Squash the Squash

I made squash and apple bisque the other day and when I was cutting up the squash, I thought this would be a great tip. So today’s tip is on how to properly and safely cut up squash. Squash is a delicious and nutritious fall vegetable from the gourd family. Here are a couple of things to remember when cutting up a round object. Always try to create at least one flat surface of the vegetable to rest against the cutting board. Trimming the round edges makes for more evenly-sized pieces and makes the cooking a little more consistent. When cutting hard vegetables like the squash, you want to use the blade closest to the handle because this is where you have the most leverage. As always, you want to use a sharp knife.

Squash preparation (10 - 15 minutes)

Let’s start by setting up your cutting board with a towel underneath to keep from slipping.

Cutting board with towel

Lay the squash on its side and trim the top end where the stem is off.

Trimming the squash top off

Now, flip the squash 180 degrees and trim the bottom off of the squash.

Trimming off the bottom of the squash

Now locate in the middle of the squash where the bottom round flattens towards the top. Just above that rounded part, cut the squash in half.

Cutting the squash in half just above bottom bulb part

Taking the top part of the squash begin to slice the skin off.

Peeling the top half of the squash

After peeling the squash with a knife, lay the peeled top half on its side and slice in half.

Cutting top half into two equal halves

Take one of the halves and cut into half again.

Cutting squash into quarters

Now take the quarter slices and cut them into cubes with rounded edges. Be sure to make all the cubes about the same size.

Cutting the squash into cubes

Now after cubing up the top half, let’s turn our attention to the bottom half. Stand the bottom half vertically on the cutting board so you have a flat surface on the cutting board and cut into two equal halves.

Cutting bottom half into two equal halves

Lay one of the halves, flat side down and cut it in half again.

Cutting squash bottom into quarters

Now with a spoon, scrape out the seeds. The seed flesh is usually a darker more pungent color.

Scraping seed flesh out with a spoon

Now take one quarter and slice lengthwise into strips.

Slicing squash bottom into strips

Now take the squash bottom strips and cut into equal cubes.

Cutting squash bottom into cubes

I hope this technique helps to safely cut up your squash or hard vegetable in the future.

Bon Appetit!