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Post by tom π on Oct 25, 2020 10:07:02 GMT -5
Butternut squash are notoriously difficult to cut up, says one web page. They needn't be. With the proper method, they are about as difficult to cut up as potatoes. Break off the stem with pliers. Using the neck as a handle, stand the squash upright on a carving board. Puncture the squash just above the bulb with a small butcher knife. This begins the splitting of the squash. Using the neck as a handle, rock the squash back and forth with light pressure on the knife. This splits the bulb. Put the knife all the way through the split bulb and invert the squash on the carving board. Using the bulb as a handle, rock the squash back and forth with light pressure on the knife, and the squash falls apart in two pieces. Using the split necks as a handle, scrape out the bulbs. Then cut off the necks, again using light pressure and a rocking motion. That's how I prepare butternut squash for the Instant Pot. Seeds are saved for growing baby greens.
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Post by gardendmpls on Oct 25, 2020 10:15:54 GMT -5
Sharp knife and never a problem. Splitting it in half is easy. If you want to peel it, a potato peeler is easier than a paring knife, but it is a pain.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Oct 25, 2020 11:27:38 GMT -5
I don't have trouble cutting up butternut - their relatively smooth skin makes them much easier than those unevenly surfaced varieties. I always use my large chef's knife to cut off the neck, stem, and blossom ends, then slice the seed section into about 1' slices. Then, using a boning knife, I cut out the seed section from those 1" slices, then lay them flat, and cut repetitive vertical cuts, to remove the skin (I also find regular peelers used for peeling these a spita). This is then diced up. The neck skin I remove the same way, in 2 sections usually, and either dice this up, or make that into some veginoodles. The seeds I wash off, and save them for making some Mexican dishes, that are better made with unshelled pumpkin seeds.
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Post by Mumsey on Oct 25, 2020 16:43:52 GMT -5
Silver Bell and other such Hubbard types are the most difficult
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Post by pepperhead212 on Oct 25, 2020 17:32:49 GMT -5
These yuxi squash, next to the butternuts in my photo here, are that type that are going to be a pain to peel. I only grew them because they were touted as being able to harvest immature, as a summer squash, but it doesn't work - already rock hard when 3-4" in diameter. A few more winter squash, 10-07 by pepperhead212, on Flickr
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Post by gardendmpls on Oct 25, 2020 21:08:04 GMT -5
I also find regular peelers used for peeling these a spita If you don't want to peel them, you can cut in half, cook and then scoop out. If I am in the mood, I may even eat them with the peel.
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Post by Mumsey on Oct 26, 2020 4:11:06 GMT -5
pepperhead212, I'd put those in the insta pot whole! Poke holes in them first.
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Post by tom π on Oct 26, 2020 12:10:29 GMT -5
These yuxi squash, next to the butternuts in my photo here, are that type that are going to be a pain to peel. Microwaving for 30 seconds is supposed to make butternut squash easier to peel. That might work with yuxi.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Oct 26, 2020 12:17:28 GMT -5
Mumsey, Except for the smallest one of those that I harvested (not in that photo), those wouldn't fit in the IP! The largest is over 12 lbs, the smallest over 8 lbs. They said it was a 3 to 8 lb fruit, but they are much larger.
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Post by binnylou on Oct 26, 2020 13:32:31 GMT -5
My heavy duty chef knife will handle most squash and pumpkins. Just get a firm grip on the squash and don't slip.
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Post by tom π on Oct 26, 2020 14:16:43 GMT -5
Just get a firm grip on the squash and don't slip. Peeling makes the butternut squash slippery. The reason I brought this topic up is because I think many are intimidated by cutting up a butternut squash. My sister will not cut up one -- said it is too hard. She punctures it and cooks it whole in the microwave. I now give her cooked butternut squash, and she seems pleased with that.
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Post by centralilrookie on Oct 26, 2020 22:07:02 GMT -5
60-90 seconds in the microwave with some holes poked in the squash cut down on the swearing in our kitchen!
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Post by Mumsey on Oct 27, 2020 4:26:05 GMT -5
The only thing about cooking them whole is you can't save the seed once they are heated up.
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Post by James on Oct 27, 2020 11:04:47 GMT -5
..... save the seed..... ? my experience tells me there is no use saving squash seed. The darned things cross with everything in the garden and if the seed is saved and planted, next year you get some hybrid cross, and it may or may not be any good.
Need seed? Go to the seed store and buy fresh packaged seed for the current year. This is likely to give you what the label says. Not some freaky hybrid.
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Post by tom π on Oct 27, 2020 11:45:25 GMT -5
my experience tells me there is no use saving squash seed. The darned things cross with everything in the garden and if the seed is saved and planted, next year you get some hybrid cross, and it may or may not be any good. I am the only gardener within half a mile, so if I grow only butternut squash, there should be no crossing.
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