Butternut squash is arguably one of the best vegetables known to man. It’s sweet, yet tangy, and oh so versatile. You can keep it simple by roasting it with just some oil, salt, and pepper, or getting fancy and stuffing those bad boys with chicken, quinoa, whatever you’d like. Point is, it tastes great no matter what you do to it.

There’s just one downside to making butternut squash: Peeling and cutting that thing. Oh my gosh, it’s literally the worst thing ever. First of all, it feels like you’re going to chop off your fingers with every single slit you make. I can’t be the only one who says a prayer every time I cut into a squash, right?

Second of all, it takes FOREVER. If you don’t have a sharp enough knife, forget about it. You’ll be spending the rest of your night just trying to cut the squash. Once it actually gets into the oven, no one will even be hungry anymore!

One solution is buying the pre-cut squares of butternut squash, but these packs are usually pretty expensive. Instead, you could use this easy hack that’s making its round on the internet. We think we’ll go with the latter.

This hack is honestly not even a hack. It’s just so simple that we have no idea how we haven’t thought of it before—but we’re so glad we came across it.

How to cut your squash without wanting to pull your hair out of your head

First, you’re going to poke a few holes in the squash with a fork. Then just cut off the top and bottom of the squash.

Next, pop that bad boy in the microwave for about 3 minutes and 30 seconds—microwave times may vary, but you want it to get warm enough where the skin starts to get a little soft.

When it’s done, let it cool for a bit so you’re not burning off your fingers (you know, the ones you almost chopped off before this hack).

Once it’s cool enough, the skin will be soft enough for you to easily peel away! De-seeding and chopping up the squash is easier too, since the veggie is now much softer.

On top of that, because it’s already a little bit heated through, doing this will actually speed up oven time if you plan to roast it—or if you plan to puree it, stick it in the Instant Pot, whatever you use it for, it’ll be a lot easier!

If you need a visual like we do, just check out this easy to follow video below.

Just a note that the woman demonstrating this genius trick uses a paring knife to get the skin off, but we think using your hands is more effective. You can also use a vegetable peeling, if that’s your thing. No matter what, the point is, it’s a lot easier now to remove!

Have you ever tried this method to make peeling and chopping butternut squash easier? What’s your top method for easy chopping?