Choosing and cutting a Butternut Squash-101

Today's post is a lesson.  It's for all my friends who pay A LOT more money than they need to pay when buying butternut squash.  You know who you are...Yes, you!  There is no need to buy pre-cut bags of squash at Costco.  I have been promising a few people a post with the recipe for a wonderful butternut squash soup that I make in the fall.  I've heard several times this week that it's OK that I've not yet posted my long-promised recipe for that special squash soup.  Apparently some of you are under the impression that you can not make it until Costco gets in the bagged/cut squash.  Not so my friends.  Choosing and cutting a butternut squash is easy. 

To get the best value for your dollar, choose a squash that is long and thick in the neck and shorter at the rounded bottom.  It may not look as pretty as it's curvy bottom-heavy neighbor, but trust me; this is the squash you want.  The round bottom cavity holds the seeds so you want it to be much smaller than the neck, which is solid meat.  Choose one that is blemish free with the skin intact (no holes or spoilage), and you can store it for months (unlike the bagged cut squash) should you decide to not use it right away. 

The scary part about peeling a hard skinned squash is that the squash rolls and there is opportunity to cut yourself (or worse to cut off one of your fingers).  To safely peel and cut your squash, trim the stem and the bottom straight across and discard those pieces.  Then cut the neck away from the round bottom.  Now you have two separate shapes that have a solid base to stand on; "Feet", so to speak, and now your squash pieces are stable and won't wobble when you peel them.  You'll be less apt to lose a finger this way.  Have I confused you with "squashy" anatomical terms?  I hope not. I'll demonstrate.

Stand the rounded bottom upright.  Choose a long sharp knife and start to cut the skin in strips from the top down to the cutting surface.  Rotate your squash and peel all the way around.  Repeat with the tall portion of the squash.  Cut through the seed cavity and scoop out the seeds and discard.

*Author's note...the reason you do not see my fingers in the photo above is not because I am afraid I will cut them off, but because they are holding the camera.  You will want to hold onto the squash with one hand while you hold the knife with the other; your fingers tucked safely under of course.

Peeled and ready to be cut into uniform cubes.

See...it was easy.  Now store the peeled squash in the refrigerator until you need it.  Just like Costco, only you have twice as much squash for the same amount of money.

If you want to roast your squash with the skin on, just cut the squash in half between the neck and bottom and scoop out the seeds.  Then cut both the neck and the bottom in half lengthwise to roast.

Next post....the long awaited Butternut Squash Soup.  Believe me, it will be worth the wait.