A better way to slice a pumpkin

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By Sean Michael Ragan
Posted 2009/10/23 @ 12:17 pm
Category Craft, Home, Tools

Subscriber Michael Williams wrote in with this clever modification of the traditional pumpkin incision. He explains the logic:

For years now I’ve been unhappy with the choices for cutting open a pumpkin for Halloween. If you cut the top off in the traditional manner, you end up with singed hand hairs (at best) when attempting to place/light a candle. If you cut the bottom off, you can get the candle in OK but you’re stuck picking up nearly the whole pumpkin each time and it never sits quite right. This year is different – I’ve found the perfect pumpkin cut!

Thanks Michael!

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36 Responses to A better way to slice a pumpkin

Kevin on October 23rd, 2009 at 12:25 pm said:

Simply brilliant!

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ad astra on October 23rd, 2009 at 12:38 pm said:

While it does solve some problems, I have a couple of minor problems with this:

1. It’s less attractive than the typical cut, and would leave a glowing square outline on the back of your pumpkin;
2. I’m not positive, but I’d guess that it significantly compromises the structural strength of your pumpkin, which could lead to problems with designs that cut away a lot of the front, and could cause premature collapse as the pumpkin ages even with normal front carvings.

For simple pumpkins with thick walls, it seems like a pretty useful idea, though. Regarding the burnt hands thing, though – why not just light the candle *in* the pumpkin? Barbeque-style lighters were invented for a reason, and I’m pretty sure (name aside) it was to light candles for jack-o-lanterns.

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- marcsol on October 26th, 2009 at 1:31 pm said:
  
  I agree with SolidSilver. Our pumpkin display consists of 20 to 30 pumpkins and putting a candle into each one and keeping it lit would take too much time. I too tired of burning my hand lighting all the candles (lighting them and placing the candle, placing the candle and lighting with fireplace match or lighter, etc…). We now put electric lights in all the pumpkins, connect them to one circuit and place them on a timer. Also, for some of the larger pumpkins (100-200 lbs) we use in our display, candle power just doesn’t do the carving justice. We use 60 watt bulbs in those pumpkins!
  
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I cthelight on October 23rd, 2009 at 12:49 pm said:

Just use a longer lighter…

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Kieran on October 23rd, 2009 at 1:58 pm said:

I’ve never been the one to carve the pumpkins in my house, whoever does just does it the traditional way through the top. The best idea to me would be to cut through the back then find some way of attaching the back on without it falling off (if it’s actually needed), perhaps some toothpicks would work.

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Anonymous on October 23rd, 2009 at 2:50 pm said:

Cut a square hole in the back. Taper the sides to block the light. Make a hinge from duct tape.

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Anonymous on October 23rd, 2009 at 3:07 pm said:

why not use a longer match, or a longer lighter and just light your candle from the side. Say, from the mouth or something. I think this type of carving might be more useful for pulling out seeds rather than lighting the candle.

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craigspr on October 23rd, 2009 at 5:50 pm said:

Thanks for the advise

Thanks for the advise

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craig on October 24th, 2009 at 5:39 am said:

For years I watched people try to set the round top on correct, rotating it trying to get it to line up the way it came off. Early on I learned to make a slight point at the back of the lid cut, like a teardrop. Later it evolved into a larger point to allow wrist room to allow setting a lit candle inside without my hand directly above the candle. This pictured method is same concept but a tad overboard. I like to scuff up the inside of my lid and rub in cinnamon, allspice and cloves so as the lid gets charred on an indoor jack-o-lantern, it smells like pumpkin pie.

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SolidSilver on October 24th, 2009 at 5:57 am said:

For the past few years, I’ve been using LED lights in my Jack O’Lanterns. I have both yellow (with flicker patterns) and RGB units. The RGB one does some cool color fading. And… no scorched fingers!

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Richard Gozina on October 24th, 2009 at 6:00 pm said:

I really wish I had the 5 minutes I spent looking at this back. What a waste of time and brain power.

The first quote was right on about this reducing the structural integrity of the pumpkin. (did I actually just type that)

Obviously, use a barbecue lighter…common sense!!!!!

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- Cunningham on October 24th, 2009 at 10:41 pm said:
  
  Rich, it took you five minutes to read the article? Let me know if you get your time back…perhaps you can spend it on reading classes.
  
  Reply ↓
G on October 25th, 2009 at 9:25 am said:

This is *clever*.

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Holloween on October 25th, 2009 at 4:45 pm said:

I’ll have try this clever technique this year. It does seem rather easy and effective.

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craig on October 25th, 2009 at 7:09 pm said:

Leave Richard alone. It takes him awhile to read to himself with his lips moving and sounding each word out untill he gets it right.

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Fikus on October 25th, 2009 at 8:29 pm said:

Cut the bottom of the pumpkin and not the top.. Then you light the candle then place the pumpkin down over the candle.

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jeff-o on October 26th, 2009 at 8:21 am said:

Smart, but I prefer a BBQ lighter. Though this is a good solution if you’re into layering instead of carving…

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sambagrrl07 on October 26th, 2009 at 9:32 am said:

If you don’t have a BBQ lighter, use a lit piece of spaghetti to reach.

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Melinda on October 28th, 2009 at 5:54 am said:

This would also solve another problem for me…. being able to scrape out all the goo. I found my pumpkin this year was too small to use my regular scraping spoon on all points inside. It would get “caught” in the pumpkin. This cut would make that a lot easier. I’ll have to keep this in mind next year. Thanks for the idea.

(Oh, and I only do “simple” pumpkins so I wouldn’t have to worry about structural integrity so much.)

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Steve on October 30th, 2009 at 12:32 pm said:

What I find works really well is camping glo-sticks in the pumpkins instead of candles… This way you also get an eerie green (or whatever color you choose) glow.

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pam on August 19th, 2012 at 7:43 pm said:

usless to me i use battery operated tealight size candles

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Carla on August 29th, 2012 at 10:36 am said:

Good idea, but you could stick the lighter through the carving to light the candle…no burnt hands/fingers/hair!

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Lisa on September 25th, 2012 at 4:43 pm said:

light a piece of raw spaghetti use it as a torch to light your pumpkins….it works well!

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Linda McCrane on October 19th, 2012 at 5:25 am said:

uumm, well.. can’t say I’ve ever had that problem really… I put my unlit candle in & I use that long BBQ lighter through the mouth to light it with with lol but this is a really good idea

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Lindsay on October 20th, 2012 at 4:28 pm said:

thank you for sharing this!
I just carved 13 pumpkins using this idea and it would have taken sooo much longer without it! made my life so much easier

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Nina on February 28th, 2013 at 6:57 am said:

That is exactly my problem! I will so try this next year on halloween. Thanks for sharing your idea!

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Richard Wilch on April 8th, 2013 at 12:52 am said:

I tried using spaghetti noodle to light the pumpkin, but the noodle kept putting the match out, and I got spaghetti sauce on the carpet. Am I doing something wrong?

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