Cool Carving Tools for a Happy Halloween!
There is some wild and crazy stuff going on with power tools and pumpkins, my advice is stick to the basics. If you want to make a career of it or get really fancy, tools of the pumpkin carving trade are available online.
If you are winging it at home at the eleventh hour, a couple of common kitchen tools work just fine. A long-handled metal spoon, with a good edge for scaping gets to the guts of the matter. An ice cream scoop is also an alternative for removing pulp and seeds.
Remember to separate out the seeds from the pulp to roast later.
A pointy-tipped serrated grapefruit knife or serrated a bread knife are both good for cutting through the shell. A serrated bread knife can do some heavy lifting, cutting the bottom to level it. The point of the grapefruit knife-tip helps to direct the cut and the serrated knife edge helps to ease it through the pumpkin shell. The narrow knife blade also helps with cutting out intricate patterns.
A melon baller is also a cool tool for balling and for scraping to make shaded areas and add layers to the design.
Editor’s tip: Check online for farmers that are re-using pumpkins for livestock feed – remove all foreign objects and décor before donating.
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