Get a Pumpkin Lantern Hand Mixer
I’ve never been into pumpkin carving. I love looking at pumpkin lanterns and I have deep respect for those who take the art of carving them seriously, but I don’t have the skill or focus to handle anything more than a stupid face. However, I appreciate the gourd tips that make carving a little faster, easier, and neater. Enter my Babs girl with a handy TikTok trick to quickly remove pumpkin innards.
Babs actually has a few hacks on her TikTok, some of which – cutting out the bottom instead of the top, using Vaseline to make your work last longer – we covered earlier. Taking a hand mixer inside was new to me, so I decided to buy a pumpkin and let it spin.
It worked very well! As Bab had promised, the hand mixer made quick work of the sticky guts. He loosened up the threads, seeds, and other meaty bits, leaving me to remove them with a few simple spoons. The process only took three minutes and I only used one whisk. (The other one I lost, good thing I hate baking.)
However, there are a few strategies you should consider in order to ensure success. After watching the video, you’ll probably notice that Babs makes a rather large circular incision at the base of his pumpkin. This will make it easier to install the mixer. I made a smaller hole in the bottom of mine and had a hard time getting to the bottom of the pumpkin with a hand mixer. (I eventually got there, but it took a few awkward efforts.) A large entry point will make it easier to access all the threads and seeds, especially if you’re working with a large pumpkin (or a small mixer, or a combination of both).
And a warning: don’t stay in one place for too long. At one point, I got too aggressive, and my whisk began to scratch the strong walls of the gourd. This didn’t make much of a difference to me, a simple face carver, but could cause problems if you prefer a more complex style.