Question for those that know....How to roast pumpkin seeds..

[Guest]

My family wants roasted pumpkin seeds. Does anyone know how to prepare them and how do you eat them? LOL - I know this sounds corny - but I have never had them....so I figured someone here at Storm2k could help me out.

Patricia

[Miss Mary]

They're supposed to be easy-easy but I've never done it. Go to FoodNetwork.com and do a search. I think you wash them well, dry them, spray a cookie sheet with non-cooking spray. Maybe spray the seeds too, dust a little salt on and roast them. How long I don't know. Hear they're very good to snack on. And they usually get pitched too.

Here's a recipe for ya (includes other ingredients/steps for a salad so skip that part). This recipe calls for vegetable oil and sea salt. Mmmm, sounds good. You may have inspired me to try it Patricia!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes ... 67,00.html

Mary

[GalvestonDuck]

MMmmmmmm...every year, I look forward to roasting the seeds. I don't know what that crap is that they sell in the bags next to the sunflower seeds in the grocery store. But it's just NOT the same thing. I first learned how to roast pumpkin seeds when I was a Brownie. It's basically just like what you said, Miss Mary -- wash them, dry them, salt them, and roast them.

The hard part is getting the strings and goo all off. The important part is getting them nice and dry. If you're really patient, you don't have to wash them. You can clean them all by hand. It keeps them drier and leaves a bit of pumpkiness on them. I prefer washing them. But then you need to get them really dry or they won't roast evenly and you'll have chewy seeds.

Jeez, news just started and they announced another box cutter incident.

OK, back to seeds -- spray the cookie sheet lightly with non-stick spray. Spread the seeds out in a single layer. They can touch each other, but try to keep them from being on top of others. Spray the seeds even lighter than you sprayed the sheet. Sprinkle all the seeds with salt. And then roast away, peeking at them every few minutes or so. When they start to look a bit golden, give them a bit of a stir with a kitchen gadget of your choice - spatula, spoon, whatever -- to get most of them flipped (I prefer flipping them so both sides get even and one side doesn't get burned on the pan -- they can burn if they don't get roasted evenly). When they're done, take them out and snack away.

One of these days, I'll try to roast them on the stovetop, which I hear is an epicurean feat. I've seen sesame seeds done that way. But there's a world of difference between pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds.

I'm glad someone else here in TX knows about home-roasting pumpkin seeds. I've brought some in last year and everyone looked at me like I was either nuts or genius because they hadn't heard of it.

Enjoy, Ticka! Let me know how it goes.

[GalvestonDuck]

Oh yeah -- as to how to eat them, you just pop them in your mouth and crunch away. Unlike sunflower seeds, where some people tend to prefer to crack the shell open and eat only the meat inside, the whole pumpkin seed is edible and easy to swallow.

[blizzard]

You can also try your favorite flavored oil, such as butter flavored popcorn oil to season the seeds. Flavored popcorn salt is also a good alternative. We have roasted seeds every year since I can remember. The crunchier the better. They had an article in the paper the other day abou this and they recommended peanut oil, but not necessary. THey said to roast at 250 degrees for about an hour and if you wanted browner seeds, turn up the heat at the end to 350 for 10 minutes. It has been my experience that it takes longer than that. GD was right, the drier the seeds when you start the better. And leaving some of the pumpkin goo on them makes for a delightful added flavor.

Enjoy

[janswizard]

Yummmm. One of my favorite seasonal snacks!!

[TexasStooge]

MMM! Roasted pumpkin seeds!

I liked them with salt.

[JCT777]

I have roasted pumpkin seeds, and I used the method mentioned by both Stephanie and GD. I think I roasted them at 300 degrees, for about 30 minutes or so. Obviously, you will need to check on them every so often to make sure you don't burn them.

[bfez1]

Separate the pumpkin seeds from the stringy membrane of a freshly carved pumpkin.
Rinse the pumpkin seeds in a colander, until they are free of any membrane matter.
pumpkin seeds, cleaned, washed
Vegetable oil, olive oil or cooking spray
salt, plain, iodized or sea salt

Pan-roast by placing the pumpkin seeds in a hot cast-iron skillet until they puff up (stir constantly so they don't get too dark or burn). A minute or so after that, they start shaking and spinning, like popcorn popping. This is the sign they're almost done. Take the skillet off the stove and place on a cool area. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Allow the pumpkin seeds to cool before eating, then chow down. Very yummy and tasty snack.

Optional: Oven roasting method

After cleaning and rinsing the pumpkin seeds, spread them on a baking sheet. Put the seeds on the baking sheet in a single layer, turning to coat lightly with the spray or the oil. Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds lightly with salt, if desired. They don't have to be totally dried for this recipe. Roast the pumpkin seeds in the oven at 350°F. by placing the baking sheet in the oven. Roast the pumpkin seeds for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once. Allow the pumpkin seeds to cool before eating. Sprinkle them with your favorite seasoning. Pumpkin seeds can be eaten with the outer shell on or off.

Taste Hint:
Try additional seasonings on your pumpkin seeds: cajun seasoning, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and garlic salt are some of the many possibilities.

Store baked pumpkin seeds in an airtight container. You can use these Halloween recipes to prepare your pumpkin seeds in advance for the scary night treats.

For a saltier treat:
Boil the pumpkin seeds in heavily salted water for ten minutes, then bake them.

[GalvestonDuck]

LOL! I can't believe I just saw Martha Stewart talking about how to roast pumpkin seeds and she was pretty traditional with her recipe -- no fancy stuff, no expensive ingredients. And no, I don't watch MS. I was flipping through the channels and her show was ending on the Food Network and I saw the seeds so I had to stop and see what she had to say.

Hers was basically the same recipe as mentioned above -- she doesn't wash them and she uses coarse, kosher salt.

Ticka, have you tried yet?

[Stephanie]

I haven't had those in ages!

John - I can't take the credit for the recipes - the other one was Blizzard but thanks anyway!!

[Guest]

We tried some late last night with butter and seasoning - backed them for 45 mins at 300 degrees. They were a little chewy - I think hubby and daughter thought they would be crunchier.

I have another batch that i'm letting dry completely and I am going to spray with oil and just add salt.

I'll let you know how those come out. We craved 3 pumpkins - so I have plenty of seeds to test out these recipes.

Patricia