Choose pumpkins between four to eight pounds, and don’t worry if the outside looks a little dull — as long as you don’t see any big bruises or soft spots, it’s fine.
What size pumpkin is best for pumpkin pie?
Smooth and irregular in shape (not symmetrical), this squash has hard gray-blue skin and dense yellow-orange flesh that cooked up string-free and silky-smooth, with a robust flavor that made for a silky, almost creamy pie. These squash can also get quite big, so look for ones weighing less than 6 pounds.
What pumpkins are best for pumpkin pie?
Choose the Right Kind
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.
What size are pie pumpkins?
Pie pumpkin sizes
Pie pumpkins generally will be between 1 ¾ to 4 ½ kg (4 to 10 pounds), and be far smaller than pumpkins preferred for carving. Large pumpkins are bad for pies. The larger a pumpkin is, the more the flavour is spread out over more flesh, weakening the flavour.
Can you use small pumpkins for pie?
Yes. A sugar pumpkin is a type of pumpkin that tends to be small, dense, and a little sweeter than a carving pumpkin. These pumpkins are perfect for pies or other baking. There are other varieties of pumpkins (not called sugar pumpkins) that are also good for pies and baking.
Can you use big pumpkins for pie?
Avoid ornamental varieties and large pumpkins, which are bred for size and looks not flavor. Instead, choose those labeled as “pie pumpkins.” They are small, dense, and rich in color, and they have sweet, full-flavor flesh.
Can you use a large pumpkin for baking?
You won’t want to use the large carving pumpkins for baking; instead look for smaller pie pumpkins (also called sugar pumpkins) which are dense and darker in color. These are the types of pumpkins you want to use when making puree for Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Bars, and Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal.
Is there a difference between pie pumpkins and regular pumpkins?
Pie pumpkins tend to be sweeter and more dense
The key differences between pumpkins are their flavor and their flesh. According to She Knows, pie pumpkins, which are often referred to as sugar pumpkins, are comparatively sweeter to carving pumpkins.
Can you use carving pumpkins for pie?
Carving pumpkins tend to have a higher water content, which makes them perfect for pureeing. This pumpkin pie recipe needs 450g of pumpkin flesh, which is steamed and pureed to make the spiced pie filling.
Can you use jack-o-lantern pumpkins for baking?
You sure can! Halloween pumpkins are just really big squash. While they may not be as sweet as a muscat or sugar pumpkin, they’re perfectly edible and I cook mine every year and use it to make homemade pumpkin purée, which I use in all kinds of recipes.
What’s the difference between a carving pumpkin and a cooking pumpkin?
The Difference Between Pie Pumpkins and Carving Pumpkins
What’s the difference? Carving pumpkins are typically thinner and easier to saw into. They also have less guts on the inside, which are also grainier and stringier, making them easier to clean. Pie pumpkins, meant for baking, are usually smaller and more rounded.
What size is a medium pumpkin?
A medium pumpkin can range from 10 to 20 pounds.
What is a long pie pumpkin?
The long pie pumpkin, a variety of Cucurbita pepo, actually looks more like an overgrown, orange zucchini than a “normal” pumpkin. It is said to have come to Nantucket from São Jorge Island in the Azores on a whaling ship in the early 1830s. In the early days, it was known simply as the Nantucket pumpkin.
Can you eat the small pumpkins?
The flesh of petit pumpkins, squash and gourds is best suited for pies, breads and cakes – although it’s also delicious in a soup. Smaller pumpkins tend to be more flavoursome, less fibrous and less watery. Remember this when shopping and you’ll be away. There’s no reason not to carve a range of squash and gourds.
How do you use small pumpkins?
9 Uses for Mini Pumpkins
- They make the perfect bowl filler.
- Turn them into a tea light holder.
- Make simple place markers.
- Let kids take markers to them.
- Play tic tac toe.
- Add Fall to even the smallest of spaces.
- Give the squirrels a treat.
- Make them into edible bowls.
What are tiny pumpkins called?
Jack-Be-Little
They are the perfect choice (along with other mini-sized pumpkins such as the Baby Boo, Munchkin, or Sweetie Pie) for individual table setting decorations or decorating in small spaces.
Are giant pumpkins edible?
Can you eat a giant pumpkin? Technically yes you can eat them, but they are made of mainly water and are very bland in taste, also with the pumpkins growing so fast and sucking up nutrients and fertilisers it might contain some nasty things you may not want to eat.
Can you cook any pumpkin?
Now, you actually can cook with any kind of pumpkin, but starting out with a pie pumpkin, or sugar pumpkin is going to help you end up with more pumpkin from less work. Pie pumpkins are smaller, often a little squatier in shape, and if you are fortunate, labeled as a baking, pie, or sugar pumpkin.
What can I do with a large pumpkin?
Eat Them!
- Make pumpkin pie. The “meat” inside a pumpkin, once the seeds and stringy interior have been scooped out, can be made into fresh pumpkin puree and used in a pie.
- Make pumpkin soup.
- Make a pumpkin spice latte with actual pumpkin.
- Roast pumpkin seeds.
- Make vegetable stock.
- Make pumpkin bread.
How do you pick a pie pumpkin?
When selecting the perfect pumpkin, choose one with no soft spots. It should also be uniform in color, with no signs of mold or unusual discoloration. Also, pick a pumpkin that has its “handle,” or stem, intact.
Why is my pumpkin so stringy?
If the pumpkin flesh is still stringy (like spaghetti squash), it needs to bake a little bit longer.