Five Ways to Cook a Pumpkin

No matter what kind of pumpkin you have, how much time you have, or what sort of equipment you have… there is a way to cook your pumpkin!

On the Stovetop

Say whaaaa? Why yes, dearie, you can cook that beauty right on your stove top! My friend Jackie shares the instructions on her blog, Blessings Overflowing. Now this method requires hacking the pumpkin apart first unless you have a pretty small pumpkin and a pretty big pot, so I’d recommend using this method in the following circumstances:

If you have limited time - At approximately half an hour of actual cooking time, you’re looking at less than an hour start to finish. This is one of the quickest pumpkin-cooking methods so it’s ideal if you don’t have a lot of time. On the other hand, cooking on the stove top requires a little more involvement on your part, so if your limited amount of time has to be shared with other tasks, this might not be a good idea. Burned pumpkin, anybody?
If you have a sharp knife and a strong arm - You’ll have to cut the pumpkin into chunks, which will take some effort depending on the kind of pumpkin you have.

In the Oven - Chopped

Jackie has another trick up her sleeve: cooking the pumpkin in the oven. This is about the same involvement as cooking on the stovetop: you need to cut the pumpkin in pieces (half will do if you have smaller pumpkins), put them in a pan with some water, and then cook it for a while. The cooking time is considerably longer, though. This method is a good one if:

You have a really big pumpkin - If you like to cook up your jack-o-lantern, this is probably the best way to do it because the oven is likely to be the largest cooking receptacle you have access to. Also, you can use large roasting pans, or multiple pans like Jackie did.
You have a little more time - The oven takes an hour and a half or so to cook through a pumpkin at 350F, so calculate that into your schedule.

In the Oven - Whole

My friend Mindy has another approach to cooking pumpkins in the oven: she cooks them whole, no chopping or hacking. You will like this way of cooking pumpkins if:

You dislike hacking pumpkins - Ooh oooh, pick me! Pick me! I avoid this at all costs, so if you’re anything like me in that regard, you’ll like this method, too.
You have a smaller pumpkin (i.e., a pie pumpkin for example) - If your pumpkin is very large at all, you’ll want to cut it at least in half before attempting to cook it in the oven; but if your pumpkin is of the sugar or pie pumpkin variety, this is perfect for that.

Steamed

Here’s a variation on the stovetop twist: steam the pumpkin instead of boiling it! You might like to try it if:

You have a large steaming basket and pot - I don’t, so I can’t try this. Boo.
You want to preserve as many nutrients as possible - If you plan to further cook the puree, in my opinion, this is kind of a moot point. But if you’re going to use the puree fresh - in smoothies, for example, or a dip - you’ll be able to enjoy the nutrient-rich pumpkin to its fullest using this method.

In the Crock Pot

This is my new favorite pumpkin-cooking method! I don’t know if I’ll ever cook a pumpkin in any other way, to be honest. It’s SOOOO easy, and right now, I need easy. E_A_S_Y. You can find the instructions here: How to Cook a Pumpkin in a Crock Pot. You will want to cook your pumpkins this way if:

You are short on time - OK, so the actual cooking time still takes a couple hours. But that is hands-off time. The amount of time you actually spend baby-sitting your pumpkin with this method? The amount of time it takes to wash it, poke it, and place it in the crock pot. Maybe a minute? Then you’re free to do other things, even leave the house if you need to (just be sure to be back in the right amount of time!).
You have a long time - I know; those things seem to contradict each other, don’t they? But the fact is, you do need at least 2 hours. So if you only have 2 hours TOTAL, and you need cooked pumpkin PLUS pumpkin-something-else, go with option #1.
You don’t like hacking pumpkins - Me. Either. Hence I really like this method. All you have to do is give a few little pokes. Easy peasy!
Your pumpkin is on the small side - Once again, you’ll need pie pumpkins for this method. The jack-o-lantern is just not gonna fit. And bigger pumpkins might still need to be cut in half or even smaller. But most pie pumpkins should fit nicely in a 5qt slow cooker.

Now how about that? A pumpkin cooking method for every possible need! Better go buy a pumpkin while they’re still available!