Peeling a Squash with Thin, Smooth Skin (Butternut Squash)
1. Cut the squash in half, at the base of the plumper end. Place each half, cut face down, on your cutting board, so that they’re stable while you peel the skin with a knife.
2. If the skin isn’t too thick, you can peel it with a peeler, but if you find this too hard to do, use a chef’s knife. Then cut the part with the stem.
3. To peel the part that contains the seeds, first use the peeler to remove the skin on the rounder area. If needed, pass the peeler again to remove another layer and expose the orange flesh. Then use a chef’s knife to peel the skin all around the rest of the area and cut the base of the squash (the bottom).
4. Once the squash is peeled, cut the part that contains the seeds in half, lengthwise, and use a spoon to remove the seeds. All that’s left to do is to cut the flesh into cubes or wedges depending on the chosen recipe.
Peeling a Squash with Thick, Bumpy or Ribbed Skin (Acorn Squash)
1. Whether the skin is thinner or tougher, we recommend that you always cut the squash in half, so that you get two flat sides that present a stable and secure surface when you start peeling.
2. To peel a squash with thicker, tougher skin, use a chef’s knife, working from the top down. Cut the stem on one of the pieces and the bottom on the other, then finish by removing the seeds with a spoon.
Squash to Cook
Squash is an ingredient in several recipes, from appetizers to desserts. Here are four that showcase the butternut and acorn varieties, plus the thick-skinned buttercup that we use in a cake. The delicata squash, whose thin skin is edible, completes the list and is used in our Turkish eggs recipe.
The Case of Spaghetti Squash
It’s quite rare for spaghetti squash to be peeled before cooking it. We shred the flesh within the skin itself. To know more about the way to prepare it and the preferred cooking methods, read this article.