ff butternut squash

[jjelli]

Help  I got it in the oven.... how long do u bake it????

[KathyPrulhiere]

Just bake squash till it is slightly soft. You can cook it more after you peel it if you need to. Cooked too long most squash go watery. Hope you get this in time.


Kathy

[jjelli]

thanks  it was so  so  some were soft and some were firm cause of the different sized I cut.  but they are good

[KathyPrulhiere]

Good morning JJ. A couple of tips about cooking squash that might help you. I stab mine with a sharp knife and cook it in the microwave just long enough to be able to cut it in half. After peeling it, I cut it into cubes and cook it until it will smash up with a fork. Firmer is always nicer than too squishy. It will continue to cook a bit more as it cools so just test it by pushing a fork into it.

Hope this helps.

Kathy

[crickadoodle]

Jjelli -- are you talking about butternut squash fries?  If so, I think I read that you bake them like 40 min., but that was too long for the ones I made.  I watched mine.  They were so good -- even the ones that were very brown. 

[Mary J]

I have made these twice now... omg, they are delish!  The last time I made them, I used a rack to lay them, someone suggested this, and it works really good.. they came out better.

Mary J

[crickadoodle]

Well, that's a new idea for me.  Thanks!

[malmq]

Any squash can be cut in half, put into a microwave safe shallow dish, skin side up, w/ just enough water to cover the bottom.  

Put plastic wrap over the squash and onto the sides of the dish and microwave until when inserting a knife thru the skin, it goes in easily. (You'll know when it's done) :-)  Anywhere from 10 - 20 min. depending on the size and thickness of the squash.    
   
Be careful when removing the wrap so the steam doesn't burn you.      

Hold the squash w/ a towel or potholder to remove the meat w/ a spoon or just eat the meat out of the skin... which is kinda fun and nothing goes to "waist"  :-)

You can also follow this in the oven but use aluminum foil instead of plastic wrap.  Bake 350 til a knife inserted goes in easily.  It may take a little longer w/ this method but yummy just the same :-)

[LovinLDL]

Is the rack for cooling the fries?  Also, does anyone have a chopper for fries that works well for the squash?  I would love to have something that slices them all the same size so that I would have a better chance of cooking them evenly.

I have found that my baking stone does better than the cookie sheet.

Blessings,
Julie (who is having BN fries with her lentil soup for dinner...yum)

[jjelli]

Thanks for your replies.
Have a couple of questions.  why the water when cooking the squash?  Sometimes I just poke holes in the squash & put in microwave for 20 minutes whole.  Then I remove skin and de-seed.  jj

[Mary J]

Hi Julie,

No, the rack is to bake the fries on.. that way the heat circulates all around them.. at least that is my understanding of using it.  I can't remember who on here posted about this... but I tried it and it works good...  AND you reminded me that I bought a french fry cutter last year I believe,,, I will have to try it for the butternut squash.  I do cook mine in the micro for about 5 mins(I have a slow micro) to soften it up enough to work with.

Mary J