With Halloween approaching and autumn setting in, pumpkins, pumpkins and squash of all colors and shapes are settling on our stalls. Unless you’re up for a challenge, don’t try to peel the skin off a raw pumpkin or squash with your little peeler! As a starter, main course or even dessert, these vegetables are indeed very easy to cook to please the whole family, but much less to peel… So here is how to peel a squash, a butternut squash, a spaghetti squash or a pumpkin without hurting yourself. With our tips for saving time and making peeling easier, preparing your winter squash velouté will be very easy and quick.
Also remember to consult our method to make it easier to peel a butternut squash to quickly enjoy the flavor of its delicious, very creamy, sweet flesh.
Is it really necessary to peel a squash or a pumpkin?
Know that you can also cook your pumpkin or squash simply, without removing the skin. Indeed, it is also edible and is rich in interesting nutrients. In addition, in a soup or puree, the skin disappears completely when blended. In this case, there is really no need to peel your pumpkin! However, here it is better to make sure that the vegetable is from organic farming. If you don’t buy organic vegetables and you don’t harvest them (and therefore you don’t know where they come from), eating the skin will make you consume more pesticides than antioxidants, vitamins and minerals from cucurbits (beta-carotene or vitamin A, etc.). Peeling is strongly recommended in this case!
How to peel a pumpkin? Here are 5 techniques!
Tip #1: Boiling water
To easily remove the skin from this vegetable, cut it in half just next to the peduncle using a sharp knife. Then, using a spoon, remove the seeds from your two halves. Then cut in half again and remove the stem from your large squash pieces. Dive these pieces in boiling water for three to four minutes. Allow the squash time for the skin to soften. Thanks to this precooking, it will be much more tender and you can remove it simply by peeling it with a paring knife.
Tip n°2: A passage in the oven
You can absolutely consider baking your whole pumpkin or squash in the oven for fifteen minutes at 180°C. Before peeling it, let it cool down so you don’t burn your fingers. You can then carve it and remove the skin effortlessly. All you have to do is cook it according to the chosen recipe! If you are in a hurry, you can also cut your squash into eight pieces and pass it for 3 to 4 minutes in a traditional oven at the maximum thermostat. Be careful, however, because this method can alter the flesh of the vegetable.
Tip n°3: Always in the oven, but thanks to the steam this time
Gentler and more respectful of the flesh of your cucurbits, this method consists of removing the cap of the squash (its stem) and emptying it with a spoon. Then, we wrap it in parchment paper and place it in a dish compatible with the oven in which we empty 3 glasses of water. All you have to do is let it heat up and let the steam soften the skin a few minutes. She will then leave alone with a good knife or a peeler.
Tip n°4: Make thin strips
If your recipe lends itself to it, cut your gourd into fairly thin slices using a large knife. Then, take a smaller knife and remove the skin from each slice. Your vegetable as well cut into smaller pieces will be easier to peel. You can also cut your pumpkin in half, remove the fibers and seeds with a simple spoon, slice the hollowed pumpkin into quarters and peel it with a very sharp paring knife or a peeler.
Tip n°5: On half a squash
Cut in half then deseed the squash. Remove the stem and lay the squash flat on the work surface. Then run a good vegetable peeler over the skin of each half with one hand, holding the vegetable firmly with the other.
A short video tutorial:
How to cook your squash? With which ingredients to associate them?
Now that you are done with peeling, you can cook them as you wish. And here, the recipes are not lacking! Pumpkins are used diced, fried, sliced or grated for a gratin, a pie, a savory tart, a savory crumble, a risotto, a mash or soups and autumn soups.
To flatter your taste buds, the accompaniments and associations to simmer in the pan with these squash are very numerous: goat cheese, bacon bits, chestnuts and hazelnuts, leeks, red lentils, carrots, sweet potatoes, potatoes… A knob of butter, some maple syrup, fresh cream or coconut milk will take care of the smoothness of the dish! Finally with aromatic herbs and spices (cinnamon, vanilla, sage, cumin, rosemary, thyme, curry, nutmeg…), we have fun with the seasoning for a tasty result.
Unusual: Did you know that pumpkin seeds have a deworming effect for humans? So remember to keep them. You can also roast them in a pan with a little salt. You will then only have to add them to a soup to decorate it and replace the croutons or to a salad to give it some crunch.
