One of the most important skills in the kitchen is how to use a knife. Each week, we introduce the skills necessary to accomplish 1 task in a cleaner, more efficient way. Today we focus on knife skills to dice squash.
Butternut squash is such a staple of holiday foods. Not only does it have a beautiful, fun, orange color, but it’s also versatile, and healthy. The biggest downside is how difficult it is to peel and cut. You could always buy the prepped squash at your local grocery store, but today we’re showing you the fastest way to dice a squash right at home.
As always, we need a clean cutting board, knife and side towel. We’ll also use a Y-peeler and a regular old spoons today.
Disclaimer: My kids like to pretend that squash is a baby, They carry it around the house and sing it lullabies. Please note that no squash was harmed in the filming of this video.
Let’s Go!
Step by Step Instructions on How to Dice a Squash
Step 1: Slice off the top and bottom of the squash.
Step 2: Separate the top from the bottom. The top is the part of the squash that’s whole and the bottom contains all of the seeds.
Step 3: Use a peeler to remove the peel. I find this faster and easier than a knife.
Step 4: Lay the top on its side and slice into rounds. Then stack the rounds 2-3 to a stack and slice into thirds. Rotate 90 degrees and slice into thirds again (so you have a cube). Do this until all of the rounds are cut.
Step 5: Cut the bottom in half and use the spoon to carve out the seeds. There are dark orange strands holding the seeds in, so you’ll want to dig behind those to get a nice clean squash.
Step 6: Lay the bottom half face down on the cutting board and make even cuts across the back.
Step 7: Separate any slices that are “whole” (meaning that they aren’t arched from where the seeds were). Cut those piece in half, rotate 90 degrees and then cut into cubes,
Step 8: The arched pieces tend to be unsteady, so only stack them if you can get a solid grip. Then slice into 4-5 pieces.
And there you go. Ready to use squash. Looking for a recipe to show off your beautiful squash dice? Check out our quinoa salad and impress your friends and family.
