How to Cook Butternut Squash

In October of 2022, Michigan-based farmer Derek Ruthrouff claimed the Guiness World Report for the heaviest butternut squash. Ruthrouff introduced a hulking specimen that weighed in at simply above 100 and 4 kilos. Three weeks later, I consumed roughly the identical quantity of butternut squash. I didn’t win an award for it.

Squash was first cultivated greater than 8,000 years in the past in Mexico and Peru, however the butternut selection was bred by a person in Massachusetts in the midst of the 20 th century. It has a lamp-shaped physique and flesh the colour of American cheese, and when ready deftly, it tastes like a sweetened, concentrated pumpkin—a contact vegetal, and noticeably nutty. There may be little extra that’s winter-affirming than a wonderfully cooked butternut squash, mushy and candy-like, buttery and wealthy. Good butternut squash may be revelatory. Good butternut squash can flip round your entire day. Which I do know, as a result of three weeks after Rutherouff gained that fancy award—and worldwide glory—for his huge home-grown contribution to the butternut canon, I dropped two full sheet pans of roasted squash onto my lounge flooring and my (naked) toes.

All of this to say, I’ll not have come out of the most recent spherical of Absolute Finest Assessments with a trophy, however I did come away from my battlefield (my residence, which is now lined in smears of squash in locations you couldn’t dream of) with hard-earned intel and the invention that an ideal chunk of squash soothes all ills. Even the sort of ailing the place you thought you washed your toes completely however hours later you look down to search out one other little little bit of squash in your toe. Let’s dive in:

I cooked eight butternut squashes of roughly the identical dimension, about two kilos apiece. Sure, my husband did have a look at the kitchen counter after which at me and, saying nothing, delivered only a swift shake of his head, earlier than he silently walked from the room.

For strategies that required the squash to be peeled and lower down, I did as follows:

Peel squash with a vegetable peeler. To chop squash in half lengthwise, slice about ½ inch off the highest and backside to make flat sides; stand the squash up on a slicing board and thoroughly slide down the middle with a big, sharp knife to make two roughly-even halves. Scrape out the seeds with a spoon.

For cooking strategies that concerned utilizing a fats, I used extra-virgin olive oil. I seasoned solely with Diamond Crystal kosher salt.

1. Roast Entire

Elements:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium butternut squash
¾ to 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher salt

Warmth oven to 425°F.
Rub entire squash throughout with oil then season with salt. Place on a parchment-lined sheet pan or baking dish and poke it in about 10 locations, throughout, with a pointy knife or fork.

Roast about 55 to 85 minutes (relying on dimension), turning as soon as halfway by way of, till the pores and skin is brown and bubbled, and a knife simply pierces the squash throughout.
Take away from oven; let cool sufficient to deal with, then slide in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.

Findings:
The Roast Entire specimen was tender throughout, with flesh a consistency nearer to canned pumpkin than cantaloupe. This technique could be wonderful if meant as a fuss-free solution to generate simply mashable squash for a second use, like as one part of a butternut squash cheese sauce for pasta. A major good thing about roasting a squash entire is that there arises no must threat chopping off an extremity attempting to noticed by way of a complete, uncooked butternut upfront; as soon as cooked, the squash was straightforward as butter to slice. The one draw back — past a barely longer prepare dinner time than different strategies — was that as a result of the squash went in entire, it wasn’t seasoned till after the roast, which meant the seasoning didn’t have an opportunity to bind as properly and sink beneath the floor. (The pores and skin, nonetheless, was scrumptious.)

2. Roast in Halves

Elements:
1 ½ to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium butternut squash
1 ½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal Kosher salt

Warmth oven to 425°F.
Minimize squash in half lengthwise: slice about ½ inch off the highest and backside to make flat sides; then, stand the squash up and thoroughly lower down the middle to make two roughly even halves. Rub halves throughout with oil then season with salt. Place on a parchment-lined sheet pan or baking dish, lower aspect down.
Roast till the halves are blistered and simply pierced throughout with a knife, 40 to 50 minutes (relying on dimension).
Take away from oven; let cool sufficient to deal with, then scrape out the seeds with a spoon.

Findings:
The Roast in Halves technique produced superbly seasoned squash with a wholesome quantity of browning, which meant a meaningfully higher taste than the Roast Entire squash. Roasting squash in halves is a wonderful selection for residence cooks who want to generate a visually dramatic centerpiece for a meal; the roasted halves may function vessels for a long-simmering sugo di carne, or a heat, perky grain salad.

3. Roast in Cubes

Elements:
1 ½ to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium butternut squash
1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal Kosher salt

Warmth oven to 425°F. Peel squash with a vegetable peeler. Minimize squash in half lengthwise: slice about ½ inch off the highest and backside to make flat sides; then, stand the squash up and thoroughly lower down the middle to make two roughly even halves. Scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Minimize every half into 1–inch-thick slices, then lower within the different course to make 1-inch cubes.
On a parchment-lined sheet pan or in a baking dish, toss cubes with olive oil and salt till coated. Organize in a single layer. Roast till squash is tender and browned and simply pierced with a fork, flipping cubes often, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Findings:
The Roast in Cubes technique offered the perfect specimen for Crisp Maximalists, since both sides of every tiny dice was given ample alternative to agency up in opposition to the recent pan. The cubed squash was additionally splendidly wealthy, since there was way more floor space out there for oil and salt than with a lot of the different strategies. I can’t rely the shortened prepare dinner time as a plus although, as a result of the upfront peeling and chopping meant the general course of truly took longer than the Roast in Halves batch.

4. Roast in Cubes (Low Temp)

Elements:
1 ½ to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium butternut squash
1 ½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal Kosher salt

Warmth oven to 350°F.
Peel squash with a vegetable peeler. Minimize squash in half lengthwise: slice about ½ inch off the highest and backside to make flat sides; then, stand the squash up and thoroughly lower down the middle to make two roughly even halves. Scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Minimize every half into 1-inch-thick slices, then lower within the different course to make 1-inch cubes.
On a parchment-lined sheet pan or in a baking dish, toss cubes with olive oil and salt till coated. Organize in a single layer.
Roast till squash is tender, browned, and simply pierced with a fork, about 45-55 minutes.

Findings:
This batch of squash was general fairly just like the Roast in Cubes (excessive warmth) batch, however much less crispy. The place it lacked in sharp edge, it made up for in taste—due to the longer prepare dinner time, these cubes had a noticeably extra concentrated, candy taste.

5. Roast in Wedges

Elements:
1 ½ to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium butternut squash
1 ½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal Kosher salt

Warmth oven to 425°F.
Peel squash with a vegetable peeler. Minimize squash in half lengthwise: slice about ½ inch off the highest and backside to make flat sides; then, stand the squash up and thoroughly lower down the middle to make two roughly even halves. Scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Minimize every half into 1-inch-thick crescents.

On a parchment-lined sheet pan or in a baking dish, toss wedges with olive oil and salt till coated. Organize in a single layer.
Roast for about 30 to 40 minutes till squash is caramelized and tender. Take away from oven.

Findings:
Roast in Wedges squash gives an a variety of benefits: it cooks extra shortly than halved or entire squash, gives an enormous quantity of floor space for crisping and seasoning, and it appears form of fancy. It’s no extra annoying to prep than the cubes, so general, it’s a hair quicker than the Roast in Halves because of the shorter oven jaunt. I’d make use of this technique if I needed crispy, flavorful squash with sufficient floor space to enrich a sauce, or if the squash have been the entree, broiled cheese and seasoned panko.

1. Microwave

Elements:
1 medium butternut squash
1 to 1 ½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal Kosher salt, to style

Minimize squash in half lengthwise: slice about ½ inch off the highest and backside to make flat sides; then, stand the squash up and thoroughly lower down the middle to make two roughly even halves. Scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Place every half, lower aspect down, on a microwave-safe plate. (You possibly can line it with parchment paper for straightforward clear up.)

Place the plate or parchment paper into the microwave. Microwave for 15 to twenty minutes on 100% energy in roughly 5 minute increments, till the squash is definitely pierced with a knife.
Let cool sufficient to deal with, then scoop the squash from the pores and skin with a spoon and season with salt.

Findings:
The Microwave squash was candy and vegetal, and largely the feel of child meals, with just a few spots that cooked inconsistently and have been harder. I used to be as shocked as the following man (my husband) to search out that I loved it practically as a lot because the Roast Entire squash, I suppose as a result of the Roast Entire additionally didn’t get oil on its flesh. This technique could be helpful to me if I didn’t have entry to a range or oven, and I wanted the flesh of the squash for a dish through which it might get seasoned and mashed (like a riff on Thanksgiving candy potatoes, however with squash).

2. Steam

Elements:
1 medium butternut squash
1 to 1 ½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal Kosher salt, to style

Peel squash with a vegetable peeler. Minimize squash in half lengthwise: slice about ½ inch off the highest and backside to make flat sides; then, stand the squash up and thoroughly lower down the middle to make two roughly even halves. Scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Minimize every half into 1-inch-thick slices, then lower within the different course to make 1-inch cubes.

Deliver 2 inches of water to boil in a big saucepan fitted with a steamer basket, ensuring the water doesn’t contact the underside of the basket. Add cubes to steamer basket, cowl, and steam till tender throughout, about 10 to fifteen minutes. Take away from the steamer; season with salt.

Findings:
The Steam squash cubes have been stunning, a darker orange and fewer opaque than any of the opposite trials. That they had essentially the most distinctly vegetal taste, and have been much less candy (because the squash didn’t make contact with a sizzling floor to brown). This technique would work greatest if you happen to meant to make use of the squash in a dish the place an excessive amount of candy squashy taste would overwhelm the opposite elements (like, as a topping to a chirashi bowl), or in some form of salad or agridolce the place the squash will take in the flavors of a dressing.

3. Roast Then Pan Fry

Elements:
1 tablespoon additional virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
1 medium butternut squash
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher salt, plus one 1 teaspoon

Warmth oven to 425°F. Rub entire squash throughout with 1 tablespoon oil then season with salt. Place on a parchment-lined sheet pan or baking dish and poke it in about 10 locations, throughout, with a pointy knife or fork.
Roast about 55 to 85 minutes (relying on dimension), turning as soon as halfway by way of, till the pores and skin is brown and bubbled, and a knife simply pierces the squash throughout. Let cool sufficient to deal with. Then, lay the cooked squash on a slicing board and slice the squash lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds with a spoon and discard. Scoop out flesh and put aside.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to a forged iron skillet. As soon as sizzling, add the mushy, roasted squash flesh, and season throughout with salt. (You possibly can eat the roasted, salted pores and skin for a snack!) Sauté, shifting squash round each jiffy with a wood spoon, till browned in locations, like a softened hash.

Findings:
Oh my! This was a delight. As proof, it’s the first squash I went again to after the Sheet Pan Drop and Splatter Incident of 2022, for consolation. The ensuing squash was deeply candy, with a concentrated nutty taste complemented by all the oil, salt, and additional publicity to a sizzling pan. I’d like to eat a big vat of Roast Then Pan Fry each night time till March. It might be a stand out dinner aspect, or an ideal base for fried eggs.

The general greatest strategies for evenly crispy squash with flavorful flesh and maximal seasoning have been:

Roast in Cubes and Roast in Wedges (use a decrease oven temp if you happen to desire additional sweetness to crisp).
If you wish to arrive at related outcomes however save your self all of the peeling and chopping time, Roast in Halves is your saving grace this season.
In case you aren’t pressed for time and love a candy, wealthy squash dish, Roast Then Pan Fry was the clear, general hero of this take a look at.