Reasons to use canned pumpkin

by Nicole Weston, Posted Oct 23rd 2006 @ 12:28PM

Unless you are planning on serving roasted pumpkin or squash where you really need the whole vegetable, the best way to use it in a recipe is by using canned pumpkin. This isn't necessarily to say that you will never get good results by using fresh for a cake or a pie, but there is a reason that chefs and cookbook authors tend to stick to canned. It is reliable in its flavor, consistency and texture, unlike fresh squash, which can be stringy, too wet or too dry.

The time needed to prepare fresh pumpkin is also substantial, since it must be cut, peeled and cooked before using, while canned is ready in seconds. To a really determined cook, the time needed for preparation would not be an issue if the flavor were so much better that it was worth the effort, but it is often the case that the canned pumpkin will have a stronger, better flavor. For some recipes that use canned pumpkin, try:

Filed Under: Lists, Fall Flavors, Ingredients, Methods
Tags: baking, can, canned, canned pumpin, cooing, fall, fall flavor, fall flavors, fresh, fresh pumpkin, pumpkin, recipe, recipes, squash, vegetables

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

10-23-2006 @1:35PM Jonathan Harford said... Fun Fact: Most “canned pumpkin” is actually butternut squash! Tell a friend!
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10-23-2006 @2:05PM savvy said... Are you kidding??? Fresh pumpkin and squash is so easy to use. Take pumpkin (small pie pumpkins taste best), cut the top off and scoop out the insides. Replace the top, and throw the pumpkin in the microwave for 10-15 minutes on high. Scoop out the insides and you have fresh pumpkin for your recipe. This works with almost all types of squash as well.
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10-23-2006 @3:24PM NeedleNose said... "Better flavor" depends on the recipe: I make a "pumpkin" soup by oven roasting a kabocha (squash). The original recipe called for canned "pumpkin" (really squash, as poster Jonathan Harford points out), but roasting your own squash results in much deeper flavor, plus I have never had it turn out too wet. Also, though large pumpkins are stringy and often dry, kabocha cooks up beautifully smooth.

Canned pumpkin is certainly good to have on hand for making the odd impulse batch of sweet and spicy baked goods, but when the squash is the major flavor, I'll stick to roasting and pureeing my own.
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10-23-2006 @3:40PM Stephanie said... I like the post's directions for making pumpkin for receipes. Take out can, open can, scoop out pumpkin. Seems like 2-3 min as opposed to 20-30 with a big mess. Also, as the post said a receipe with canned pumpkin will me more consistent.
While I understand the desire to make from fresh, I also think that if I only used fresh, I would make pumpkin anything no more than once a season, if that. With the can, I make pumpkin anything almost once a week in season!
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10-23-2006 @3:53PM Nicole Weston said... Not to change the subject from the "canned pumpkin is butternut squash issue", but I know that I, and many of my friends and family, tend to use the terms pumpkin and squash interchangeably. Regional difference? I find that this is a very common practice in countries outside of the US.
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10-23-2006 @4:24PM Laura said... Canned pumpkin only tastes better than real pumpkin -- and real pumpkin is only stringy or too wet -- if you're cooking jack o lanterns. Which you shouldn't be.

Buy pie pumpkins or squashes, which are meant to be eaten. Use the jacks for carving.

I never got insane raves of joy over my pumpkin pies when I made them from a can. Once I switched to real pumpkin people who don't even LIKE pumpkin pie started asking me over for holiday dinners. I grow pie pumpkins, cook them up once a year, and freeze them in cup buckets.
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10-23-2006 @7:16PM Stephanie said... I have never been a fan of pumpkin pie, and yes, I have had them made from real (not jack-o-lantern) pumpkins. The only thing that turned me onto pumpkin pie is the Sour Cream Pumpkin Pie on epicurious (most recently in Gourmet a couple years ago). It is a lot of work (even with canned pumpkin), but is SOOOOOO good. It is the only pumpkin pie I will ever make (and, yes, I use canned pumpkin).
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10-24-2006 @8:09PM kitchenmage said... Big surprise, but I'm with the fresh crowd. I pick up pie pumpkins at the local farm, bake them, smash the cooked flesh, and freeze 1 cup portions. Takes maybe 30 min work to have a year's worth of real pumpkin on hand. When I thaw the pumpkin, I may end up draining off a few spoons of liquid, but that's about all the work involved.
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10-25-2006 @2:24PM farmgirl said... Great post, Nic. And thanks so much for including a link to my recipe for Spicy Pumpkin Pecan Raisin Muffins (which taste delish made with canned pumpkin). : )
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11-16-2006 @2:22AM John Blunden said... I think pumpkin is best used fresh when cooking viands. For dessert, I trust your suggestion. Consistency is very important. It's not easy to prepare fresh pumpkin, let alone capture the perfect texture and taste. I like pumpkin pie. Maybe I'll try that pumpkin oatmeal bread recipe. It sounds yummy. :)
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11-17-2006 @8:17PM MadP said... I love baking with pumpkin, and I can say that I have never tried to cook a pumpkin myself. I don't see the need when canned pumpkin (squash) is pretty good. But if you enjoy it, more power to you. I just made a pumpkin bread from a recipe I found on a new baking website, it was fantastic. Check it out at http://www.fortheloveofbaking.com She has lots of recipes, tips and some pretty good conversion tables. My sis sent me the link and I've bookmarked it. Enjoy
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