How To Cut Butternut Squash

Steps

1. Trim the ends. Lay the squash on its side and carefully slice off both the top and bottom ends to create flat surfaces.

2. Peel the squash. Use a sharp vegetable peeler or Y-peeler to remove the tough outer skin, working from top to bottom.

3. Separate the neck and bulb. Cut the squash crosswise where the long neck meets the round bulb.

4. Halve and seed. Stand each piece upright and carefully cut down the middle to expose the seeds. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and discard (or save them for roasting!).

5. Slice into planks. Lay each squash half cut-side down and slice into even planks about ½ inch thick.

6. Cut into strips. Stack a few planks together and slice lengthwise into uniform strips.

7. Dice into cubes. Turn the strips crosswise and cut into even cubes, about ½ inch in size or smaller if desired.