Thread 21662356

I have never had pumpkin in my life. Today I bought one because I'm going to puree it and freeze it to make a pie at a later date.
Only now that I'm prepping it do I find out that the stereotypical halloween pumpkin is NOT suitable for pies? Wtf? Do I just throw it out then?
I'm not even sure if we have the suitable pumpkins where I live.

What do?

What do you mean what do? You bought something that is inedible. Use it as decoration or throw it away. Just get canned pumpkin if you're making a pie.

If you want to buy a few sugar pumpkins and go through all that effort, then you can do that. If you don't live in a flyover state then it should be easy to go get some right now.

>>21662356 (OP)
you can eat the "halloween" pumpkin anon. It's not as sweet as the "pie" punpkin & is much larger thus more work.

>>21662371
>inedible
Not inedible.
>>21662381
>much larger thus more work
Cut it in half and bake it first (after scooping the seeds). The flesh pulls from the shell easily and it concentrates the sweetness.
>>21662356 (OP)
As SPBP said, it's not as sweet. Also, some varieties might be more fibrous as well as just not as flavourful in general. Best thing to do? Pumpkin leather. After roasting and scooping it, puree it and mix with sugar and spices, just didn't go overboard as the following step intensifies flavours. Next, place on parchment and dehydrate it. You can use an oven to do that, look up instructions online. You still get an autumnal/pumpkin pie thing going using what you have.

>>21662356 (OP)
>I find out that the stereotypical halloween pumpkin is NOT suitable for pies?
correct sort of. I know people who use real pumpkins for it all the time.

>>21662371
canned pumpkin is not the same thing as a pumpkin you put out for halloween.

https://www.allrecipes.com/article/whats-in-canned-pumpkin/

>>21662356 (OP)
the pie used in pumpkin pies is a very specific breed of pumpkin that (I've heard) only the company Libby's has access to (they sometimes license it under name brand).
You can use any kind of edible pumpkin or cooking pumpkin, but it won't be the exact same as the pumpkin pie that is famously known.

>>21662356 (OP)
>I have never had pumpkin in my life
Where are you from and where do you live?

>>21662356 (OP)
What you bought is called a carving pumpkin. It's for carving, not eating.
>Do I just throw it out then?
Carve it. Make a jack-o-lantern, and then wash and roasted the seeds

I have decided to use it as a learning experience, and will try to use it and look for a "proper" pumpkin so I can try both. Made what I think is a pretty smooth puree so far at least, though it seems a bit watery.
And I get to try the seeds at the very least.

>>21662462
Rural Norway. It's just not very popular at all here, besides kids wanting to carve them for halloween. It's not a tradition here by and large. Only in recent years.

>>21662371
>canned pumpkin
I don't think any stores near me has this. Looks like I have to travel to more niche stores, if even those have them.

>>21662381
>>21662427
I'm going to try this. I was going to just puree it and freeze it as I wasn't planning on using it until december, but maybe I have to spice it right away? I haven't even looked up what to use or how much yet. Caught off guard a bit you could say.

>>21662507
>>21662456
>>21662434
Today I learned...

Don't bother with cake, just cut it into slices lightly coat with molten clarified butter and vanilla sugar and bake. Get a hokkaido or butternut, can't go wrong with those.

>>21662642
>Looks like I have to travel to more niche stores
where do you live? absolutely every grocery store where I live has canned pumpkin all year around.

>>21662749
>hurr durr where r u?!?!???!!!?!!?!
Reread the post

Nowadays, some carving 'kins and pie 'kins are interchangeable. Walmart sells Jack-o-lantern 'mpkins that are advertised as being "great for pies too!"

>>21662356 (OP)
>make a pie at a later date.
Pumpkin pie does not contain pumpkins. It's made with a different species of gourde. All orange gourdes used to be called "pumpkin," the same way all dried fruit used to be called "prunes"

>>21662749
Rural Norway, as previously stated. It's not a big thing here.

>>21662811
I have no idea what these would fall under. I tasted it after blending it, with no sugar or spice or anything. It's okay I guess, but I wouldn't know what it should taste like.

>>21662822
>All orange gourdes used to be called "pumpkin,"
You live and you learn. I probably should have done some more research but in my defense, I think it's at least a somewhat understandable mistake lol

>>21662456
Libby's canned sucks. I buy sugar pumpkins for cooking. Roast or boil, mash, and freeze for the year.

>>21662642
>>21662356 (OP)
Okay, both halves are now blended. One half considerably less goopy than the other, if that matters. Around 900g each.
Considering that I am going to freeze it and not use it for over a month, what now? Do I freeze it as is, or would it be better to add the sugar and spice first?
Any other advice?

>>21662356 (OP)
>buy ingredients without knowing the recipe
Wild man anon

>>21662931
Freeze it by itself and it will get creamier

>>21662936
Heat of the moment. I was grocery shopping when I noticed them, and I knew I was going to make a pie at some point. Might as well buy one now right?...

>>21662937
Duly noted, thanks.

>>21662931
make some pumpkin butter with some of it
make a pie or roll and freeze leftovers w/o sugar that way you have options later, plus it would make it wetter

Pumpkin maxxing hard these days
>>21662931
Why do people bother with this?
Cut in half, spray some oil, salt and pepper and then roast them
Scrape it out of the skin and then it's basically mashed anyway.
It's like 2mins of prep and processing total.
I'm sure its a bit smoother with a blender but it falls apart after enough roasting

>>21663075
>Why do people bother with this?
I've never made anything with a pumpkin, so when everyone recommends doing this ofc I'm doing that as well.

>>21663060
>pumpkin butter
That sounds tasty. What would you use it for though? Special kinds of sandwiches?

>>21663926
>What would you use [pumpkin butter] for though? Special kinds of sandwiches?
It's a jam and not actually butter at all. You use it as you would use any jam. The anglos love mislabeling just about anything spreadable as "butter" even if it's just a fucking jam or seed paste. See also: apple butter, pear butter, plum butter, peanut butter, almond butter etc etc etc and so on.
Fruit butters are just very thick jams, made by the reduction of a fruit puree to the point that very little remains besides fruit sugar, fruit fiber and whatever added sugar and spices you've decided to use. Unlike typical jams, fruit "butters" don't rely on pectin.
You probably have something like it locally in Norway. In Italy (also France and Switzerland), we have pâte de châtaigne/marronita. It's the same idea, just with chestnuts instead of fruit. And Hungary, Ukraine and Poland have lekvar, which differs only in that it's made with dried fruits rather than fresh.
So get some toast or your awful knekkebrød, butter it (with real stuff) and butter it (with fruit "butter") and enjoy or have it with cheese and cold cuts.

>>21662642
If you haven't thrown out the seeds yet, you can roast them. It's a traditional, although not especially fun to chew food.

>>21662356 (OP)
Okay, round 2 is officially underway. After searching far and wide through 4 different grocery stores I by some miracle found 2 butternut squashes, and a single (tiny?) hokkaido pumpkin, both of which should be suitable for pies.
Idk if the hokkaido will yield enough for a pie, but I can always mix it with some of the butternut I guess.

>>21664230
Oh yeah I didn't throw them away. I roasted them, they were alright. Kinda reminded me of popcorn kernels. I could take it or leave it, but my dad loved them so more for him.

>>21664159
>anglos love mislabeling just about anything spreadable as "butter" even if it's just a fucking jam or seed paste
Lmao sounds about right. I shouldn't be surprised.
That is interesting though. I think I might try that, thanks. I still don't even know if I actually like pumpkin though so low expectations.
>your awful knekkebrød
Blasphemer

>>21664565
Okay, I am converted. That stuff is damn good. I could eat that straight out of the oven. The hokkaido especially, gonna have to keep an eye out for more.
Even if I now somehow don't enjoy the pies they'll become, I 100% will still buy them on occasion for other uses, even if just as a side. Wonderful. We are definitely sleeping on these here

>>21664783
As a savory component they're often paired with pork but it does also work with some seafood like mussels in soup with caramelized onions
They also go well with mushrooms

>>21662642
Just order some cans on Amazon. Libby pumpkin pie filling.

Never had the pie, but my favorite way to eat pumpkin is to slice them into 1-1.5cm pieces and fry on clarified butter while sprinkling them with sugar and turmeric, always turns out so fucking good,.

>>21664823
1-1.5cm thich btw

>>21664807
Noted, noted. If you have any personal recommendations what to make with it I'm all ears. I'm not particularly experienced in the kitchen

>>21664820
That's boring though, and much more expensive. Though ofc had I not found any suitable pumpkins then I would have tried this too.

>>21664823
>>21664827
Oh yeah I can definitely see this being tasty. I could eat it just baked and nothing else.

I'm actually a little excited about this lmao

>>21662371
>>21662381
>>21662427
>>21662434
>>21662456
>>21662507
I made half a batch of the pie filling as a test to see if I wanted to throw out the carving pumpkin. I think it's really tasty.
I don't get it, why specifically is it "unsuitable" for pies to most people? Simply because it's more work, and only that?

>>21668010
It looks a bit dry but it's really moist inside.

Looking through some recipes online, some recommend using sweetened condensed milk, while others do not. >>21668010 This was made without, and it was really moist, like to the point that adding the milk, to my untrained eye at least, would make it TOO moist.
Am I overreacting? Is it more forgiving than I think?

>>21662356 (OP)
>the stereotypical halloween pumpkin is NOT suitable for pies?
That's not true. It's just fine. Proceed with your pie making.

>>21669006
You're overreacting.

>>21669006
maybe. cut it open and let us see this
"almost pie"

>>21669013
That I will, with 3 different kinds. I'm guessing when people say it's not suitable they just mean it's more work to properly puree, and the taste is a lot more subtle.

>>21669016
I see, thanks. I'll put it to the test later as well, I just got back from the store where I bought 2 more hokkaido pumpkins and a butternut squash.

>>21669017
It's gone already, and I didn't think to take a pic of the inside. I ate a little of it and gave the rest to my father. It tasted a lot like a regular spice cake, which he loves.

>>21662830
>I think it's at least a somewhat understandable mistake
Very understandable.

Like how "pumpkin pie spice latte" becaome "pumpkin spice latte" became "pumpkin latte". And it never contained actual pumpkin.

>>21662356 (OP)
Pumpkins are really just large squash, I buy them cheap every October, slice them up, bake them, puree the chunks, then freeze the puree, it's really cheap for how much you get

>>21669038
>regular spice cake, which he loves.
if you were going for a pumpkin pie, then it was not moist enough I'm guessing
I thought you posted a cake but was waiting for the next shot

>>21668010
>why specifically is it "unsuitable" for pies to most people
Three reasons: outside of the US it's mostly used for savory dishes, so people freak out, even if they've never had it in any form
Two: in the US there is a demographic of women who personally identify with pumpkin pie spice-flavored things and they are some of the most insufferable people you'll ever meet
Three: pumpkin pie has two very powerful rivals, sweet potato pie and pecan pie

>>21668010
Is this with the Hokkaido and butternut or the original pumpkin? Texture looks great to me, if you have it we usually eat this with lightly sweetened whipped cream on top of each slice

>>21669076
>Like how "pumpkin pie spice latte" becaome "pumpkin spice latte" became "pumpkin latte". And it never contained actual pumpkin
I found out about this not too long ago. That is both funny and sad, and I was pretty disappointed to learn that as I imagined pumpkin would be really tasty in that.

>>21669088
Yeah I will do the same moving forward. Will make pumpkin pie a semi-tradition here as well I think

>>21669157
Oh no, the taste specifically was like spice cake, not the consistency. The pic is misleading, it looks dry, but right underneath the surface it was really moist. You can sorta see the moisture in the middle in the pic. And that pic is very zoomed in, I made a tiny batch just to test it. I might have left it just a tiny bit too long in the oven.

>>21669210
>in the US there is a demographic of women who personally identify with pumpkin pie spice-flavored things and they are some of the most insufferable people you'll ever meet
Lmao I can imagine. City girls are obnoxious about their coffee here as well. My sister happens to be one, much to my chagrin.

>>21669968
That was with the original halloween/jack-'o-lantern/carving pumpkin/whatever.
The taste of the pumpkin was drowned out by the spices, and IDK if that is mostly due to it being the "wrong" pumpkin type or if the recipe I used was kinda wack. Texture was great, I don't imagine it'll be particularly different from the other types