The Hack To Easily Remove Squash Seeds Only Requires An Ice Cream Scoop

If you're a squash lover — and why wouldn't you be? — you'll be happy to know there's a hack that makes seeding squash remarkably easy. There's so much more to this fruit than just a gourd-geous table display. Vibrantly colored with flavors from savory to nutty to sweet, the proud members of the gourd family (Latin name: Cucurbitaceae) are used in a vast array of delightful dishes. Harnessing the delicate but rich flavors of squash, you can make anything from a light and juicy marinated grilled summer squash to spicy acorn squash curry, and the unforgettably yummy fall favorite — creamy, roasted, butternut squash soup. Let's not forget to mention the bevy of fleshy, bright orange sugar pumpkins soon-to-be roasted for use in spicy pumpkin pies, moist pumpkin cakes, and DIY pumpkin spiced lattes.

But as joyful as squash's colorful bounty may be to look at (and eat), seeding them can be a bit of a nuisance unless you use this handy hack — an ice cream scoop. This technique uses both a scraping and scooping motion (think melon balling) and works for just about any type of squash, be it acorn, butternut, spaghetti, etc. It even works great on pumpkins.

To employ this clever trick, first cut your squash in half lengthwise. Next, while holding the squash in place with one hand, use your ice cream scoop to press into the flesh, just behind the offending seeds and fibrous strands, scraping your way through to easily remove both the seeds and strands in one fell scoop, leaving behind a smoothly pristine, seed-free surface ready for roasting, toasting, and Instagram posting.

If you don't have an ice cream scoop on hand, you could try a large metal serving spoon, or even a small sharp-edged grapefruit spoon, which works surprisingly well with its pointed tip and serrated edge. This hack works great for deseeding cucumbers as well. Now, your squash is ready for a generous drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of salt, a sprinkling of the herbs and spices of your choosing, and some quality time basking in the heat of your oven.

Armed with this tip — and your common household ice cream scoop — you'll be able to hack your way to seedless squash and scoop up the very best of fall's bounty.