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Rinse off any dirt before cutting. Work
on a flat surface and to keep the squash from rolling, trim a sliver from the bottom or
one side of the squash and let it sit flat.
The hard shell of some types of winter squash can prove challenging to cut: Use a heavy chef's knife and rather than attacking the squash with the full breadth
of the blade, just insert the tip of the knife into the side of
the squash and make a shallow cut. Place the blade in the cut and tap the knife near the handle with your fist, or use a mallet or rolling pin, cut downward until the squash is cut through.
Small, very hard-shelled squash, such as Golden Nugget, may be impossible to split before cooking, but they can be steamed whole. To cook a whole squash, pierce the squash near the stem with a knife to allow any steam to escape. After cooking, cut out a small circle around the stem and remove this top piece from the squash, and scoop out the seeds and fibrous material in the cavity.
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When halving, cut through the stem end to the point rather than across the diameter. The exception is the spaghetti squash.
Acorn squash is cut by inserting a chef's knife and and then pressing downward with a rocking motion. Larger squash, or really hard vaieties can be cut be tapping the blade with
a kitchen mallet or rolling pin. Once the initial cut is made, re-position the
mallet to the base of the knife blade and continue to tap until
the squash falls into two separate pieces.
To prevent halves from rocking on the baking tray, cut a small slice off the bottom to flatten it.
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With a large spoon, scrape out and remove the strings and
seeds.
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A butternut squash can be prepared in varying ways, depending largely
on the way you are going to present it at the meal. The first step
of both techniques is to remove the stem with sharp kitchen knife.
If you plan to use the squash as a presentation piece, remove closer
to the stem, minimizing the amount of flesh removed from the squash.
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If your intent is to bake the squash and serve it in the skin as
a presentation piece, slice the butternut squash directly down the
center with a sharp kitchen knife.
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The strings and seeds are then removed with a spoon or scraping
tool.
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If the butternut squash is cubed, mashed, or puréed, cut the squash
into 2 separate pieces before slicing in half. Remove the upper section
of the squash.
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Cut the two sections in half using a sharp knife.
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Cut each half in the same manner.
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After each section has been cut in half, remove the stringy fibers
and seeds from the cavity of the lower section. Cut halved pieces
into smaller pieces if desired.
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