The Basics of Peeling and Dicing a Butternut Squash

I had always loved the taste of butternut squash, an aptly named squash, both buttery and nutty, and absolutely delicious. It wasn’t until my mid twenties that I ever bothered to cook one on my own. There are a few tips and tricks I wished someone had shared with me before I endeavored on hacking into this sturdy squash, so I’ll share them here for the kitchen newbies (no shame, I’ve been there before!):

The first thing you should know before you decided to cut into this squash, is that you will need a good knife, preferably recently sharpened. I use a chef’s knife to cut most of my vegetables, and butternut squash is no exception. It is also preferable to have a nice, sharp vegetable peeler.

1. With your chef’s knife, remove both the ends of the squash. You will be removing about a quarter of an inch at both sides.
2. Peel the skin from the outside of the squash using a paring knife or (preferably) with a vegetable peeler. I use swift strokes away from myself, rotating the squash as I peel.
3. Next I slice the squash in half lengthwise, which will expose the seeds.
   
4. The seeds and can be removed using a spoon. I use a serrated grapefruit spoon for additional ease.
5. To cube the squash, I then cut it crosswise in half inch slices.
   
6. From there I stack those slices and cut them lengthwise, again in half inch increments, to make cubes.
   

There you have it! Now that you have cubed butternut squash, you can go on to make fantastic autumnal dishes, like roasted squash with swiss chard and sweet potatoes or mashed butternut squash. And don’t forget that it is delicious in curries and soups!