How to Cook a spaghetti squash

How to Cook a spaghetti squash

 However, before you can accommodate it in many ways, you  have to cook it. It can also be prepared raw and make salads  but, most of the time, it is cooked. Several possibilities  are possible.

                                                   How to Cook a spaghetti squash

 His skin is very hard, it is impossible to peel. We can just  cut it in 2 in the direction of the length when it is very  big. Before cooking it should be washed and brushed to  remove all traces of soil. Then, it is cooked whole or cut  in half. If his skin is really too tough to cut, there are 2  possibilities. Immerse in simmering water for about 3  minutes. If it is not completely covered with water, turn it  over and cook on the other side at the same time.  Alternatively, put it in a microwave oven and cook for 3 to  4 minutes. Normally, it is easier to split it in half  without picking up a chain saw.

 Cooking with water

 The squash must be placed in a container large enough to be  completely covered with water. Cook in small boils for 20 to  30 minutes until the tip of a knife penetrates easily. Cool  in cold water then cut in half lengthwise. But beware, it's  very hot. Remove the seeds with a tablespoon and scrape with  a fork to obtain filaments. In this case, the hull is all  softened and tears. You will not be able to use it to  garnish it. For my part, I advise against cooking by half.  Indeed, the nutrients pass largely in the cooking water and  as we throw the water, we throw them at the same time which  is a shame.

 Cooking with the pressure cooker or pressure cooker

 This cooking is possible if the squash is small enough to  enter the basket. Put a bottom of water, put the basket with  the squash and count about 8 to 10 minutes from the rise in  pressure. As for cooking with water, wait until it cools or  cool in cold water. And always, be careful when cutting  because it is very hot. Eliminate the seeds and scrape the  flesh. This method is faster than cooking with water and  also more economical. But personally it is not the one I  prefer because as for cooking with water the flesh is  disassembled or torn and it is not always easy to recover  all the flesh.

 Cooking with steamer or soft steam

 You have to cut the squash in 2 in the direction of the  length. The squash must be small or your steamer very big to  be able to put the squash. The cooking time will depend on  the thickness. It takes at least 30 minutes. Personally, I  have never used my sweet steam cooker for squash because it  is a bamboo cooker. Small but practical for many small  foods.

 Slow cooking

 This method of cooking is not widely used in France. But, it  is very popular in Quebec. It is a mix between water cooking  and soft steam cooking. The squash is cut in half and  stripped of the fibers and seeds in the crockpot, peel side  down. A little water is added. Then, cook for about 4 to 6  hours at elevated temperature or 8 to 10 hours at low  temperature. To know if the squash is cooked, it must be  stung.

     

 Baking

 This is one of the cooking I use. It allows to recover the  peel once the filaments removed and to garnish it, to  gratinate it to serve it garnished.

 There are two possibilities :

 Cook the whole squash : In this case, preheat the oven to  180 ° C or 350 ° F. Prick it from side to side with a sharp  knife to prevent it from bursting during cooking. Then, put  it on a baking sheet covered with baking paper. It takes 50  minutes to 1 hour depending on the size of the squash. It is  cooked when the skin is soft and the tip of a knife easily  penetrates. Then cut it in half lengthwise. And always, be  careful because it's hot. Then remove the seeds with a  tablespoon and peel and separate the filaments with a fork.

 Cook the spaghetti squash cut in 2:  The oven is preheated  to 180 ° C or 350 ° F as above but the cooking time will be  shorter about 30 to 45 minutes. Here are the steps in  pictures.

 Cut the squash into 2 Place the half squash on a baking  sheet and cook.

 Microwave cooking

 With baking, it's cooking that I use the most. She is fast.  And the result suits me perfectly because it allows to use  the filaments quickly. On the other hand, given the   Information on their composition, which may be carcinogenic,  certain precautions must be taken. It is imperative to buy  special cellophane cooking film and also to read what is  written on the packaging. The manufacturer must indicate  that the product does not contain bisphenol A or  polyethylene terephthalate. Otherwise, it is avoided because  toxic compounds can migrate to food and be dangerous to your  health.

 As for baking, it is possible to cook it whole or in half.  Here's how to proceed:

 Whole cooking:

 Stitch the squash in several places so that it does not  explode. Place on a microwavable dish and cook on medium  power for 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size. Prick to  see if it is cooked. Otherwise, continue cooking in 30- second increments. Then cut it in 2. And, always be careful  because it's very hot. Eliminate the seeds with a tablespoon  and recover the filaments with a fork.

 Half cooking:

 This method is the fastest. This is the one I favor because  we get the filaments in no time.

• Cut the squash into 2
• Eliminate the seeds and fibers  from the center
• Surround the squash with cellophane film and cook on  medium power about 6 to 8 minutes     depending on the size.  Check the cooking. If the squash is not completely cooked,  continue in 30-second increments.
•  Scrape with a fork to get the filaments.

 retention

 Spaghetti squash can be frozen. It can be kept for 3 months.

 Little trick

 Pumpkin seeds, once washed and free of small filaments and a  little viscous film, are oven dried at 160 ° C or 320 ° F  for about 20 minutes. You can use them in a soup, a dish, a  salad, in bread, as an aperitif. You can also coat them with  salt or spices and do as for the walnut recipe .