Sometimes my life is forever changed by the simplest updates in cooking technique. Such a moment happened a few weeks ago when we went to a friend's cabin.

Lacey had a pie pumpkin and roasted it so simply. She yanked off the top, popped it in the oven, and cooked. No pounding with a cleaver, no smashing on the sidewalk (look at Lil so little in that video!), no scraping out the insides. Because the squash steams itself from the inside, it takes just as long as halving and roasting, approximately 45 minutes per small squash.

The flesh never ends up burnt as it occasionally does when I roast halves too long without enough water. The finished squash, which is done when the skin yields to the pressure of your finger, is not only easier to open and scoop, but the seeds are pre-steamed. When I roasted the seeds in the oven, the resultant seeds are crispy outside but tender inside, perfect for snacking.

This is the best technique. I can't believe I've been roasting squash for so long in any other way. Do what I say, not what I do - cook your squashes whole from now on!