How to cut a pumpkin correctly

Why you should learn how to properly carve a hard-skinned pumpkin

Storage

One of the main advantages of such a pumpkin is, of course, the possibility of its long-term storage. Unpeeled whole melon can last for several months in a dark place at average temperature.

The main thing is to solve the problem of hard peel and remove it with minimal losses.

Taste and aroma

There is an opinion that pumpkins with a hard skin are unsweetened, require long cooking and, in general, are more used as feed. They are simply chopped with an ax into pieces of the required size and given to livestock.

However, this is not quite true. In fact, the pulp of hard pumpkin is not inferior to, and even surpasses, many varieties of soft pumpkin in terms of taste.

They cook and stew for the same amount of time, but sometimes the taste of the hard one is much better: sweeter and more rich. And what a pumpkin flavor!

What you need to cut a hard pumpkin

Heavy knife

Similar to a cleaver or a broadsword, well sharpened, such a knife in one fell swoop will help solve the first problem - cutting the melon in half. After this, you can remove the seeds with a spoon or scraper.

You can also use a heavy knife to divide the pumpkin halves into slices, cutting it lengthwise or crosswise, depending on the shape.

Peeler

A potato and carrot peeler can do an excellent job of removing peels if you choose a larger one.

Like any other kitchen utensil, a vegetable peeler can be made of plastic or metal, with a narrower or wider blade, the length of which also varies.

So, we need a metal device, since the plastic handle is too fragile. Depending on which option (vertical blade or horizontal) we are more accustomed to working with, we choose a vegetable peeler.

The junction with the pulp is more pliable, but dragging a knife along a hard peel is a thankless task. When cooking, you still have to remove it, and you can also cut yourself.

small knife

If the pumpkin you come across is completely stubborn and the peel is not just hard, but literally wooden, you won’t be able to remove it with a vegetable peeler.

In this case, a small knife for cutting meat will come in handy. It should fit comfortably in your hand and be sharp enough. With this we will first remove the crust and then we can cut the pumpkin into cubes.

Cutting board

We choose it to match the vegetable. Anything that's not big enough will just get in the way, so size matters! Also, the board should be heavy and thick - in case the cleaver knife comes off. Isn’t it important for you that your furniture is reliably protected?!

Below we will give several options for cutting pumpkin vegetables, but since everyone’s varieties are different and they are united only by unprecedented rigidity, then in any case you will have to experiment in search of the optimal method.

How to properly cut a pumpkin

Soak

For a number of varieties, soaking overnight is suitable. Fill the pumpkin with cold water, be sure to put pressure on top so that it is completely submerged, and let it stand for 10 to 12 hours.

After that, we wipe it and calmly peel it as if it were any of the soft varieties.

Cooking

If the pumpkin is small but stubborn, and you need to cook it urgently and there is simply no time to wait, then another, exactly the opposite method of cleaning will do.

Place it in boiling water and keep it on the fire for 15 minutes. Then pour in cold water like a boiled egg, wait another 5-7 minutes to cool, then drain and clean. In this case, the crust will fall off on its own, so there will be no difficulties.

Slicing

If the pumpkin in front of us is very hard, we need to cut it first. To do this, place it entirely on a cutting board and in one movement, but slowly and carefully, cut it in half.

Removing the peel can occur in several ways.

1. Cleaning of shared pieces. If you need to chop the fruit to prepare a dish, then dividing the halves into slices will be a convenient cleaning method. And then use a wide knife to remove the hard, unnecessary surface.
2. Cleaning the halves. The intended dish is prepared from whole halves, then you should take a sharper knife. The product is placed with the cut end on the table surface and the peel is removed with planing movements from top to bottom. The hard shell of the fruit does not allow cleaning with thin plates. Therefore, to protect your hands, you should cut off a layer of at least 0.5 centimeters.

Another cleaning trick. To make the task of removing the peel easier, you can use this trick:

1. The fruit is pierced with toothpicks in some places and placed in the microwave for a couple of minutes. Once removed, the shell becomes softer and easier to clean. Since the pumpkin must be held, and after this method it heats up, use a fork. It is stuck into the fruit and serves as a holder for the fruit.
2. Oven to the rescue. Using a similar method, the vegetable undergoes heat treatment in the oven. Warm-up time up to 15 minutes. With this method, the shell is separated with less loss of pulp.

Why you need to know how to properly carve a pumpkin

It is not always possible to leave a vegetable for storage in its entirety. There is a need to cut it up. To prevent the pumpkin from losing the beneficial substances contained in the pulp, it must be properly peeled and cut. If the pumpkin is properly cut and stored in an appropriate way, the prepared dishes will be tasty and nutritious.

Storing melons

One of the main advantages of pumpkin is its long shelf life. An intact melon can last in a dark, cool place for several months. However, if the fruit is already “opened”, it can be cut into small cubes and placed in the freezer for a long time. The hard skin must be removed with minimal loss. When stored in this way, the taste and beneficial properties will not be affected.

The harvested pumpkin crop can be stored in a dry basement with an air temperature within +12...+15°C. In such conditions, vegetables can remain until spring. They are laid out on shelves with a straw bedding. There should be a small distance between the fruits. The pumpkin can be stored in the room until the New Year if you put it in a dark place. The peel should be undamaged and the tail should be dry.

Important!

At the first signs of rotting, the fruits are removed from storage. But there is no need to throw them away. You can prepare a variety of dishes from spoiled pumpkin.

If the pulp cut into pieces is placed in plastic bags and placed in the freezer, it will be stored for 10-12 months. This pumpkin is useful for making soft puree or baby food. If the vegetable is large and it was not possible to eat it at once, the cut should be greased with sunflower oil and wrapped in cling film. In this form, unpeeled pumpkin is stored on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for 14 days. If the film is regularly replaced, the remaining vegetables will last for a month.

Pumpkin taste and aroma

There is an opinion that the flesh of hard-skinned pumpkin is unsweetened, hard, and requires long-term heat treatment. Therefore, it is often used as livestock feed, after being cut into small pieces. In fact, many varieties of soft pumpkin are significantly inferior in taste to hard ones. It takes the same amount of time to cook them under identical conditions. But the taste of a vegetable with a hard peel is much sweeter and richer.

The pumpkin pulp is soft, juicy, non-fibrous, yellow-orange in color. It has a pleasant, pronounced aroma. Porridge, vegetable puree, soups, compote, jam, candied fruits, pies and muffins are prepared from the pulp. It is stewed with meat or potatoes. Even the smallest children love sweet and tender puree. It is given to babies as complementary food. Fresh salads and juice are made from nutmeg pumpkin. Delicious fruits are grown for sale or for personal use.

Pumpkin varieties

So, in order to have fewer problems directly during this complex process that requires such efforts, you need to prepare for it in advance. After all, there are varieties of pumpkin that are easy to peel. Therefore, now we will talk about them, about varieties.

• Die-hard

It’s easy to guess why they are so named - the peel of the ripened fruits is too woody. And it is clear that cleaning them is a very complex and hard work, which only a man can cope with. But the variety is still good - it ripens early, is small in size and is famous for the most delicious seeds. Bush varieties are ideal.

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The origin of this name is also clear. We are talking about the largest specimens. You will have to tinker with them a lot during preparation. After peeling, the pumpkin can quickly disappear, because it is unlikely that all the leftovers will go into the refrigerator. But there are pleasant moments here, because the fruits will delight you with the fact that they are the sweetest (sometimes sweeter than watermelons), react better than others to low temperatures and can be stored for a long time even in an apartment.

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They love warmth very much, they ripen late, they may not ripen where the summer is short, and therefore it is advisable to breed them in the south. But these seem to be all the disadvantages. Because nutmeg varieties are the most delicious and rich in vitamins, they are grown by seedlings (first - seeds, and then plants in the ground), harvested immature before the first frost (they “reach” the house).

What you need to carve a hard pumpkin

Pumpkin varieties suitable for long-term storage are distinguished by their rough skin. Sometimes it is as hard as a nut shell. During long-term storage, the peel hardens even more. Cleaning such a vegetable is very difficult and requires significant physical effort. Large-fruited varieties are especially difficult to cut. To cut hard-barked melon, you will need the following kitchen tool:

• cutting board;
• small knife;
• vegetable peeler;
• metal spoon or scraper;
• massive knife.

Cutting board and large knife

Using a cleaver knife, you can cut the melon in half in one fell swoop. It is convenient to remove the fibers with seeds with a metal spoon or scraper. To make it easier to cut the vegetable into pieces, you first need to divide the halves into small chunks. They are cut lengthwise or crosswise using a heavy knife. You should act with extreme caution, because... It is easy to get hurt with a sharp bladed weapon.

Important!

Before cutting the melon vegetable, you should make sure that its position is completely stable.

Procedure for cleaning a pumpkin

The amount of time it takes to peel a vegetable depends on the size, shape of the fruit and the thickness of the peel. For beginners, this procedure often seems too labor-intensive, requiring certain skills and physical effort.

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But housewives with experience cope with this easily and quickly. Before using pumpkin for culinary purposes, perform the following steps:

1. Surface treatment. The vegetable is cleaned of soil and leaves. Rinse thoroughly under running water. It is not advisable to soak, as the characteristic taste is lost, and in some species the peel becomes very soft and the pulp is damaged when peeled. A kitchen sink or basin is suitable for washing small pumpkins. Sometimes the fruits grow so large that you have to use a bath and shower. After cleaning from dirt and dust, the vegetable is dried with paper or cloth napkins.
2. Peeling. Depending on the future dish, the skin is removed or left. If the vegetable is intended to be baked in slices in the oven, will become a component of juice, or will be grated, then the peel is not removed. To clean, take a wide, long knife, cut off the top and bottom 2 cm wide. This will give the fruit stability during further processing if it is positioned vertically. Using a knife-saw, carefully so as not to injure yourself, remove the skin in small pieces with planing movements. Instead of a knife, use a regular vegetable peeler. If the pumpkin is large in size or has an awkward shape, it is cut in half and processed in a horizontal position.
3. Release from seeds. Using a tablespoon, preferably a wooden one, remove the seeds with fibrous pulp from the halves and set them aside. Manual cleaning is more effective. If you need a whole pumpkin, cut off the top and carefully remove the contents with a spoon on a long handle. The seeds are selected from the pulp, washed and dried, spread on a flat surface in a thin layer.
4. Cleaning out the pulp. The pear-shaped pumpkin has a small seed chamber, located in the lower part. In order to better process and cut the fruit, it is cut crosswise. In the case of a flattened segmented pumpkin divided into half-moons, the fibers with seeds are removed from each piece separately. The knife is taken with a short or long blade to cut off the remaining fibers in one motion. The pulp is removed from the peel using the same method.

Fibers with seeds are not left in the cut pumpkin, otherwise it will begin to rot after 2-3 days.

How to properly cut a pumpkin

First, the pumpkin should be washed thoroughly, because... while growing, she lay on the ground. Dirty peels may contain roundworm eggs or residues of chemical fertilizers. It is recommended to cut vegetables with rough peel in the following ways:

1. Soak. The melon is placed in a deep container and filled with water. To ensure that the fruit is completely immersed in the liquid, pressure is placed on it. After 10-12 hours, it is removed, wiped with a dry cloth and peeled.
2. Cooking. If you don’t have time to wait, you can cook the pumpkin. You will need a large saucepan of boiling water. The vegetable is placed in boiling water and kept on fire for 15-20 minutes. Then it is filled with cold water and left for 5-7 minutes. The fruit prepared in this way is easy to clean.
3. Slicing. A very hard pumpkin is first cut into pieces. It is placed on a cutting board and cut in half in one motion using a heavy knife. Then the halves are divided into 4 and 8 parts. They are peeled and cut into cubes.

On a note!

The extracted seeds are cleared of fibers, washed and laid out in a thin layer on a saucer. They are dried at room temperature for 14-20 days. Pumpkin seeds can be used as food or stored until spring as seed.

When slicing melons, you should adhere to the following rules:

1. The pumpkin placed on the cutting board should be held with one hand.
2. The knife must be well sharpened. Otherwise, it may slip and hurt your fingers.
3. The pumpkin quarters, peeled and seeded, are cut into longitudinal bars 1.5-2 cm thick. The resulting strips can be left in this form. If desired, they are cut crosswise into identical cubes, the size of which depends on the recipe. The smaller they are, the faster they will cook.
4. To save time, the strips need to be stacked on top of each other and cut at the same time.

Pumpkin storage

The melon crop has a large number of useful properties that remain even after the fruit is removed from the garden for the period of storage. The vegetable can be stored in a dry, dark place, without contact with other fruit crops. In this case, the temperature regime should be stable, without changes, with low humidity.

1. Balcony, loggia. A glazed balcony or loggia is often used for storage. In this case, the thermometer column should not be lower than 2 degrees. Non-transparent material with low density can serve as protection from sunlight. This will allow the fetus to “breathe”. The base of the vegetable should not be in direct contact with the bare floor. Be sure to make a backing in the form of newspapers, plywood, or boxes. When it gets cold or frosty, it is necessary to cover the pumpkin, insulating it.
2. Apartment. You can also store culture directly in the apartment, providing it with the most appropriate conditions.
3. Fridge. It is difficult to store whole fruit in the refrigerator. It is more convenient to place the chopped pieces there. The maximum period for keeping the pieces in the refrigerator is no more than ten days. In this case, the product should be hermetically packaged in film or foil. The peel should not be removed from the part of the pumpkin that will not be used in the near future. This way it will retain its juiciness longer.
4. Freezing. Similar to the previous method, the vegetable can be frozen. Pre-grind to the desired size (cut into pieces, grate). Pumpkin can be stored longer than in the refrigerator without losing its beneficial qualities. The pieces should be placed in a sealed bag, film, or container.

Pumpkin is rightfully considered the queen of autumn. This vegetable is rich in valuable vitamins and microelements, so it should appear periodically in our diet. It is used to prepare salads, purees, cereals and pie fillings. After reading today's publication, you will learn how to peel a pumpkin and how it is beneficial for the human body.

How to prepare pumpkin for freezing

A properly cut pumpkin does not take up much space in the freezer. For quick freezing, only ripe fruits that are not affected by rot are selected. The pulp is prepared in the following ways:

• prepare puree;
• cut into small cubes;
• grind on a grater.

The first option for preparing vegetables allows you to use the pulp right away. Other methods require preliminary heat treatment, because the pulp is kept fresh. By using the appropriate freezing method, you can prepare healthy dishes from the juicy pulp all winter. The shelf life of frozen vegetables is limited, so the date of preparation should be indicated on the packaging.

How to make pumpkin puree correctly

The shelf life of pumpkin puree in the freezer is no more than 10 months. It can be immediately added to casseroles, pies, cereals and other dishes. The semi-finished product is prepared as follows:

1. The melon is cut in half and freed from seeds.
2. To make puree, the pulp is first prepared in one of the following ways: boiled, baked, steamed or microwaved. The peel does not need to be removed.
3. To obtain puree you will need a blender, fork or masher. The pulp is scooped out with a spoon, then kneaded until a homogeneous mass is obtained.
4. The puree is distributed into containers: containers, special forms, plastic glasses. The filled container is placed in the freezer.

Important!

If the finished puree is stored in a container with a lid, it should be taken into account that when frozen, the mass will increase in volume. Therefore, there is no need to fill the container to the very edge.

Freezing fresh pumpkin

Melon can be frozen raw so that you can later prepare various dishes from it. This semi-finished product makes delicious pancakes, pies, porridges and side dishes. The preparation is made in this way:

1. The pulp is cut into pieces or grated.
2. The finished product is dried with a towel, placed on a tray and sent to the freezer.
3. After 2-3 hours, the frozen pulp is put into bags, then returned for long-term storage.

How to peel a pumpkin

When preparing dishes with pumpkin, it is not always necessary to separate it from the shell. When baking vegetables in the oven, it is recommended to leave the crust on. During cooking, it becomes softer and can be easily removed before use. There are dishes where the product is cooked entirely.

If it is necessary to sedum the fruit, it must be washed well. Because it grew on the ground.

To ensure that the pumpkin does not roll on the surface during processing, but holds steadily, you need to cut it off on both sides: top and bottom. For processing, it is more convenient to use a wide, long knife. Divide the vegetable along the length line into two halves. Remove the seeds from the inside with a spoon.

So how do you cut a pumpkin into cubes?

To prepare porridge, soups and baking, the pumpkin must be freed from peel and seeds and cut into equal cubes. This is done very simply:

• Wash the pumpkin. This must be done, since the fruit lies on the ground during growth and becomes contaminated with soil. As a result, the peel may contain roundworm eggs and traces of chemical fertilizers.
• Using a large knife, cut the pumpkin in half, and then cut each half into two more.
• Using a spoon, scoop out the stringy insides and seeds from the pumpkin.
• Using a thin, sharp knife, remove the skin from each pumpkin quarter.
• Cut the quarters lengthwise into long slices 1.5-2 cm thick. Without the peel, the pulp is easily cut even from a very hard fruit.
• In turn, cut the slices crosswise into equal cubes.

Video: carving a pumpkin quickly and easily.

What to do with pumpkin seeds?

We carefully remove the seeds from the fibrous core of the pumpkin and simply place them in a thin layer on a plate. Within 2 weeks at room temperature they will be completely dry. Then you can fry them in a dry frying pan and use them for food, or leave them until spring and sow them again so that beautiful yellow fruits will appear in your kitchen next fall.

How to preserve a pumpkin?

Ideal if you have your own home and have a cool, dry underground floor. Here, at a temperature of + 12-15 degrees, almost any pumpkin will be stored even until spring. They are laid out on racks on a bed of straw.

But these fruits can also be preserved in an apartment. Undamaged pumpkin fruits of many varieties are perfectly stored until the New Year and even longer at room temperature in a dark place. That is, you can simply put the pumpkin in a dry place in your apartment and cook it as needed. The main thing is to choose the right fruits for storage. The peel should not be damaged, the tail should be dry and long.

The pumpkins are laid out on straw so that they do not touch each other and checked regularly. Signs of rotting that have begun require immediate removal of the fruit from the storage area. There is no need to throw it away - it’s just that pumpkins that have begun to deteriorate are immediately eaten.

Cut up pumpkin can be stored in bags in the freezer, this is how pumpkin is frozen for feeding a baby, for example. This way it lasts up to 12 months.

If the pumpkin is large and you simply couldn’t eat it at once, do not peel the large pieces, grease the cut with vegetable oil, and wrap tightly in cling film. In the refrigerator on the bottom shelf it will not wither or spoil within 2 weeks, and if you periodically change the film, it will last even a month.

Large fruits

Pumpkins that exceed 20–50 cm in girth or more are more convenient to wash in the bathroom using a shower. After this, they are also dried with a towel.

If there is not enough space in the kitchen, then carry out the first stage right in the bathroom, dividing the fruit into two halves. To do this, insert a wide knife into one of the poles of the vegetable and turn it so that its flesh begins to crack, but do not break the pumpkin. Once you have a small hole, cut the fruit lengthwise around the entire circumference, gradually turning it over. If after this the parts are too large, divide them into quarters and work with them one at a time.

Large pumpkins are more difficult to process due to their weight and scale, so for convenience, immediately prepare a place sufficient for comfortable movement and placement of parts of the fruit. To quickly free up space around, place freezer bags and cling film in an accessible place. Then the unclaimed pieces can be immediately removed for storage.

Pumpkin for Halloween

DIY pumpkin jack-o-lantern Halloween is not a Russian holiday, but many use it as an opportunity to once again get together with a group and have a good time. What's Halloween without a pumpkin? So, how to make a pumpkin for Halloween.

• Cut off the top and tail in a circle.
• Using a spoon or even just using your hands, scoop out the pulp.
• Using a marker, we draw the future toothy mouth and evil eyes on the peel.
• Using a thin sharp knife, cut out pieces from the wall of the pumpkin along the marked lines.
• Light a small candle and carefully lower it to the bottom of the pumpkin.
• Close the cut with a lid with a tail.
• We turn off the lights and are afraid together

Pumpkin for Halloween: video