Cooking Pumpkin for the Best Taste and Maximum Nutrients

There is a better way to cook your pumpkins than boiling that will retain the most nutritional value when you eat them.

It’s also quick and simple and makes for a much better tasting pumpkin, whatever recipe you’re using it for.

How to Cook Pumpkins to Retain Vitamins and Minerals

Many people boil pumpkin to cook it. Unfortunately this leechs many of the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients into the boiling water and down the sink rather than into your body.

A much healthier method of cooking pumpkins is to steam them in a certain way that makes them quick and easy to prepare while preserving as many vitamins as possible.

1. First you’ll need a food steamer. A universal steamer is a great way to steam different kinds of veggies and will fit over the top of most regular sized saucepans. For a budget option, a collapsible steamer insert also works.
2. Prepare your pumpkin by placing it on a chopping board and cutting from the top, just to the side of the stalk and away from you with a strong knife. Continue through to the base so one side is cut. Repeat on the other side of the stalk until you can pull it apart with just a little effort.
3. Trying to cut through the stalk can be difficult so it’s best avoided. If you are still having trouble opening your pumpkin after cutting it on either side, try cutting into the stalk from the side.
4. With your pumpkin now split in half remove the seeds and cut it lengthwise into strips, roughly 2 inches wide. These will steam much quicker in your steamer and are a handy size for skin removal ahead.
5. Once the pumpkin is cut up and in the steamer, put some water in the saucepan and steam them with the lid on and medium heat for 10 – 12 minutes. You’ll know they’re ready when a fork goes easily through the skin into the pulp.
6. If you want the skin off then carefully transfer the steamed pumpkin strips to your chopping board and let them cool for a minute.
7. The way I remove the skin is to hold one end of the strip with a fork or a folded over paper towel (take care as they’ll be very hot straight out of the steamer) and simply scoop out the bright orange pulp with a tablespoon following the inside of the skin.

It can take a little practice, but after a few goes you should have healthy pumpkin steamed, in skinless strips and ready to eat or use in recipes in around 15 minutes.

Choosing a Pumpkin

Smaller pumpkins tend to be far superior for eating than the larger jack-o’-lantern styles that rarely taste good.

Breeds such as Sugar Pie, Baby Pam, Jarrahdale Blue, New England Pie and the Cheese and Cinderella varieties are often recommended for their texture and flavor.

Look for ones that feel relatively heavy for their size and have a consistent color. Avoid pumpkins with mold, bruises, cracks or heavy scarring and test that the stem is hard and the skin firm to the touch.

It’s much better to buy them whole and open them yourself, rather than get pre-cut portions which can lose nutrition with their pulp exposed.

Storage

Most pumpkins and winter squash can be stored for at least a month, some for several months, in a cool dry spot away from sunlight. I find in a cupboard away from other food to be best for pumpkin storage.

When you only need half of a pumpkin for a recipe, they can be cut in half with a sturdy knife and the remainder kept in the fridge for a couple of days in a sealed container.

Summary

Pumpkins are much higher in nutrition than potatoes and well worth eating whenever they’re in season.

Stock up in September and October and store them in a cupboard for an ongoing supply of this nutritious vegetable.

When you do cook pumpkins it’s much better to steam them rather than boil them. This retains the most vitamins and minerals.

Steaming also makes for much better tasting pumpkin in your recipes than the bland flavor of boiling. If you don’t already have one then get a cheap universal steamer. It’s the healthiest way to cook vegetables.

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