This Type Of Knife Makes Cutting Fresh Pumpkin Way Less Effort

There are plenty of creative ways to use canned pumpkin aside from making pie. However, making fresh pumpkin puree from scratch will upgrade any baked item. The only problem is cutting through the outer rind and the dense, fibrous flesh inside to scoop out the seeds prior to roasting. The secret is to use a large heavy knife, like a cleaver, to make the job easier and faster.

Cleavers are often used by butchers to cut through small bones and portion meat because they weigh more than other knives and have a larger surface area that makes them useful for slicing through bigger cuts with precision. The weight in a Chinese cleaver, in particular, is concentrated in the blade, versus Western cleavers where the weight is evenly spread across the blade and handle. Either of these options, or any other type of large and heavy knife, are perfect for cutting pumpkins because they make light work of slicing through the tough exterior due to their power and weight.

While you could use a smaller knife to prepare a pumpkin for roasting, you'll likely need to wiggle it around and use a lot of physical strain if it gets wedged in the flesh. A larger and heavier knife with a bigger blade span uses gravity to cut through the rind and flesh in one stroke and is incredible for halving and quartering smoothly.

Once you've grabbed your cute sugar pumpkin from the grocery store, place it on your cutting board so it's steady. Then place the tip of your knife in the center and make a single fluid downward motion through the pumpkin using its weight to your advantage. Turn your pumpkin around and do the same on the other side so you're left with two halves, then cut each portion in smaller crescent-shaped slices. Then you can use a smaller paring knife or spoon to scrape or scoop out the seeds in the middle of each piece. Don't be concerned that the rind is still on there as it's perfectly safe to eat pumpkin skin (and if you're lucky enough to get one from a farmer's market with its fixings attached, you'll be pleased to know that pumpkin leaves are edible too).

Sliced or cubed pumpkin takes around 35 minutes to soften in an oven set to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. However, if you don't mind the extra cook time, you can roast an entire pumpkin instead for two hours. This technique eliminates all the struggle of chopping through the hard skin and flesh at the start, but it does mean you'll have to wedge it up and remove the seeds once it's cooked.