How to Peel Butternut Squash
Come fall, butternut squash seem to be falling the sky, they’re everywhere. And with good reason. There’s a lot of great things you can do with them, but first you need to get through that tough skin. There are a couple options, both of which I’m demonstrate here. You can use a traditional vegetable peeler, but I sometimes find the skin either too tough, or the peeler too dull to move quickly. So I’ve also shown you how to remove the skin with a knife.
To Peel a Butternut Squash
- If you're using a peeler, you can simply take off the skin like you would a potato; however two things make it more difficult
- First, the skin is quite thick and a peeler may not go deep enough with one swipe. If you don't get down to the vibrant yellow flesh immediately, go over the squash again to remove another layer.
- Second, the shape makes peeling tough. I like to hold the rounder end, and peel off the longer thinner side first. Once the skin comes off, the squash gets pretty slippery to hold and I like to get as much off as possible while I still have a good grip.
To Peel the Squash with a Knife
- My preferred method for peeling a butternut squash (and what I show in the video) is to use a knife.
- Cut off the top and bottom tips of the squash, and then cut it in half, just above the rounded bottom (and just above the seed pod)
- Place the flat (cut) side of the top of the squash, on your cutting board, and using your knife, cut the sides of the squash, taking the skin and up to a quarter inch of the flesh off
- Repeat all they way around that side of the squash
- Moving to the bottom half of the squash, you're going to do the same type of cut, but this side is bit harder because the sides are less straight
- So as you move the knife down, you also need to tilt it in, following the rounded side of the squash
- Don't worry if the you end up taking too much, or if you cut through the skin and have to start a new cut
- Just keep going, and eventually you'll get all they way around; clean up any missed spots and you're done
Enjoy!
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