Peeling a pumpkin takes 3-10 minutes. Processing time depends on the variety of fruit, the softness of the peel, the size and shape of the vegetable. If you are doing this for the first time, the process may seem laborious, as it requires a certain dexterity and physical strength. Simple tips for beginners will help you cope with this task.
Table: types and characteristics of pumpkin
| View | Variety of shapes | Peculiarities |
| Hardcore | Spherical, flattened on both sides - “buns”, as a rule, have a clear relief, and are ovoid. | Weight rarely exceeds 10 kg. They are distinguished by their hard, woody skin, which is difficult to cut with a knife. These pumpkins last longer, are used to create eco-friendly tableware, and are grown to produce nutritious seeds. Depending on the variety, they have a rich, sweet or bland, mild taste. The longer such a pumpkin is stored after harvesting, the harder the bark becomes. |
| Large-fruited | Mostly spherical and flattened with relief. | Some varieties reach a weight of 30 kg or more. The pulp is sweet and does not require long processing to soften. The peel is cut thinly and is easier to cut with a regular knife compared to hard-rind pumpkins. Does not become harder during storage. |
| Muscat | Pear-shaped (bottle-shaped). | They are distinguished by a characteristic nutmeg, nutty flavor and a high content of carotene in the pulp. The vegetable itself has a soft peel that can be easily cut with a knife. Difficulties in cleaning are most often associated with the unusual shape. The seeds are located in the center of the widest part of the pear-shaped pumpkin and are quickly cleaned out as they take up little space. |
To decorate personal plots and vegetable gardens, special hybrids are developed that are highly resistant to damage, take a long time to ripen, and have unusual shapes and colors. Interestingly, some ornamental varieties also have edible pulp. But chefs prefer not to use these types in preparing dishes, as they are very tough.
When preparing pumpkin dishes, I always choose nutmeg fruits. They are easy to process, the flesh is not hard, has a bright orange color and a sweet, pronounced taste.
Photo gallery: variety of pumpkins
The hard-barked pumpkin of the Dachnaya variety has oval-shaped fruits. The hard-barked pumpkin of the Acorn variety has a clear relief of segments and is popularly called acorn. The large-fruited pumpkin of the Marble variety has juicy, sweet flesh. The French variety of pumpkin Muscat de Provence has a specific taste with a muscat tint, often used for making pies and meat dishes Butternut squash of the Zhemchuzhina variety is characterized by good yield, cold resistance and drought resistance
Preparing for cleaning
The dense skin of a pumpkin is difficult to cut, so it is important to choose a sharp knife with a comfortable handle and a blade 10–15 cm long. Hard-barked varieties lend themselves better to a serrated cutter. For thin-skinned varieties, you will need a metal spoon and a vegetable peeler.
Small fruits
Small fruits, the diameter of which does not exceed 10–15 cm, are washed under the tap in the kitchen sink or in a basin of water. After cleaning them from dirt and dust, dry them using thick paper napkins or a clean cotton towel. For specimens that fit in the palm of your hand, this is enough to move on to the next stage.
If the pumpkin cannot be held with one hand or it has an awkward shape, first cut it into two halves. Divide vegetables that have a pronounced relief into existing segments, this will make it easier to clean. 
It is most convenient to cut a segmented pumpkin into crescents, and then peel each piece individually
Large fruits
Pumpkins that exceed 20–50 cm in girth or more are more convenient to wash in the bathroom using a shower. After this, they are also dried with a towel.
If there is not enough space in the kitchen, then carry out the first stage right in the bathroom, dividing the fruit into two halves. To do this, insert a wide knife into one of the poles of the vegetable and turn it so that its flesh begins to crack, but do not break the pumpkin. Once you have a small hole, cut the fruit lengthwise around the entire circumference, gradually turning it over. If after this the parts are too large, divide them into quarters and work with them one at a time.
Large pumpkins are more difficult to process due to their weight and scale, so for convenience, immediately prepare a place sufficient for comfortable movement and placement of parts of the fruit. To quickly free up space around, place freezer bags and cling film in an accessible place. Then the unclaimed pieces can be immediately removed for storage.
Removing seeds
The method for removing seeds from a pumpkin depends on the chosen dish or preparation.
Method No. 1
Cut off the top and stem of the pumpkin. Do not skimp on separating a layer of 3–10 cm, otherwise you will not be able to reach the seeds. Using a spoon, scoop out the core. You will get a kind of pot in which the selected dish is baked. 
If you peel a pumpkin in this way, it can be used as a vessel for preparing vegetable casseroles, hearty porridges and serving soups
Method No. 2
Divide the vegetable in half lengthwise. If the fruit is very large, cut off the tops of the poles first to position it firmly on the table. Remove the seeds from each half. When processing juicy varieties of pumpkins, do not press too hard on the spoon. Because of this, the pulp will produce juice, and further cleaning will be inconvenient.
Small fruits and nutmeg varieties are also cut crosswise. These pumpkins have a small seed diameter, so cleaning takes 1-2 minutes. 
Small fruits are easier to peel if you cut them crosswise
Method No. 3
In a segmented pumpkin, divided into half-moon parts, the fibers with seeds are removed with a knife. Depending on the size of the pieces, choose a short or long blade to cut off the excess in one motion. The pulp is removed from the bark in the same way. 
Dividing the pumpkin into half-moons makes it easier to remove the seeds and cut off the skin.
How to quickly peel raw pumpkins
The difficulty of peeling depends on the thickness of the skin and the shape of the fruit. Specimens that belong to the large-fruited species, but have a small diameter and weight, are peeled with a knife, like an apple or potato. This cannot be done with hard-barked varieties, and nutmeg pumpkins are not always convenient to hold in one hand, so some nuances of peeling in such cases must be taken into account.
With round
The algorithm for peeling a round pumpkin is as follows:
- Large-fruited, large-diameter, and almost all hard-bark, round pumpkins are first divided in half.
- The parts are laid with the cuts down so that they do not slide on the working surface.
- Holding the piece with one hand, lightly pressing on it for greater fixation, gradually cut off individual sections of the peel with a sharp knife. Cut thickness 1–2 cm.
In the case of a flattened, segmented pumpkin, it is easier to peel each “crescent” separately.
To make it easier to cut the peel, the fruit can be divided into several parts. I had to peel a large pumpkin. It was a large-fruited species of the Russian size variety. It weighed just over 23 kg and was very large in diameter; the whole family had to move it. There were no suitable tables to support such a crop, so the first stage of cleaning and cutting had to be done on the kitchen floor.
First, I removed the stem and used a wide, stiff-bladed knife to mark cutting lines along the pumpkin. Advancing the blade, she swung it from side to side to cut the fruit in half. Then I divided each half into two more parts. The quarter one turned out to be the easiest to work with. At this point I removed the bark from the pulp. To further simplify the process, this piece could be divided into several strips of small width. Then peeling them with a simple knife would not be difficult.
There are two options for peeling individual segments of an embossed pumpkin With nutmeg
To peel a pear-shaped pumpkin, it is recommended to use a cross cut and remove the peel alternately from the top and bottom. The skin of nutmeg varieties is thin, so the cut should be 0.5–1 cm. If you need circles or cubes of pulp for cooking, then you should immediately cut the fruit into rings and peel off the shell in a circle from each of them with a small knife.
The fastest way is to cut off the butternut squash bark with a triangular potato peeler.
There are two peeling methods that will help you quickly peel butternut squash. The life experience of gardeners and pumpkin lovers has helped us find several ways that make it easier to remove the hard skin from the vegetable.
Soak
To facilitate the cleaning process, the fruit is soaked in cold water and left overnight. In the morning, they take it out and dry it with a towel. This method works well for nutmeg and large-fruited varieties with hard skin, but hard-skinned pumpkins cannot always be softened in this way.
Short heat treatment
It is better to soften the hard, woody peel by heating it. Pierce the prepared pumpkin with a fork, skewer or narrow knife on several sides. Place the product in the microwave and set the switch to maximum. After two minutes, remove and, while the pumpkin is still warm, cut off the skin. Pre-divide a large vegetable into parts.
Please note that for thin-skinned and juicy varieties, one minute is enough for the shell to become more pliable for removal.
You can also place the pumpkin in an oven preheated to 150 o C for 15–20 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the fruit, otherwise the pulp will be baked and you will have to immediately use it for cooking.
Immediately after heat treatment, the peel from the pumpkin can be removed with a regular grater.
Using special devices
In addition to a vegetable peeler, the peel from a raw fruit is removed by a special knife consisting of many ring-shaped blades. Lightly pressing on it, you need to go over the entire fruit from the tail to the bottom. This device is suitable for processing small vegetables with a thin shell, as well as hard-bodied, unripe pumpkins recently removed from the garden.
Video: using a knife to peel a pumpkin using an orange as an example
Pumpkin is an incredibly popular vegetable and this is not surprising. From it you can prepare an incredible amount of delicious and varied dishes - salads, side dishes, snacks, baked goods. However, sometimes it is not so easy to get valuable pumpkin pulp, so every housewife should know how to peel a pumpkin from the hard skin. In fact, there is nothing difficult about this if you know a few tricks and have a few tools at your disposal - a sharp knife and a vegetable peeler.
List of ingredients:
- pumpkin.
How to cook with photos step by step
The variety and shape of pumpkin can be any. If you cook with pumpkin infrequently, it is better to use small pumpkins so as not to store large cut vegetables for a long time. From a small or medium-sized pumpkin you can prepare a delicious porridge, make juice, or bake a dessert - a casserole or pie. First, wash the pumpkin and pat it dry. Place a cutting board on the table, prepare a sharp knife, but the blade should not be thin. 
For stability, cut the pumpkin into two parts, whichever is more convenient. If there is a tail, there is no need to trim it, as it is convenient to hold the vegetable by it. 
Set part of the pumpkin on a cutting board and begin cutting away the tough skin in a downward motion, away from you. An analogy can be drawn with removing chips. 
As you remove small pieces of skin, rotate the piece of pumpkin to make it easier. 
If the pumpkin has curves, it is difficult to use a knife in these places. That's why a vegetable peeler comes in handy here. Moreover, if the knife can come off, then using a vegetable peeler is almost safe. Of course, you can try to do without a knife at all, but the problem is that the peel is still tough and the knife blade is sharper and stronger than the teeth of a paring knife. Therefore, it is better to combine. 
Now the peeled piece of pumpkin needs to be cut into slices or cubes - depending on what you will cook next. The pulp and seeds can be easily removed with a small knife or spoon. See also how you can
Kira Stoletova
Many housewives wonder whether pumpkin should be cleaned before eating it. It all depends on the dish. If the fruit will be baked or stewed, there is no need for cleaning. After heat treatment, the peel can be easily separated with a knife. If the pumpkin will be used differently, it can be cleaned in several ways.
Fruit preparation
Like any other vegetable, the pumpkin is first cleaned of leaves, adhering soil and other debris. Then it is washed under running water. Inspect the fruit for pockets of rot that will need to be removed with a knife. Dry with a towel or paper napkins.
Depending on the size, the pumpkin is cut differently:
- When cutting small fruits, it is important to consider the size of the vegetable. If the fruit is small, it will be enough to cut it into 2 halves without touching the stalk;
- if the autumn beauty impresses with its mass and volume and is not easy to handle, then you need to cut off the top and bottom with a sharp knife. After this, cut the fruit into slices, like a watermelon.
Cleaning the inside of a pumpkin
The next step is removing the pumpkin pulp and seeds. This point is no less important, because It is impossible to prepare a delicious dish without cleaning the inside of the vegetable. After the fruit is prepared and cut into halves, you need to process the core.
To do this, you can use a tablespoon. Carefully clean out the pulp threads along with the seeds. Some housewives carry out this procedure by hand. Try it, maybe this method will be more convenient for you.
The seeds do not have to be thrown away, regardless of the variety. You can wash them in a sieve, dry them and eat them. They are a source of valuable vitamins, zinc and other useful substances.
Peeling
Let's move on to peeling the sun fruit from the hard crust. The less time the fruit has been lying, the thinner and softer its peel.
If pressing on the side of the vegetable leaves a slight dent, then there will be no problems with cleaning. If you feel that the peel is hard and tough, it means that the pumpkin has been lying around for quite a long time, but this does not mean that it has spoiled and cannot be eaten.
Thin-skinned pumpkin
If you are lucky and got a variety of fruit with a thin peel, then the half can be easily processed without cutting into pieces, using a vegetable peeler. For convenience, the half can be divided into slices and the crust can be cut off with short movements from top to bottom. Be sure to hold the fruit with your hand.
Hard-skinned pumpkin
If you come across a vegetable with a hard crust, no problem. There are several ways to peel hard skin from a pumpkin. The most popular methods are:
- using a microwave. Make shallow cuts in the rind of the selected clean and dried pumpkin. Place the vegetable in the microwave. For a better effect, it can be pre-wrapped in cling film or placed in a bag. If the fruit is large, it is better to cut it into pieces. At maximum power, you need to heat the vegetable for 2-3 minutes. You can then easily peel off the peel with a knife;
- in the oven. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment, cut the vegetable if necessary, place cut side down and place in the oven. For a small fruit, 10 minutes at a temperature of 200 °C will be enough. If the vegetable is larger, then to soften the skin you need to hold it there for 15-20 minutes. The main thing is not to overcook, otherwise you will end up with a baked pumpkin dish. When the fruit has cooled, you can easily cut off the softened peel with a knife.
Another cleaning method
Another known way to soften the crust is to soak the product in water. It is necessary to take the culture and place it in water at room temperature for several hours. After such manipulations, you can easily remove the pumpkin peel. But there is an opinion that when soaked, the pulp loses its aroma.
If your product is purchased, there is a high probability that an ordinary vegetable peeler will be able to cope with it. If the tool is sharp and has a good handle, the process will not take you more than 5 minutes:
How to quickly peel a pumpkin
How to peel a pumpkin quickly and easily
If there is already half of the pumpkin left without the peel, it can be put in a cool place, but there is no need to wrap it in film or put it in a bag, because... This can cause mold to grow.
With this method of storage, the edges of the vegetable may lose moisture and become limp, but this is not a problem. This defect can be easily corrected using the same knife.
You can also store peeled pumpkin frozen. To do this, just wrap the vegetable pieces in film or put them in a bag.
To make any dish, the pieces do not need to be defrosted; just remove them from the freezer and immediately begin the cooking process. This is very convenient, especially when time to prepare a treat is limited.
Pumpkin is the queen of autumn. The melon plant is rich in vitamins and minerals. It is considered a valuable fruit for making culinary masterpieces. Softness and unique taste will add uniqueness to any dish. You have to spend a lot of time preparing pumpkins, which is unacceptable for most housewives. Several methods have emerged to help cope with the problem and speed up the process.
Preparation
To begin, you will need to follow a few rules:
- Visually inspect the fruit. It should be without damage, healthy looking, and have a pleasant aroma.
- First, rinse the fruit with running water, remove dust and dirt.
- Using a wide knife, cut off the bottom and top.
- Cut in half from top to bottom.
- Use a tablespoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp.
If the fruit is giant, divide it into four parts.
The fastest way
A common method is to remove the peel with a knife. Divide the prepared fruit into small slices. Using a sharpened knife, cut off the peel. The method is ineffective if the skin is thick.
Non-standard methods
Microwave
Heat treatment will soften the skin.
- Wash and dry the pumpkin. If it is large, cut in half.
- Use a long knife to make several deep punctures.
- Place in the microwave at the highest power level.
- After a few minutes, start cleaning.
Oven
If you don't have a microwave, you can use the oven. Heat treatment will make the peel soft and pliable, making cleaning easier:
- Wash and dry.
- Cut the larger one into several pieces.
- Make punctures in each piece with a knife.
- Place on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 10 minutes at a temperature not exceeding 200 degrees.
- When the time is up, remove from the oven, cool, and begin peeling.
Peeler
Cooks remove the skin with a vegetable peeler - this is a great helper in the kitchen. The device helps to quickly remove the peel.
Grater
A grater will cope with the task, but only after heat treatment.
Video tips
Step-by-step plan for cleaning and carving Halloween pumpkins
The melon fruit is popular on October 30th and is used to carve decorative items for the holiday. Here are the rules to follow.
- Choose a suitable form. A medium round pumpkin will do. You will need a marker, a short knife, and a candle.
- Wash, dry, and treat the pumpkin with alcohol.
- Use a marker to outline the future holes of the jack-o'-lantern.
- Cut out the eyes and mouth along the lines. Make sure it doesn't burst.
- Cut off the top, remove the pulp.
- Place the candle inside and light it.
The result will be an excellent Jack-lantern, which will become the main attribute of the All Saints Day holiday.
Video story
Note to housewives
- Vegetable connoisseurs should remember that it can be stored in the refrigerator. Place in a bag and put in the freezer.
- Peeled and chopped vegetables can be stored at zero temperature for no more than a week.
- Melon is unpretentious and will survive the entire winter in a cool, dark place. You can stock up in the fall and pamper yourself with delicious, healthy dishes during the cold weather.
- Pumpkin juice is a natural sleep aid and antioxidant, and the pulp can relieve pain from burns.
- Contains many minerals and vitamins. Thanks to the impressive amount of iron content, it helps in the fight against anemia.
Vitamins and minerals in the pulp:
| Vitamins | Quantity | Minerals | Quantity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin A (Retinol) | 12,230 IU | Calcium | 37 mg |
| Vitamin C (L-isomer of ascorbic acid) | 11.5 mg | Potassium | 364 mg |
| Vitamin K (naphthoquinone, phylloquinone, menaquinone, menatetrenone) | 2.0 mg | Phosphorus | 47 mg |
| Vitamin PP (nicotinic acid, niacin) | 1.02 mg | Sodium | 2 mg |
| Vitamin B 9 (folic acid) | 22 mcg | Iron | 1.4 mcg |
How to choose a pumpkin
To prepare a pumpkin dish, you need to choose the right vegetable. Color, taste, aroma depend on the quality of the main component. There are no more than twenty varieties.
- A medium-sized round pumpkin will do.
- Weight should not exceed 5 kilograms.
- The peel should be dense, without spots, and the flesh should be bright and elastic.
- The tail must be dry.
If you follow these rules, you will be able to please your loved ones and guests with a delicious treat. It will be fragrant, beautiful, bright.
Pumpkin has many vitamins and minerals in its composition, which makes the vegetable popular and in demand. Delicious soups, casseroles, stews, salads, desserts and even fresh juices can be prepared from the orange delicacy. But before cooking, be sure to peel the pumpkin; this is not easy to do, because the top layer is hard. A few simple tips will help you get rid of the skin and enjoy the taste and aroma of the vegetable.
Before using a vegetable for cooking, it must be washed. After all, constant contact with the soil and the insects that live there necessarily affects the appearance of bacteria. Running water is enough to wash away dirt from the surface. Then, depending on the dish that will include pumpkin, you can peel the vegetable or leave it on the fruit. Therefore, there is no clear answer to the question of whether it is necessary to peel the pumpkin.
If the vegetable is baked in the oven in slices or stewed on a baking sheet, becomes a component of juice or is grated, then in such cases you can refuse to peel it, this will save time and effort. But in most recipes it is still recommended to peel the pumpkin from a hard surface so that its particles do not interfere with enjoying the taste of the dish.
There are three types of pumpkin:
- Large-fruited (despite its impressive size, the skin is removed quite simply and without the use of force; it is thin and bursts under pressure).
- Hard-bark (the peel is quite hard, reminiscent of a walnut. You can get rid of it with a sharp knife).
- Nutmeg (has a pear shape and the largest amount of vitamins. Peeling the pumpkin is easy, since the top layer is dense, but is easy to cut off due to its thinness).
The choice of cleaning option depends on the type of pumpkin and cooking recipe. Some dishes require only superficial peeling, while others, on the contrary, consist of a completely peeled vegetable.
Skin Removal Options
It is easy to deal with the thin surface of a pumpkin, but there are fruits whose skin is simply impossible to cut off. Properly peel the pumpkin with a sharp, large knife, evenly removing plate after plate. The following order of preparation for cooking can be distinguished:
