Good gourd

How to pick, prep and cook winter squash of all types

In the glazed squash recipe, the steamed slices of squash are treated to a smoky-sweet coating that enhances their appearance as well as their flavor. (Tom McCorkle/photos for the washington post)

Winter squash varieties come in many shapes and sizes. They’re often interchangeable, but some work better in certain dishes than others.

It’s decorative gourd season, but it’s also edible gourd season. Swing by the supermarket and you’ll be greeted with a rainbow of winter squash in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colors.

They’re so tempting you might be hauling a few home before you even know what you’re going to do with them. Need a primer? Here are tips to make the most of this seasonal specialty.

Buy: Look for winter squash that are hard, heavy and free of mold or too many blemishes. A deep-colored exterior is a good sign too. The varieties have varying degrees of firmness and sweetness. Kabocha are firmer and drier, and hold their shape when cooked. Delicata have a thin skin that is easy to eat. Butternut: a marked sweet flavor. Acorn: a more mild one. Spaghetti squash: tender flesh that separates into threads. Hubbard: makes for an impressive stuffed holiday main course.

Peel: To peel a winter squash, microwaving it first helps. Prick the squash in a couple of spots and then nuke it for a few minutes. The exterior will soften enough to make getting the peel off easier.

Cut: Find the biggest, sharpest knife you have and get carving. Steady the squash on a damp dish towel, or slice a thin plank off a side or two to make it rest flat on your board. You may need to rotate the squash — carefully — as you work your knife through it rather than going straight down in one cut. If you have a butternut, separate the straight trunk from the rounded bulb end and then continue breaking it down.

Deseed: Use a large soup spoon or a large, shallow ice cream scoop. Scrape out the seeds and the stringy flesh holding them in. If you like, save the seeds for roasting. (See recipe.)

Cook: There are so many ways to cook winter squash. Roasting is an obvious choice. Roast halves at 350 to 400 degrees until soft (probably close to an hour, especially for larger varieties), cut side up or down depending on whom you ask. Or chop it into pieces for a much faster bake. There’s also the microwave route, which is the logical conclusion to the peeling strategy. You just let the squash go until it’s completely soft. Steaming is another possibility. Slice the squash, put it in a shallow glass dish with some water and cook on high in the microwave, from 4 to 7 minutes. Do you have an Instant Pot? It can make very quick work of a squash, whether it’s in pieces resting on the steam rack or halves nestled above some liquid.

As to what to make, you have lots of options. Use winter squash in soup, whether it’s pureed or left in chunks. Add pieces to salad and risotto. Scoop, stuff and bake. Incorporate flesh into muffins and quick breads, or use it in a pie instead of sweet potato.