<p>H and I did a fundraiser for a non-profit and, as a thank you, they gave us a huge bag of squash. I love squash, so that’s cool, but one of them is a huge Hubbard squash, those blue-greyish kind. I’ve read that their skin is extremely hard to pierce and the only instruction I could find online was to whack it really hard with a kitchen cleaver. Even if I had one of those, that sounds potentially dangerous to me. I’m wondering if anyone here has a better suggestion. Might it work to put it in a bag and drop it on the floor? i don’t need it until Tuesday, but i want to be prepared.</p>
<p>Mr B thinks you can try sawing it in half. 
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<p>You can try the Chowhound ideas: <a href=“http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/464954”>http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/464954</a></p>
<p>Chain saw?</p>
<p>Seriously, it’s the thing I like least about winter squashes.</p>
<p>Thanks.for the suggestions. We don’t have a chain saw or an electric carver or an ax even, but there were some really great suggestions in the chowhound thread! And I’m glad someone there seconded my fear that whacking with a cleaver might be dangerous.</p>
<p>We have had similar issues trying to open hard Kobacha pumpkins. We just use a fork (or use pick) to pierce some holes and then cook in a microwave until the shell can be pierced more easily by a knife. We then slice it up, remove skin and seeds and steam until tender. </p>
<p>Well that sounds like a great idea, thanks!</p>
<p>Meant ICE pick not use–spellchecker Grrrr!</p>
<p>Do any of those recommendations work for spaghetti squash? I’d serve it more if it weren’t so darned hard to crack open to steam.</p>
<p>I think an awl or icepick would work on spaghetti squash. I had dh cut it in half today with my biggest knife and cooked it in the microwave. The skin was definitely much softer after cooking.</p>
<p>So you cooked it first before cutting? We usually steam ours in the steamer, or in a pot with about 1" of water in the bottom. But this is after they’re cut in half. I’ve never microwaved one. I love spaghetti squash - after I cook it, I add some browned turkey sausage in which I’ve also sautéed sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms. When I’m mixing it together, I add in some smoked gouda cheese. I put it in a casserole and bake it until it is warmed through. </p>
<p>I use my biggest knife, and I can eventually get it cut, but it’s a lot of sawing action back and forth when the knife inevitably gets stuck. We don’t have an icepick or awl!</p>
<p>You can try roasting it for a while in the oven but be sure to stab some vent holes in it. I microwave or roast butternut before peeling. Winter squash can be tough little buggers.</p>
<p>But if you roast it before cutting it, then you’re trying to cut a hot squash, right? That seems like it would be more difficult to handle, even using oven mitts… unless it softens up the skin so much that it is really easy to cut.</p>
<p>Do you just put it on the oven rack? Or in a baking dish?</p>
<p>Cutting a hot squash seems safer to me than cutting one that’s rock hard. I worry about being injured when the surface is that tough and unyielding. Piercing the skin with a fork or turkey/roast probe or metal skewer or anything to make vent holes works.</p>
<p>I microwave washed squash, wrapped in damp dish towel until the skin is soft enough that I can safely cut through it. You can let it cool as long as you prefer before handling and cutting. </p>
<p>I can cut spaghetti squash with a firm knife, just get it in about an inch and slice around that way, sort of like sawing the outer 1/2 inch of the thing as you work your way around (remember the inside is soft. Yes if you bake it, you need to vent it with a few pierces.
I like Himom’s idea to partially microwave, will try it.</p>
<p>I’m really here to say, I recently went back to baking halves (cut lengthwise or crosswise) with about a quarter inch of water, covered. For some reason the strands don’t hold as much water as microwaving (which makes a mess if you freeze the results and later defrost.) </p>
<p>And the veg that drives me nuts to cut is rutabaga.</p>
<p>Thanks @sabaray for pointing out this thread!</p>
<p>Teri, I always just poke my spaghetti squash several times like I do when baking a baked potato and then throw the whole squash in the microwave. Sometimes I just nuke it a few minutes till it is soften enough to cut easily and then half and bake face down on foil in the oven. Sometimes I just nuke till finished and half and scoop out from there!
Never had any trouble with it exploding or anything in the microwave. </p>
<p>Wanted to post this recipe a friend posted on her FB page - her H made it at home the other day and it looked DELICIOUS! I would like to replicate something like this for Thanksgiving but with squash and not pumpkin and in smaller servings.
<a href=“Sweet Or Savory: Stuff, Bake And Devour A Pumpkin : NPR”>Sweet Or Savory: Stuff, Bake And Devour A Pumpkin : NPR;
<p>I microwave squash in the micro wave for a short time before I cut it. I use the Ove Glove they are awesome for all kinds of cooking. I will never go back to the oven mitts.</p>
<p>What kind of thank you is a bag of squash? Around here, you leave the bag on someone’s doorstep in the middle of the night and hope they don’t figure out who did it… </p>
<p>I take squash into the garage with a good knife and hit the knife with the mallet I use to pound chicken breasts. I don’t like pounding them so hard on my granite…works great every time.</p>
<p>I’ve also had very good luck with poking hard shell squash and microwaving it. I did it with a butternut squash a couple of weeks ago and was able to peel off the skin with my veggie peeler and then roast chunks in the oven. It took 6 minutes. I turned it over after 3. It cooled down pretty quickly for peeling. </p>
<p>dmd–the funny part was that I hadn’t even finished the 35# basket of local fruits, veggies, honey, maple syrup and home canned products I’d received when retiring from a non-profit board. I haven’t had to buy food in awhile. They did also leave us a frozen chicken that I’m sure they raised themselves. And a dozen eggs.</p>