11 Responses to “Can you cook with a “carving” pumpkin?”

1. norag says :
   September 29th, 2008 at 12:03 am

   no they r old and tuff. cooking pumpkins r the small ones.

2. Sue Chef says :
   October 1st, 2008 at 11:54 pm

   Give it a try and let me know if it works. I would guess that you peel the skin off the pumpkin and boil it or pressure cook it till it is soft and you can mash it with a fork. You want to drain the extra water before you mash it.

3. pinky63090 says :
   October 6th, 2008 at 12:43 pm

   yea…all pumpkins are the same some are just larger

4. Tree Hugger says :
   October 7th, 2008 at 3:41 pm

   Yes every year after we use our jack-o-lantern, I cook down the pumpkin and make pies.

   It’s great.

5. Swirly says :
   October 8th, 2008 at 2:45 pm

   Pumpkins are NOT all the same. Use a SUGAR PUMPKIN instead…..the smaller ones.

6. GP says :
   October 11th, 2008 at 5:32 am

   My daughter-in-law made them one year — rather tough and stringy, but eatable. Tasted more like acorn squash than pumpkin. MUCH better with the smaller/cooking ones.

7. Scott F says :
   October 14th, 2008 at 1:30 am

   Yes — works fine, tastes fine. As a tip: if you use a recipe that calls for boiling the pumpkin, you’ll end up with something that tastes almost identical to canned pumpkin at about four times the work. However, if you ROAST your pumpkin, you’ll end up with something that tastes the way Hallowe’en smells.

   To roast a pumpkin, cut it in half, scoop out the seeds (but save them, they’re great toasted later on), and place the pumpkin cut-side UP on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven at 375 degrees F for about 45 minutes to an hour; the “meat” of the pumpkin should be soft to a fork.

   I like to roast it cut-side up because the surface gets caramelized and slightly scorched, and it reminds me of the way a pumpkin smells with a candle in it. Mmmmmmmm…

8. bigsis1197 says :
   October 15th, 2008 at 10:02 am

   I have done so. “Real” pumpkin pie is sooooo good! And don’t forget to roast the seeds!!
   I just cut the pumpkin into easily handled chunks and put them on a baking sheet with the outside downwards. They are done when a fork goes in easily. I let them cool, then removing the “skin” I puree the rest! If you can’t get all of the skin off, don’t worry, it will blend in without a problem. If you have too much pumpkin it freezes quit well!

   Here’s a recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds—–yummmmm!!
   preheat oven 250degrees
   wash seeds in colander
   drain, dry on paper towel

   saute 2c seeds
   2Tbsp butter or 1 1/2 Tbsp oil
   1 tsp salt
   stir 3 minutes, coating all the seeds well
   bake for 30″ to 45″
   Enjoy!!

9. mtzstaz says :
   October 15th, 2008 at 1:45 pm

   It will work… Also you can clean out a pumpkin of all seeds wash inside well and use as a bowl for chili or soup.

10. collegegyrl06 says :
    October 17th, 2008 at 7:42 am

    “carving pumpkin” just means its good for decorating. its still just a plain ol pumkin

11. timberleigh says :
    October 20th, 2008 at 5:29 am

    After halloween I took all of the pumpkins we carved, washed them, skinned them. boiled, baked and canned them.4 pumpkins resulted in ALOT of pumpkin mash.
    There is alot of extra water in them so you have to make sure that you drain them well.
    After it was cooked I would suggest pureeing it in a blender or food processor to get a smoother consistency. I found that after boiling and mashing it was still rather grainy and kinda stringy so I ran it through the blender and it was awesome smooth.
    Every year I try and do something with the left over carved pumpkin.. it seems like a waste if I dont.
    This year im not going to carve my pumpkin im going to try and make mead in it 🙂

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