These Pumpkin Recipes Will Have You Rethinking Fall Dining (2024)

FAQs

What is the best pumpkin to cook with? ›

For cooking, you'll want to use sugar pumpkins (also called pie or sweet pumpkins), which are small and round. Long Island Cheese pumpkins, which are more oblong and can look like a wheel of cheese, are also good to eat. Field pumpkin types are larger, have watery, stringy flesh, and are best for decorating.

Pumpkin Varieties for Cooking

Flesh of carving pumpkins are generally stringy, watery and bland, but can be used for making pies. The best varieties for making pumpkin pies are Baby Bear, Cinderella, Jarrahdale and Fairytale.

They are genetically different, so they grow to a smaller size. The interior or flesh is a darker orange. Pie pumpkins, also called sugar pumpkins, usually weigh 1 to 6 pounds. Their flesh is denser and sweeter that the bigger ones, which are called carving or jack-o'-lantern pumpkins.

To complement pumpkin with sweet flavor pairings, consider using spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice and vanilla, or sweet ingredients like chocolate, maple, honey, cranberries or brown sugar. Create savory dishes by pairing pumpkin with spices like chilies, cajun, cayenne or pepper.

Pumpkin is notorious for pairing well with warm winter spices – as found in a variety of Moroccan-inspired cuisines. Try incorporating cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cumin and chilli with your pumpkin dishes for flavour-packed feasts.

Blue cheeses like gorgonzola team up well with the notes of dried fruit typical of pumpkin. Another excellent pairing is with a nice fresh goat's cheese since its acidulous notes offset the sweetness of pumpkin.

Yes, dogs can eat pumpkin and it is actually often added to dog foods. Check the label of some dog treats and you may find pumpkin on the ingredient list there too. However, if you are feeding fresh pumpkin, you will need to be careful about which part you're feeding as the stem and leaves are covered in prickly hairs.

A pumpkin, from a botanist's perspective, is a fruit because it's a product of the seed-bearing structure of flowering plants. Vegetables, on the other hand, are the edible portion of plants such as leaves, stems, roots, bullbs, flowers, and tubers.

Pumpkins can be used to help the animals right outside your door. Squirrels, birds and deer can feed on those fruits. You can also get creative and do a fun project for the kids. Gourds can be transformed into a small home for birds and other creatures.

If the pumpkin is particularly big, cut it into quarters then, using a small, sharp knife, pare off the skin (unless you plan to roast it, in which case the skin can stay on). Then cut into chunks or wedges as required.

Do you need to wash pumpkin before cooking? ›

You don't peel pumpkins. Just clean them with a little bit of produce soap, amd a wet rag. If you're going to cook the pumpkin, cut it in half.

Freeze it: Cooked or raw pumpkin can be frozen. Cut raw pumpkin and store in a labelled sealable freezer bag or container. If you have pumpkin puree you can freeze them in ice cube trays then transfer into a freezer bag or container.

The best type of pumpkin for cooking and baking

Instead, I recommend using a pie pumpkin or sugar pumpkin (pictured above). During the fall and winter seasons, most stores will have them available. Try to pick pumpkins between 3-6 pounds — that's usually when the flesh is best.

You can eat any variety of pumpkin. Varieties vary wildly in taste. Explore, enjoy and revel in the fact that a pumpkin is not just for Halloween.

Often they are labeled “pie pumpkins.” Other types that are great for baking include Baby Pam, Autumn Gold, Fairytale and Cinderella Pumpkins, all of which have a good consistency and flavor. You may be able to find these heirloom varieties at farmers markets or local farms.

Technically yes, but you could better spend your pumpkin dollars elsewhere. The pumpkin varieties that are bred for carving are bred to have lots of room for candles and fancy designs, and as a result have a watery, relatively bland flesh that's not as well-suited for cooking.