6 Tricks toTake the Bland out of Summer Squash (2024)

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Making heads & tails of

the squash kingdom

6 Tricks to Take the Bland

out of Summer Squash

Zucchini Overload:

how to turn over-abundance

into advantage

5 Fast Ways to Cook Squash +

5 Simple Ways to Dress It Up

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One of the greatest things about summer squash is its versatility.

It makes a good addition to practically any dish or cuisine. But in the curious way that our strengths are often the opposite face of our weaknesses, zucchini’s marvelous versatility is also the root of its biggest weakness: blandness.

Concentrate to Get the Water Out and Leave the Flavor Behind

1. Minimize External Cooking Water To begin with, avoid cooking methods that introduce more water, like boiling and poaching.

2. Evaporate Internal Water Instead, use dry-cook methods (like grilling and roasting) and fast-cook methods (like sautéing and stir-frying) that evaporate the water and leave the flavor behind.

Coax Out More Flavor with “Flavor-Boosters”

3. Salt and Pepper, Generously Even concentrated, squash’s flavor can use a little boosting. Start with salt and pepper. As always, go slowly when seasoning, but you may well find that squash requires a little more salt and pepper than usual. You’ll also get better results by seasoning before cooking, so the flavor can better permeate the squash.

4. Brown Nicely When cooking summer squash, don’t be afraid of a little browning. A nicely browned surface adds great flavor.

5. Partner Strategically Finally, balance squash’s milder taste with stronger flavors like chilies, curry, ginger, garlic, lemon, goat cheese and so on.

6. Compensate for Flavor Dilution Sometimes, summer squash must be cooked in a liquid, as in a soup, stew, or saucy dish like Chicken Cacciatore. Without the flavor-concentrating benefits of dry-cooking and fast-cooking, summer squash can tip an entire dish to the unexciting side. Recipes generally compensate for this dilution potential by boosting other herbs, spices and condiments, but don’t hesitate to add more (gradually, of course) if a taste test warrants it.

Helpful Hint:

How to Add a Squash Boost to Your Meals

Want some interesting ideas for using zucchini and other summer squash? See “Zucchini Overload: Turning Over Abundance into Advantage”

Rich brown is a sign of good flavor, not overcooking. Above, roasted zucchini slices give a flavor boost to

Roasted Zucchini Soup. Below, half moons are browned before adding to

Zucchini Sausage Skillet.