Silly Pumpkin question....

Mutantk

I know this will sound really silly but when a recipe calls for a certain amount of pumpkin - which bit exactly is it? If I were going to make a jack-o-lantern I would slice off the top and scoop out all the insides with the seeds in - is this the bit I should use OR is it the actual outer skin of pumpkin (and if so do I peel the orange off) If this is the case I can't therefore make a jack-o-lantern with the same pumpkin can I? Sorry this is probably so obvious, I know there is a pumpkin thread going round for recipes but this is a more a beginner what's what question. Thanks in advance for any help.

Rikki

Its the fleshy bit inside you use for cooking.

So you can make your lantern and eat it.




sorry for the bad joke

rockie4

It's the middle bit that you scoop out for a jack o lantern, leave the seeds out though!

Rikki

The Pumpkin Thread

Seakay

The bit that you want for most recipes is the flesh of the outer shell minus the 'rind'. You can roast slices of squash or pumpkin minus the seeds and the stringy stuff that holds the seeds but with the 'rind' still on, and then remove the edible flesh at the end of cooking time.
Most recipes (for pie etc) will want raw flesh without seeds, stuff holding seeds or 'rind'. If you are scooping out for a Jack O' Lantern then you should be able to get a reasonable amount of useable flesh after discarding the seeds and their stringy membrane, while still leaving enough attached to the 'rind' to allow for stability after carving the face.