Pie pumpkin or carving pumpkin: which is better for baking?

Small and sweet wins.

Pie pumpkins, often sold as sugar pumpkins, are small and round, with thick, dense, sweet flesh. That’s what you want for pie, soup or roasting.

Carving pumpkins are bred for size and thin walls, so they’re easy to hollow out. Their flesh is stringier, more watery and less sweet. You can cook it, but you’ll need to drain it and strain out the strings.

Don’t throw out the seeds from either one: rinsed, dried and roasted, they make a good snack.

HOW LONG A WHOLE PUMPKIN KEEPS

Like other winter squash, an uncut pumpkin keeps 2–6 weeks in a cool, dry spot (USDA FoodKeeper). Once it’s cut or carved it goes fast, so carve close to the day.