How to prepare buttercup squash

With its tough rind and funny shape, peeling this squash can be tricky. Luckily, you don’t have to! Using a large heavy knife, carefully split it in half lengthwise through the stem. Use a heavy spoon to scrape out the seeds (save the seeds to roast later), then cook according to your recipe.

Yes.

We‘re not going to tell you that you can‘t eat the skin of the squash you buy at the grocery store, because really, if you want to, you can. Go for it. We‘ll let you live your life. But you won’t catch us eating any old squash skin.

So then, what is the difference between buttercup squash and butternut squash? Buttercup squash: a small, usually dark-green squash that is a variety of Cucurbita maxima, having sweet orange flesh. Butternut squash: a yellowish winter squash having sweet, orange-colored flesh; the plant bearing this fruit.

Flavor: Buttercup squash has a sweet, creamy flavor and is considered sweeter than other winter squash varieties. How to use it: The flesh tends to be dry, so steaming and baking are the best methods for cooking this squash. And its firm texture makes it ideal for a curry.

It’s sweeter than butternut, with beautiful orange flesh that’s reminiscent of a sweet potato in color. Although the buttercup is very close in appearance to the kabocha, the texture of this compact squash is much drier and the flavor much more mild than its nutty and sweet look-alike.

Look for a ripe squash that has a deep green color and a hard rind. Test the rind using your fingernail to poke the squash, advises Fine Gardening. If the squash is ripe, your nail will not leave a mark. If a mark is left behind, leave the squash on the vine and allow it to continue to ripen.

Look for dark green skin with subtle creamy stripes around the base and a cap of grayish-green skin with dark stripes along the top. Avoid squash with pale yellowish patches at the base or top. This indicates the squash is still immature.

Like all varieties of winter squash, buttercup squash is rich in vitamins A and C, potassium, B vitamins, and numerous minerals. The deep orange color signals a high content of beta-carotene, a nutrient with powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

The skin on the butternut squash is very tough so if you prefer you can pop it in the microwave before you start preparing it for 2-3 mins to make it softer and easier to remove. However, if you’re slow roasting the squash, you can leave the skin on as it is edible and gets softer when baked.

Place the squash in one layer in a roasting tray and season lightly with salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the seeds, cover tightly with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until the skin of the squash is soft, then remove the foil and cook for another 10 minutes until the squash is golden and crisp.

Make–ahead tip:

You can prepare the squash a few days in advance and refrigerate in airtight container until ready to use. You can make the recipe a day in advance and reheat it before serving. Cook the squash slightly al dante the first day, so it’ll still have nice texture after reheating.

If you want to get the squash ready for cooking ahead of time, cut or chopped butternut squash can last for about 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Once you cook or bake it, it should retain quality for about 4 to 5 days.

Storing It

Store your fresh, uncut squash in a cool, dark place, such as a basement or closet, where sunlight won’t hasten its ripening. Under the right storage conditions, your butternut squash should last two to three months.