Easy Hacks For Peeling and Cutting Squash or Pumpkins (2024)

• Food

We're not suggesting you cheat and buy the pre-peeled and cubed squash in the supermarket aisle. While it's tempting, it's also less fresh and more expensive. But if you want to cook the fresh stuff, you'll need to learn how to peel and cut squash first—and in a reasonable amount of time.

Squash recipes sometimes call for using a Y-shaped peeler. While the vertical handle speeds up the process, you'll still spend at least 20 minutes trying to scrape off the squash's woody exterior. (A knife will speed up the process.) These easy-to-follow steps will help you peel and cut squash in less than ten minutes.

How to Peel Squash

What You Need

• Fork
• Microwave
• Microwave-safe dish
• Y-shaped peeler, paring knife, or chef's knife

Step 1: Use a Microwave

Poke the squash or pumpkin all over with the tines of a fork. Place it in a microwave-safe container and microwave on high for three minutes.

Step 2: Cut into Two Pieces

If your squash type has a thin neck, it's easier to work with two pieces. For example, when cutting butternut squash, cut the base and neck apart and tackle each separately. Skip this step if you are peeling a pumpkin or other rounded squash like acorn squash (unless you need help cutting it). If that's the case, cut a small section off the bottom of the squash to create a flat surface for it to rest on.

Step 3: Peel With Y-Shaped Peeler or Knife

Next, use a chef's knife or Y-shaped peeler to remove the skin. Stand upright and, working from top to bottom, cut off the skin in strips with the knife or peeler, following the shape of the squash. You may take off a bit more flesh with a knife than with a peeler, but the knife will be much faster.

How to Cut Squash

What You Need

• Cutting board
• Chef's knife

Step 1: Cut in Half

Once the squash is peeled, use a chef's knife to finish chopping. It should be fairly easy to do once the skin is removed and after it has been softened a bit by the microwave. At this point, your squash might already be cut into two pieces (the top and bottom). Start by taking the larger of the two pieces and cutting it in half.

Step 2: Remove the Seeds

Next, remove the seeds by using a spoon to scrape the insides. You can save the seeds to use in a pumpkin seed recipe later or discard them.

Step 3: Cut into Chunks or Wedges

Now take each half and cut into chunks or wedges (or whatever your recipe calls for) using a large chef's knife. Hold the knife properly by ensuring the front is always resting on the cutting board and moving in a rocking movement from front to back, up and down, as you slice through the squash.

Repeat with the other half of the squash, which won't have any seeds inside, by cutting first in half, then into chunks or wedges.