I am trying to make a recipe that calls for squash puree. Unfortunately, I am unable to find any in stores. Is there a good substitute?
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When asking for substitutes, it's usually a good idea to provide a recipe or at least the dish you're trying to make; sometimes different substitutes work better for different things.– Cascabel ♦Dec 5, 2014 at 6:05
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An excellent point. I will post it tomorrow.– Stan ShunpikeDec 5, 2014 at 6:07
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1Have you looked in the frozen food section? Squash is often sold as a frozen puree. I remember hating that stuff as a kid.– Jolenealaska ♦Dec 5, 2014 at 8:15
2 Answers
If you want something storebought, just get pumpkin puree - it is squash puree, not really even a substitute. Pumpkins are squash, and "pumpkin" is a pretty broad term, covering a lot of winter squash. In fact canned pumpkin is often made with things more similar to butternut squash than what you'd think of as pumpkin (jack-o'-lanterns and all). Just make sure you don't accidentally get some kind of pumpkin pie mix that has spices and maybe other things added.
I suppose if you can't find that either, you could also look at baby food, since squash is fairly common there.
If you really can't find anything in the store, though, don't just give up on the recipe. It really is incredibly easy to make - just cut squash in half, throw in the oven cut side down, bake until it's soft, scoop it out and mash up a bit. The actual active working time is only a couple minutes, and you'll probably get much better flavor than you would from canned goods.
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Is it appropriate to check this answer if I like it? I did that in another exchange and was told I might want to wait a bit in the future. How long should I wait? Dec 5, 2014 at 17:24
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@StanShunpike It's up to you, and it depends. It's been a decent fraction of a day, and this is a pretty straightforward question, so it's not crazy to accept (especially if you're willing to accept a different answer if a better one shows up). If the question were more complex (more room for different answers) or it'd only been half an hour, it might be a bit hasty. See for example meta.stackexchange.com/q/28550/133299– Cascabel ♦Dec 5, 2014 at 19:04
It is quite easy to make the puree yourself. No need to substitute.
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1This doesn't answer the question. I want an example of a such substitute. If you have one, share it! Dec 5, 2014 at 6:00
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@StanShunpike I think Brian suggested to make the puree yourself instead of substituting. I edited the text to reflect that.– rumtscho ♦Dec 5, 2014 at 9:20