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Pumpkin, red kuri or butternut: which squash to choose?
How to pick a good squash, which variety suits which dish, and the easy way to cut it.
Pumpkin, red kuri, butternut: from October to December, squashes fill the market stalls. They keep for weeks, cost little and lend themselves to almost anything, from a weeknight soup to a Sunday gratin.
Choosing a good one
A good squash feels heavy for its size, with matte, unblemished skin and a dry stem. Whole, it keeps for several weeks somewhere cool and dry. Once cut, wrap it and keep it in the fridge for a few days.
Which one for what?
Red kuri tastes of chestnut and has a thin skin you can eat: no need to peel it for a soup. Pumpkin holds more water and makes silky soups. Butternut, with its dense, sweet flesh, holds up well in the oven, in a gratin or roasted in chunks.
The trick to cutting it
First slice off the top and bottom so it sits flat, then cut it in half. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon before cutting it into pieces. Rinsed and roasted, the seeds make a crunchy snack.
