How to cook pumpkin will show you the simple process of making your very own fresh pumpkin puree. And don't let those pumpkin seeds go to waste. Make them into a healthy snack or use as a garnish for other dishes such as salads, soups or cookies.
The pumpkin is a winter squash that has come to symbolize the autumn season in the United States and is used during Halloween and Thanksgiving as both decoration and food. Pumpkin can be used in a variety of recipes from pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread and pumpkin cheesecake to pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bars and pumpkin soup. Canned pumpkin puree is readily available in most grocery stores, but it's easy to make your own and reap the benefits of the fresh flavor in your favorite recipes.
Top 10 Pumpkin Varieties for Cooking
There are many different varieties of pumpkin. Each offers a unique color, shape, size and flavor. Depending upon your desired recipe or project, each one of these varieties can be used in cooking or decoration.
- Autumn Gold
- Baby Pam
- New England Pie
- Prize Winner
- Small Sugar
- Spirit
- Spookie
- Sugar Baby
- Sweet Pie
- Triple Treat
How to Roast Pumpkin
If you're planning on preparing a delicious pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread or even a pumpkin cheesecake for the holidays, why not use fresh, roasted pumpkin instead of the canned, pureed variety?
Step 1: Choosing Your Pumpkin
- Just as you would choose any other fruit or vegetable, it's important to know what each pumpkin style and variety has to offer. Pumpkins that are great for carving and making Jack-o'-Lanterns are not the best for cooking and eating. Aside from the obvious physical characteristics of a ripe fruit or vegetable, be sure to keep the following in mind when choosing your pumpkin:
- Look for smaller pie or sweet pumpkin varieties which have a much sweeter taste.All Recipes: Pumpkin
- The pumpkin should be heavy for its size and free of any bruises or soft spots.Tony Tantillo: Pumpkin The Pumpkin Farm: FAQ
- A 3½ to 4 pound pumpkin should yield about 1 to 1½ cups of pumpkin puree.The Pumpkin Farm: FAQ
Step 2: Preparing Your Pumpkin
When you are ready to begin cooking, you'll need to properly prepare the pumpkin. By setting up your work area and gathering all the necessary tools prior to starting, you can save time and mess. Have all your items, including those to clean up with handy.
- Place newspaper down on your work surface for easy cleanup later.Tony Tantillo: Pumpkin
- Rinse the pumpkin in cool water and pat dry.
- Use a sharp serrated knife to remove the stem.
- Cut the pumpkin in half.
- Scoop out the stringy mass and the seeds.Pumpkin Patches: Pumpkin Cooking
- Save the seeds to use later.
- Discard the newspaper, stem and stringy innards.
Step 3: Methods of Cooking
- There are several ways to cook your raw pumpkin depending on your own personal preference or chosen recipe. Each cooking style offers a different texture and taste to the cooked pumpkin. By exploring all of these options, you'll become more familiar with each and be able to use them wisely when preparing dishes that call for pumpkin as an ingredient.
Roasting
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place the pumpkin halves cut side down on a baking sheet.
Put in the oven for an hour or until the flesh is tender.Tony Tantillo: Pumpkin
How to Boil/Steam Pumpkin
If you're looking for a new dish to try, why not get into the seasonal spirit and cook some pumpkin? Whether you're planning on making fresh, holiday pumpkin pies or pumpkin bread, adding fresh, cooked pumpkin is a tasty alternative to using the canned pumpkin puree you can find in most grocery stores. There are a variety of different ways to cook raw pumpkin. Here, Mahalo's own Chef Jenn shows perhaps one of the easiest which involves boiling or steaming.
Boiling/Steaming
Cut the pumpkin halves into smaller chunks.
Place the pumpkin pieces in a pot of boiling water or in a steamer above boiling water.
Cover the pot and cook the pumpkin for roughly 20 to 30 minutes or until soft and tender.About.com: Pumpkin
Drain the pumpkin in a colander.
Microwaving
- Place the pumpkin halves cut side down on a microwave safe dish.
- Set the microwave to cook on high and for 7 minutes per pound. All Recipes: Pumpkin
- Check the pumpkin pieces for tenderness by stabbing with a fork.Tony Tantillo: Pumpkin
Step 4: Pureeing and Storing
- Once your pumpkin is fully cooked, allow it to cool enough so you can handle it.Tony Tantillo: Pumpkin
- On a clean work surface, use a spoon to scoop the flesh away from the skin.
- Puree the pumpkin pieces in a food processor or mash them with a potato masher or food mill.Tony Tantillo: Pumpkin
- Place the pumpkin puree in freezer safe plastic bags or containers.The Pumpkin Farm: FAQ
- Pumpkin puree can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days or stored in the freezer for up to 6 months.All Recipes: Pumpkin
- Use your homemade pumpkin puree in any recipe that requires canned pumpkin and taste the goodness!
How to Make Pumpkin Bread
How to Make Pumpkin Bread courtesy of Mahalo's Chef Jenn.
Not sure what to do with the pumpkin you scooped out to make the jack-o-lanterns? Maybe you need a great pumpkin bread recipe to use the leftover pumpkin puree. Pumpkin bread is a great fall treat and excellent sweet bread to serve for breakfast, as an addition to an after dinner dessert tray, or for a mid morning brunch item.
