Can I cook with the Halloween style pumpkin?

[Shel_B]

This afternoon Toots asked me if we could cook and eat the uncarved Halloween pumpkins to which we have access. I recall having been told, or read somewhere, that these pumpkins are not very good eating, although the seeds are nice when salted and roasted. What's the deal with the meat? Is it good to eat? How might it be cooked to best advantage?

[heidih]

The generally accepted caution (and I have experimented) is that the pumpkins sold for display around Halloween tend to be stringy and watery when cooked as well as not too sweet or tasty. Of course as a free experiment you could have a go; roasting to concentrate would probably be the best method.

[andiesenji]

I agree with Heidih. That variety is more fibrous than the "sugar" pumpkins - except for the paler varieties - which do not grow so large. There is THIS terrific web site that gives all the information one could ever want regarding the various pumpkin varieties and how to cook them, even the "Jack-O-Lantern" pumpkins that are grown for display rather than for cooking.

Like any squash, the smaller ones are more tender.

Sometimes you can tell by the STEM which variety you have and how to use it.

roasting them is a good way but I have had good results with cutting them into chunks about 4 inches square and pressure cooking them for 15 minutes - allowing them to cool a bit and then scraping the "meat" off the tough skin. Then I cook the flesh any way I want.

I used to grow the large blue Hubbard squash, which can also be extremely fibrous and treated them this way.

They actually have a harder outer shell than pumpkins and had to be cut with a saw.

[patrickamory]

Yes, I will add a third voice to Heidi and Andie - Halloween style pumpkins are indeed watery and fibrous, and not recommended for cooking. (I do love the roasted seeds too!)

I was trying to replicate Jitlada's dry curry of lamb and pumpkin. After several tries, I realized that the squash the Thai use for this purpose is quite a bit different from our big Halloween pumpkins - more like a Kabocha. Firm and full-flavored. I also see that calabaza is used for this application, though I haven't tried it.

[andiesenji]

The Mexican pumpkins I buy at Vallarta supermarket are very sweet and the flesh is dense and finely textured.

It is what they use for candied pumpkin squares. - The first time I had this was when I was in Mexico City for the International dog shows in the 1960s - street vendors with carts holding charcoal braziers sell this and candied sweet potato chunks - extremely hot, so little possibility of any unwanted pathogens. (Burnt the roof of my mouth on multiple occasions.)

Lately the ones I bought have very small seed cavities, with flesh 3+ inches thick on the sides, less top and bottom. They are rather "squatty" and a mottled green with cream colored spots.