How to Cut Out the Pulp from a Pumpkin

Pumpkin pulp is a classic ingredient for holiday dishes.

The thick, bright orange pulp of pumpkins had long been a favorite of the Aztec, Mayan and Inca people before becoming a nourishing staple for early European settlers of the New World. A winter squash belonging to the same family (Curcurbitacae) as melons, cucumbers and gourds, pumpkins have a sweet, rich flesh perfectly suited for making pies, breads and soups. Like other hard squash, pumpkins are difficult to peel when raw. Baking or boiling the pumpkin makes it easier to cut and remove the pulp from the shell. Does this Spark an idea?

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Cutting board
Newspaper
Metal spoon
Roasting pan or sauce pan
Kitchen knife

Instructions

- 1
  
  Wash the pumpkin skin thoroughly and dry well. Place the pumpkin on the cutting board. Turn the pumpkin on its side. Grasp the stem end of the pumpkin firmly with one hand. Cut the pumpkin in half horizontally with the knife.
- 2
  
  Lay the newspaper down over the cutting board. Place the pumpkin on the newspaper. Scrape all of the seeds out of the pumpkin shell with the spoon onto the newspaper. Continue scraping until all the seeds are removed. Scrape with firmer pressure to remove the stringy material from inside the shell. Discard the newspaper along with the seeds and strings.
- 3
  
  Cut the pumpkin halves into chunks that will fit into the roasting pan or sauce pan. It's best to cut the pumpkin into the largest chunks that will fit into the pans, because cutting them into small pieces results in the pumpkin flesh absorbing too much liquid and having a mushy, wet texture.
- 4
  
  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour 1 inch of water into the roasting pan. Arrange the pumpkin pieces interior-side down in the pan. Place in the oven and allow to cook for 40 minutes or until soft when poked with a knife. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
- 5
  
  Cook on the stove top by pouring 1 inch of water in the bottom of a sauce pan. Add the pumpkin chunks to the pan and cover. Turn the burner to high until the water begins to boil, then turn down to medium and cook for approximately 40 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool. When cooled, drain off any remaining water from the pan.
- 6
  
  Set the cooled pumpkin pieces on the cutting board. Hold a chunk of pumpkin down against the cutting board with one hand. Insert the knife between the skin and the pulp and, using a sawing motion, remove the softened skin from the pulp.