How to cut pumpkin

Cutting the pumpkin quickly and effortlessly is the dream of many. Unfortunately – among butternut squash, pumpkin, round, long – there are so many varieties of the vegetable that it is not easy to juggle shapes and sizes. Some types, for example, have a hard peel, others, on the other hand, have a more delicate one, which can be eliminated with a simple potato peeler. If you are looking for tips and tricks on how to cut pumpkin in the best way, here is a series of useful information.

How to cut the butternut squash

Particularly widespread in Anglo-Saxon countries, in the USA and South Africa, butternut squash has a flavour reminiscent of hazelnuts, and a pulp that, when cooked, almost takes on the consistency of butter. Excellent in a whole series of dishes, it lends itself to preparations of great taste: it can be roasted, sautéed, toasted, puréed for soups or mashed to be used in casseroles, bread, souffle, muffins, pies, and also pumpkin hummus. Delicious is the risotto with butternut squash, although it can be cooked in the oven or a pan for healthy and tasty side dishes. How to cut the butternut squash:

• wash the pumpkin well and dry it
• place it on a cutting board and, with a carving knife, delete both the stalk and the base
• now remove the peel with a potato peeler equipped with sharp blades
• make a clean cut horizontally at the height of the round part of the pumpkin
• divide the base in two with a vertical cut
• with the help of a spoon, remove the seeds
• cut into pieces according to the preparation you want to make.

By dividing the pumpkin into sections, it is very easy to remove the seeds and cut them as desired. Butternut squash is great in the oven or simply cooked in a pan.

How to cut round squash

Round squash can be more difficult to handle and cut due to its shape and size. Nothing, however, can be accomplished by knowing how to move. And then, to cut a round pumpkin, proceed as follows:

• wash the pumpkin well and dry it
• with a very sharp carving knife, enter the pumpkin with the tip of the knife near the stalk and go down towards the cutting board
• lift the pumpkin so that the side is in contact with the cutting board and continue to cut the lower part

• at this point turn the pumpkin and complete the cut
• obtain two halves, with a spoon take the seeds and filaments present inside
• take one half and place it on the cutting board with the cut side facing down
• cut in half in the direction of the width and you get quarters
• cut off the peel of all the squash quarters, keep them still on the cutting board and making cuts downwards with a sharp knife

Once cut, the round pumpkin can be used in many recipes of first courses with pasta and rice, it can be used to prepare gnocchi or side dishes of any kind.

How to cut long squash

The long pumpkin which, despite its name is more similar to courgette and as such appears to the eye, is covered with particularly thick skin, which is why it needs to be peeled. Here’s how to do it:

• if the pumpkin is very long, it is better to cut it into three pieces to make the work easier
• with a potato peeler, then, make movements from top to bottom with slight pressure to remove the zest
• proceed like this for all the pieces and, once peeled all, cut it in half lengthwise
• with a sharp knife, finally, also delete the seeds inside (which are wrapped in a spongy part)
• cut the pulp you have obtained into pieces and cook it as you prefer

The Sicilian long pumpkin is excellent when stewed, with potatoes or stuffed with meat, you are spoiled for choice.

How to cut pumpkin quickly and effortlessly

Cutting the pumpkin can be a long and tiring operation, but to make it a little easier, there are a few tricks you can use. Cutting the pumpkin into pieces is one of them. Reducing it into small pieces can help us handle it more easily and peel it without the risk of cutting our hands. By peeling one piece at a time, the operation becomes even faster. Another suggestion is to place it on the cutting board so that it does not run around the table.

How to peel pumpkin in the oven

Perhaps not everyone knows, but the vegetable can also be peeled when cooked. How to peel pumpkin in the oven? Just cut it into large pieces, wrap them in tin foil and place them in the oven at 180°C/356°F for at least 15 minutes. Softening the pumpkin in the oven makes the peel more delicate and easier to remove. Alternatively, you can cook it completely by increasing the cooking time based on the thickness of the pieces and peel it once it is taken out of the oven and cooled properly. How to easily peel the pumpkin in the oven? If cooked well, it will come off just by pulling it with your hands.

How to carve the Halloween pumpkin

The carved pumpkin is the symbol of Halloween par excellence: to obtain it, however, it is first necessary to empty it. Here’s how to proceed to create a creepy Jack-o’-lantern made with your own hands:

• place the pumpkin on a cutting board
• with a clean-cut, remove the upper cap of the pumpkin using a carving knife

• removed the upper part of the pumpkin, empty the pulp first with your hands, then with a spoon, for precision work
• scrape both the walls and the bottom well, you can proceed with the carving of the eyes, nose and mouth (also in this case it is useful to draw them first with a marker)
• last, but not least, the operation is to equalize the base, to ensure that the pumpkin remains stable and upright.