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Which is the best way to cook a sugar pumpkin for pumpkin puree? I've read that you can either steam or bake it, but which way yields the best taste and texture for a pie or other pumpkin treats?

chrissie
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  • http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/38226/using-fresh-pumpkin-as-a-substitute-for-canned?rq=1 – SAJ14SAJ Nov 21 '13 at 18:06
  • Roasting probably yields the best flavor, but either way you will need to cook it down some as it is more watery than canned. Also, see the link to the blog in the duplicate question answers. – SAJ14SAJ Nov 21 '13 at 18:07
  • I'm not totally convinced it is a duplicate, but I'm also not sure it should stay open. Isn't "best taste and texture" too subjective? – Mien Nov 22 '13 at 08:53
  • I am convinced that it is *not* a duplicate. Generally, if two questions have the same answer, they are not considered duplicates. They are only duplicates if the questions are the same. I would also glance over the formulation "best" here, because I don't see a potential of this becoming a poll question with everybody chiming "X is my favorite texture, you should try to achieve it", which is the rationale behind closing "best" questions. – rumtscho Nov 22 '13 at 14:49
  • @rumtscho historically, we *have* closed questions when the answers were the same, but not the questions. Most recently, closing one about gelatinous chicken stock in favor of one about turkey stock. here the only difference is steaming versus boiling--the real question is the same in both cases, what is the best way to cook down pumpkin to a puree. – SAJ14SAJ Nov 22 '13 at 17:48
  • @SAJ14SAJ : but this conversation on duplicates is a duplicate, too : http://meta.cooking.stackexchange.com/q/1505/67 ; http://meta.cooking.stackexchange.com/q/1164/67 – Joe Nov 22 '13 at 20:21
  • Given that one of the problems you can have with pumpkin puree is that it has too much water, any cooking method that introduces *more* water (like steaming) would obviously be inferior to a method that doesn't. – Marti Nov 22 '13 at 23:19

1 Answers1

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The best method, for flavor development and low labor, is probably to simply roast the pumpkin.

Derobert has written a blog entry describing this in great detail. With pictures!

Cut the pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and guts, and then roast (cut side down) on an oiled sheet pan at about 425 F for about an hour (optionally turning face up to brown slightly at the end). Let cool enough to handle, then scoop out the flesh and puree in a food processor. Derobert then recommends a second roast, spread out in a sheet pan at 350 F to reduce the water content--it is done when it darkens slightly or shows cracks.

SAJ14SAJ
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