Any dish that involves butternut squash is a win. But if you've never cooked one before, it can be a little intimidating. When I thought cooking was too hard and definitely not for me, I would look at the butternut squash at the grocery store, feel the laziness monster take over me, and kept walking.
But once you grab that knife and realize that nothing is impossible, cutting this kind of squash feels like a Sunday picnic. Still, you need to be careful. Here I'll show you how to cut butternut squash without hurting yourself.
#SpoonTip: Before you start peeling, make sure your squash is ripe. Here's how to tell whether a butternut squash is ripe or not.
Tools you'll need:
- Cutting board.
- A large, sharp chef's knife (an average knife won't do anything)
- A strong-ish peeler (I've seen people do it with peelers that are specifically for this, but I used an average one and it works okay)
- Spoon
1. Cut the Edges
To be able to do anything with the butternut squash, you need to cut the edges. 1/2 inch will be fine.
2. Peel off the hard skin
If you want to make a creamy soup or mash the squash, you probably want to get rid of the skin. But if you want to bake it in slices, I personally recommend that you leave the skin as it's very tasty and full of nutrients.
To peel, put the squash on the cutting board horizontally and from there you can either peel it directly or cut the butternut squash into quarters so you have manageable pieces that you can peel more easily.
3. Cut into slices
After you peel it all, cut the squash in half. You'll see that the end of the squash is full of seeds. Just scrape out the seeds with a spoon or your hand. Then cut the squash into circles. You can put those slices in the oven just like they are (with some olive oil and pepper for 20 minutes), but if you want to make a different dish, you need to keep cutting.
4. Cut into Desired Shape of Pieces
There is not a specific size, but be aware that the smaller the cubes are, the easier and faster they'll cook.
There are so many options with butternut squash, if you are looking for some inspiration, check out these healthy butternut squash recipes. Cutting hard-skin vegetables could be tricky and yes, you could end up hurting yourself, so be careful and just follow the steps to experience a safe cooking experience.
#SpoonTip: If you're still nervous about peeling a butternut squash, you can also microwave it a little bit to make it easier to peel. After only three minutes, it will be soft enough so you wont cut your hand in the process.
Now that you know how to cut butternut squash, you should definitely give it a shot because it's one of the most versatile fall vegetables. You can also buy it pre-cut at any grocery store, but come on, there's no better taste like home-made freshly cut butternut squash.