It's All About The Pumpkin

An Uncarved Pumpkin Is Just A Big Squash

Nothing says “Halloween” like a good pumpkin and carving pumpkins has become high-art thanks to Martha Stewart and the Food Network. Even if you aren’t planning to be the next Michelangelo of the Pumpkin world, having the right tools is essential – not only for great results, but for safety. Any carving tools you use should be sharp, flexible, thin and sturdy enough to get the job done right. 

I don’t recommend any of the plastic carving kits for several reasons: they are really small and very flimsy. I am a professional chef trained in knife skills and I can’t tell you how many times I have either cut myself or broken the “tools” in half; they don’t last and you will have to buy as many kits as you have carvers; it takes longer and is more difficult to produce good results.

Most of what you will need you probably have in your kitchen or tool kit. You can purchase anything you might need online by clicking on the links. The basics are listed below and generally won't cost you more that $25.00. More expensive items have multiple uses and are worth the investment for year-round projects.

Boning Knife: Use this long, thin bladed knife to cut the top hole and any large pieces out of the face of the pumpkin.

Paring Knife: For detail work. A very thin blade works best – you can work the edge on a sharpening stone to get a finer blade.

Sharpening Stone: Knives work best when sharp, and are actually safer because they require less force to make the necessary cuts. It’s a good idea to sharpen your knives before and often during pumpkin carving. Be sure to follow the instruction that come with the sharpening stone.

Cutting Saw: This tool is good for carving in general and can be used in place of a boning knife if you prefer to keep yours in the kitchen. 

Poker Tool: Very useful to outline your design on the face of the pumpkin before you start any major cutting. An ice pick, nail or even a pointy-ended screwdriver make great Poker Tools.

Patterns: You can design them yourself on paper or on your computer, download pre-made ones or buy them.

"Gutting" Spoons: An ice-cream scoop, fruit scraper, and a large metal spoon or ladle work great together to scrap the inside of the pumpkin to remove the “guts” of your pumpkin.

Wood Carving Tool Kit: Might be a little over the top, but if you’re really into pumpkin design and other year-round crafts you’ll find that these kits are indispensable.

Dremel Drills: Definitely way over the top, but who doesn’t love power-tools? I know I do!

Tool Box: Something to keep all of your pumpkin carving tools in insures that they stay together and you can find them when the time comes. You will probably find that you will use these tools throughout the year. Even if you are just going to use them for Halloween, it's best to keep them protected and safe from the prying eyes and fingers of little ones.

Candles: I may be old-school, but I prefer using candles in my pumpkin because they give off a nice glow and I like the smell of slightly burnt pumpkin (weird, I know). Votive candles, placed in clear glass candle holders are safer and last longer. Plain white candles give off the most light. There are lots of options for battery-operated candles - some even have remote-control or timers so you can easily set them to go on and off nightly throughout the Halloween season.

Safety: Remember, any fire, no matter how small or protected has the potential for becoming a large and potentially disastrous one. Fire safety should always be the number one priority. Never leave a lit candle unsupervised. Have a fire extinguisher readily available and see that everyone knows how to use it. Never leave children unattended with a lit pumpkin, candles or other source of fire.

Tool Care: If you take good care of your carving tools they'll last a long time, if not a lifetime. Always clean your tools after you use them, and then store them all together for the next Halloween. Care should be taken not to bend knife blades or carving saw blades. Carving blades are very thin and sometimes brittle, and can be particularly subject to breaking.

There are lots of little kids in my neighborhood so I shouldn’t be a surprise to see that their parent’s have started to bust out the Halloween décor, but I am surprised to see real pumpkins sprouting up on their doorsteps. It’s still well above 100 degrees here and I don’t know how long these early pumpkins will last. On the bright side the Arizona pumpkin sellers are probably going to have a very good year. 

PS: Thanks to my neighbors Stephanie, John & Abbey for letting me take this photo of their pumpkin!