Life Hack: Everything you need to know about carving a pumpkin at Halloween
There's To Know Your Out Way Faster Scoop Picture: Guts? Istock A Did You Pumpkin's
We are firmly in the midst of spooky season. While Halloween may have originated in Ireland, pumpkin carving feels like a foreign tradition to many Irish people, but there’s no reason you can’t be a pro in no time. Here are a few tips to make your pumpkin carving experience as seamless as possible.
You might be tempted to begin by cutting a hole in the top of the pumpkin, circling around the stalk. However, there’s a better spot to cut into. Instead, carve an opening at the bottom of the pumpkin, directly opposite where you thought you should be cutting. By doing this, it is much easier to place a candle inside. Instead of straining at an angle to light a candle through the top, you can instead pop it on top of the cut-off section, light it and place the rest of the pumpkin over it. For an extra scented treat, sprinkle some cinnamon inside the pumpkin, under the stalk. The heat from the candle will spread the scent through your house like the smell of freshly baked treats – no tricks to be found here.
After cutting the pumpkin open and before lighting that candle, there’s one pretty major job to get out of the way. A hollow pumpkin is essential for your Jack O’Lantern, so those guts gotta go. Your instinct might be to grab something to manually scoop its insides out, but you probably have a much faster tool in your kitchen. Grab a hand mixer and attach the whisks to it. Place them inside and turn it on. The whisks will gather all the pulp easily, which you can remove and set to the side. You might need a scoop or a knife for any stubborn bits but this will overall cut down your carving time and save your arms from aching with effort.
The most striking part of any Halloween pumpkin is its sinister face and it’s something you’ll want to make as perfectly terrible as possible. There are a few ways to achieve the ideal look. First, you can use a marker to draw your preferred design on the pumpkin and cut along those lines with a knife to form eyes, a nose and a mouth. Alternatively, many pumpkin carving kits come with shaped cutters to get the perfect style. You can mimic this if you own scone or biscuit cutters already, just place them and gently tap to cut through the flesh. You can embellish those simple shapes with a knife for a more dramatic design.
Above all else, a pumpkin is a delicious source of food and those guts you removed earlier are the basis for many types of meals. You can find lots of sweet and savoury recipes at ieFood, including pumpkin and cinnamon cookies, roasted pumpkin pasta and pumpkin pie. Experiment with a new recipe, fill those bellies at home and avoid needless food waste this Halloween.