Carving Pumpkins – the easy way

We don’t have such a tradition of pumpkin carving in the UK, so here are a few tips to help you produce the best carved pumpkin:

Before cutting, draw out the line where you'll be cutting the lid from the top of the pumpkin, around the stem, so that you get an accurate cut. Use chalk or a yellow highlighter so stray marks won't show. Remember the lid should be big enough to allow you to remove pulp from the inside of the pumpkin.

A hexagonal lid is easiest to put back on, because you just line up the points.

To cut the lid out, hold your knife at a 45-degree angle, which ensures it will fit like a keystone. Otherwise, as the pumpkin begins to shrivel and its side walls shrink, the lid will fall through the hole.

As with the cut for the lid, draw outlines in some unobtrusive colour on the pumpkin first, to serve as guides.

Since the cutting is more delicate, begin by making cuts with a Stanley knife on the outside of the pumpkin, not all the way through, just through the tough skin. Now use a flat-head screwdriver to punch along those lines, it actually works out neater than sawing with a knife. You can tidy up afterwards with the Stanley knife

When you’ve finished carving your pumpkin, apply petroleum jelly to the interior and to the edges of the cuts. Petroleum jelly will slow drying, giving your pumpkin a longer shelf life.

Carving Pumpkins – the easy way

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