Taking a page from Korean cooking, Corey Lee of three-Michelin-starred Benu in San Francisco uses Asian pears as a meat tenderizer. "Grated pear is a great way to tenderize meats," says Lee. "It also imparts a lot of sweetness and flavor, and helps caramelization." The decorated young chef—who will soon publish his first cookbook, Benu (Phaidon, April 2015)—shreds pears and mixes them into marinades for lamb leg or beef ribs, letting the meat sit for 12 hours until enzymes in the fruit's juices have broken down tough proteins and imparted a succulent sweetness.