Technique - Cutting Up Butternut Squash

If you have ever been hesitant to purchase butternut squash to cook because you don't know how to approach cutting it apart, I don't blame you. That hardy squash (or any squash) looks quite daunting. It's very dense and can make you frustrated. However, make sure that you just have patience and stability. Being careless may result in injury when you are trying to coax your knife through this vegetable.

The first thing to do is to slice off the bottom and top of the squash. Try to do this evenly (I sort of failed) so that your squash will be level when you have to slice through it. This allows for a stable base. Also, you may notice in my pictures that my squash was not full - that's because I had already used it for something else earlier. It's the same concept though.


Next you need to peel the squash (unless you opt to keep the skin on). Use a strong vegetable peeler if you are not super adept with your knife. Make sure that it is a strong peeler because the skin of squash is thick and hard.


Next, split the squash in half. This will take some patience. Get a good cut into it first and then rock the knife back and forth slowly and evenly while it is in the squash. You don't want to just push down on the knife because it will not be as effective. If you have a rubber mallet, you can use this too to gently hit the blade.


Once you have split the squash, scoop out the insides with a metal spoon.


Now the rest is up to you in terms of how you want to prepare your squash. You could just leave it in halves and roast it that way. You can slice it or dice it. Whatever floats your boat. I hope this guide helped even if some of it may seem common sense!