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EmailHere are tips on how to clean a pumpkin for cooking—plus five delicious pumpkin recipes!
- First, scrub the outside of the pumpkin with a vegetable brush.
- Cut the pumpkin in half and use a spoon to scrape out the fibers and the seeds. A serrated grapefruit spoon works great for this.
- Cut the pumpkin halves into smaller pieces, then place them skin side up in a shallow baking dish.
- Add water to just cover the bottom of the dish, and cover tightly.
- Bake in a 325ºF oven until the pumpkin is fork tender. The time will vary depending on the size of your pieces.
- Let it cool, and then either cut off the peel or scoop out the flesh.
TIP: For pumpkins that you're not cooking right away, keep them cool but not quite as cool as root crops. If you have a coolish bedroom, stashing them under the bed works well. They like a temperature of about 50 to 65ºF.
Pumpkin Recipes
Pumpkin Cookies: When you purchase a pumpkin for your Halloween jack-o-lantern, buy an extra one and make these light-yellow cookies.
Pumpkin Pancakes: For a tasty twist on the ordinary, try our seasonal pancake recipe.
Pumpkin Harvest Soup: Savor this savory soup on a cool autumn evening.
Blue Ribbon Pumpkin Pie: Who doesn’t love pumpkin pie? Bake this award-winning pumpkin pie from our Blue Ribbon Recipes Cookbook!
Find more pumpkin recipes in our archives.
TIP: Eating pumpkin pie may encourage sleepiness!
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Comments
Just toss the whole, washed
Just toss the whole, washed pumpkin into the oven, let it bake for a while (til softened a little) then take it out and cut the way you desire (around the top or cut the whole top off, or cut in half - whatever) and scoop out seeds (save them). Then add some spices and bake about an hour. Then stir around the inside of the pumpkin loosening the flesh but being careful not to poke a hole, and bake until completely tender. Divide into 2 cup servings and place into freezer bags. You can also add cream to the inside of the pumpkin after adding the spices, if you know you're going to be using the whole pumpkin right away. Depends on the size.
This is the easiest way I've found to get pumpkin ready for pie filling.
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