To cut pears, select ripe pears and prepare with the right tools—a knife, chopping board, corer, and sharpener. Slice by cutting along the natural grain, dice by cutting into small cubes, core by removing the seeds and center, julienne by cutting into thin strips, brunoise by dicing finely, wedge by cutting into quarters, half-moon by slicing lengthwise, quarter by cutting into fourths, thin slice by slicing very thinly, small dice by dicing into tiny cubes, medium dice by dicing into slightly larger cubes, large dice by dicing into even larger cubes, diagonal by cutting at an angle, and criss-cross by cutting twice at diagonal angles. Store cut pears refrigerated or in a fruit bowl.