Prepping Winter Squash

• To cut a winter squash, work your way into one side with the tip of a chef's knife, cutting from the top to the bottom of the squash rather than across the middle. Remove the knife and start cutting in the opposite direction if you have trouble piercing it all the way through. If you find the squash too hard to cut, try tapping the handle of the chef knife's with a blunt kitchen utensil such as a soup spoon to help it penetrate. Arrange the cut squash faceup in a pan with about an inch of water in the bottom. Brush the cut side with olive oil or butter and season to taste.

Cooking Times and Temperatures

• Because they come in a range of shapes and sizes, faceup roasting times vary for different varieties of winter squash. An acorn squash will roast in 45 minutes to one hour in a 375-degree Fahrenheit oven if it's positioned faceup, 10 to 15 minutes longer than it would take facedown. At 425 F, it cooks faceup in 35 to 45 minutes. Delicatas cook most quickly, in 20 to 30 minutes in a 425-degree oven, or 30 to 40 minutes in 375 degrees. Larger, denser varieties such as turban squash or kabocha pumpkins cook faceup in about an hour in a 425-degree oven, or an hour and 15 minutes in a 375-degree oven.

The Hybrid Method

• If you're short on time but still want the texture and flavor of winter squash roasted faceup, you can start it facedown with about an inch of water in the pan; then, flip it over, season it and cook it the rest of the way, once it begins to soften. Be sure to drain excess water from the surface that had been facing down; extra moisture will interfere with the skin crisping and caramelizing.

Roasting Summer Squash

• Summer squash such as zucchini and pattypans cook quickly when positioned faceup in a roasting pan. Because they are so moist, these varieties don't need extra water in the baking dish. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise, and cut the top inch off the pattypan to create a flat, round surface. Brush the cut edges with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast at 375 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes, or at 425 F for 15 to 20 minutes.