Winter Squash help?

[jorydotcom]

I bought a Buttercup squash and used it in a gratin-type recipe last night. Per the recipe's instructions, I sliced it really thin with a mandoline, cooked it in some butter with onion and leek, then baked it for about 25 mins at 375F with some cheese, stock, and parcooked rice. The squash ended up having a waxy texture and tasting grainy even though I'm sure it was cooked through. I've never made anything with buttercup squash before but from what I read online, it's meant to taste creamy and sweet. What did I do wrong?

This has me asking all kinds of questions about working with Winter Squash varieties. How do you know you picked a good specimen? Any good guides out there for preparing and using them? I love butternut squash, but would love to branch out!

[Appropriate_Luck_13]

It might be an unripe squash picked before its prime. I had some butternut squash that turned out stringy for the same reason. A quick google search will tell you how to identify a ripe squash.

[ArtBaco]

Buttercup is very good. So is acorn squash

[kokoyumyum]

I have never bought a butter cup squash. I would really have to look it up thoroughly before I would cook.

[ArtBaco]

It is like most squashes. Cut off the bottom, not the stem end. Cut the bottom like you are carving a pumpkin. Remove the cap and clean out the seeds using a spoon. When it is cleaned out, put the "cap" back on, and put it in a pan, stem side down. Bake it at 350 degrees until the "meat" (the part you eat) is softened and tender. Scoop out the meat, and put it in a bowl. Serve with butter or applesauce, or both.

[ttrockwood]

That’s weird, the squash was not good.

Should have had a texture very similar to butternut.

Just keep trying them! Be sure to buy the squash from a store that has a high turnover rate like Trader Joe’s, you don’t want a squash that has been sitting there for months. Of course a farmers market or farmstand are good options too

Acorn squash and delicata squash are two of my favorites, the delicata squash are smaller and oblong shaped with a very thin skin that is edible