Steaming

• You want the freshest butternuts for steaming, preferably an heirloom variety, such as Waltham or Nutter Butter. Steaming imparts no taste of its own, and water is a poor carrier of the esters that impart the flavors of herbs and spices, so you need a variety that asserts its own flavor. Leave the skin intact if you don't plan on pureeing the butternut; the skin imparts a flavor redolent of the flesh and adds texture to an otherwise smooth, soft bite. Slice the squash into cubes or slices 1/2 to 1 inch wide, and steam it for 15 to 20 minutes; the exact time varies, but the flesh pierces easily when it's ready. After steaming, toss the squash with olive oil and fresh herbs and season it to taste; the flesh absorbs flavor more readily after it heats and softens.

Baked Whole Squash

• Baking a whole squash requires next to no prep and readies the flesh for ravioli, gratins, soups, pies, jams and baked goods. You can use whole-roasted butternut flesh in just about any dish because it doesn't take on additional flavors during cooking; sweet or savory, dinner or dessert, all work. Scrub the squash and roast it dry in a 400-degree-Fahrenheit oven until you can pierce it easily with a fork, about 1 hour. Pull the skin away after the butternut cools slightly, and then discard the seeds and use the flesh as needed.

Poaching

• Poaching is an underused technique for cooking butternut squash, but not without reason: Poaching in water or stock gives butternuts a one-sided flavor. On the other hand, butter and olive oil, when used as poaching mediums, bolster the squash's natural nuttiness and make the best carrier to impart the essence of any herb and spice you add. For example, to infuse a butternut with the essence of autumn, poach the cubed flesh in 2 or 3 inches of butter or olive oil with cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and cloves until tender. Use an instant-read thermometer to help keep the butter or oil at 170 F, and poach the squash until tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Searing and Roasting

• Searing and roasting caramelizes butternut flesh and imparts flavors unattainable with moist heat. Giving cubed butternut squash a quick high-temperature sear before roasting caramelizes the sugars on the surface of the flesh, and the convection of the oven finishes it tender all the way through. Heat the oven to 400 F and coat the squash cubes in vegetable oil. Sear the squash in an oven-safe frying pan on the stove over medium-high, and then transfer it to the oven and roast until tender, about 25 minutes.