they are slightly soft and give a little when squeezed. If their flesh is tender and has a sweet aroma, it is likely ready to eat. Another way to test a pears ripeness is to press on the pear near the stem. If it is tender, it is ripe.
💭 One More Tip
A squeeze of lemon juice can keep your pears fresh looking. Once cut, pears will begin to oxidize and their light flesh will quickly brown, very similar to apples. To slow down this oxidation process, squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the pear slices to help slow down the browning and keep your pears looking appetizing.
If you found this helpful, I'd love to know! Tag @yourhomemadehealthy on Instagram or leave a comment with a rating and some feedback at the bottom of this page!
🍴 Recipe Ideas + More Cooking Tips
📖 Recipe
How to Cut Pears
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pear
Instructions
How to Slice Pears
- Cut pear in half lengthwise. Place the pear on its side on the cutting board and slice it lengthwise through the stem.
- Scoop out the seeds. Using a spoon, scoop out seeds in the middle, then cut off the stem on both the top and bottom.
- Cut lengthwise into strips. Place the pear cut-side down on the cutting board and cut into even slices following the curvature of the fruit.
How to Dice Pears
- Follow the above steps and cut the pear into even slices.
- Dice pear slices. Turn the pear slices so that they are horizontal and dice into small uniform pieces.
Notes
Nutrition
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