How and how much to cook pumpkin?

Boiling the pumpkin is an essential step in the cooking process. This nuance allows you to achieve a certain consistency of pulp, suitable for self-consumption or addition to other dishes, followed by additional heat treatment. There are several ways to boil pumpkin.

For boiling pumpkin, you can use:

• an ordinary saucepan;
• slow cooker;
• a double boiler;
• pressure cooker;
• microwave.

The pumpkin cooking process and the main nuances:

• before cooking, the pumpkin must be washed, cut into large or small cubes and the seeds removed;
• the skin is removed, as a rule, from large and old pumpkins (if the pumpkin is young, then you can cook it with the skin);
• if the pumpkin is boiled for making “porridge” or mashed potatoes, then the peel must be removed before cooking (the peel is easily cut off with a knife, but if the pumpkin is old, then you can scrape out its pulp with a spoon or cut it out with a knife);
• when boiling pumpkin porridge, milk is added instead of water (or water is mixed in equal proportions with milk);
• if you need to keep the shape of the pumpkin pieces after boiling, then immediately after bringing them to readiness, it is recommended to mix them with butter (you can just put a piece of butter in a plate with hot pumpkin and wait for it to dissolve);
• it is necessary to lay the pumpkin in boiling and pre-salted water (in cold water the pumpkin will cook for a long time and there is a possibility that the pulp will lose its shape, becoming too soft);
• there should be about twice as much water in the pan as the pumpkin (otherwise the pumpkin will not boil evenly);
• the readiness of the pumpkin is checked with a knife or fork (the pulp should be easily pierced with a sharp object);
• do not leave the pumpkin in water after boiling (the cooking process will continue and the pumpkin may become overcooked);
• citric acid will help to preserve the bright color of the pumpkin (the ingredient must be added to boiling water in a minimal amount, otherwise the taste of the pumpkin can be spoiled);
• it is recommended to add a small amount of vegetable oil to the water during cooking (then the pumpkin will cook faster and evenly);
• boil the pumpkin in an ordinary saucepan under a closed lid and over medium heat (with an open lid, the water will quickly boil away, and the pumpkin will boil over low heat);
• in a slow cooker, the pumpkin is cooked in the “Baking” mode (the timer is set in accordance with the instructions, but the time should not be less than 35 minutes);
• in a double boiler, the liquid is poured into a special compartment, so you need to salt the pumpkin pieces (you can just rub them with a little salt);
• you can steam the pumpkin using a structure made of a metal colander and a saucepan (the cooking time in this case may differ and increase);
• if the pumpkin is cooked for a dessert dish, then sugar is added to the water instead of salt (an unusual taste and aroma of the pulp can be given with the help of ground cinnamon or vanilla sugar).

How much to cook pumpkin

The cooking time for pumpkin depends on how you eat it. If the product is prepared as an independent dish, then the cooking process should be complete. When using boiled pumpkin as a base or addition to other dishes, you do not need to cook it. On average, the time to bring the pumpkin pulp to readiness is about 20-30 minutes.

Pumpkin cooking time:

• in a regular saucepan, the pumpkin is cooked for a maximum of 30 minutes;
• in a slow cooker, the pumpkin comes to readiness in 35 minutes;
• in a double boiler, the pumpkin must be boiled for 30 minutes;
• in the microwave, the cooking time will be 20 minutes (in two stages);
• small pieces of pumpkin are cooked in a pressure cooker for 20-25 minutes.

If the pumpkin is cooked for children, then the cooking process should be done as much as possible. On average, the product will take at least 35 minutes to cook. Pumpkin is included in the first feeding for infants, but in this case it must be mashed after the main cooking.