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.

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

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

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

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

Take one of the halves and cut into half again.

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

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.

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

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

Now take one quarter and slice lengthwise into strips.

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

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

Bon Appetit!