I cut a pumpkin calmly, I don’t wrestle the knife

A pumpkin on the board is heavy and round, and the temptation is to chop down from the top as if in a fairy tale. That is when the knife slips, the pumpkin rolls, the board slides, and I end up cross with a vegetable. Pumpkin is one of the few things in my kitchen that can really hurt you, so I have learned to cut it calmly, and the method is always the same.

The tools matter. I use my largest, sharpest knife, a heavy chef's knife; a blunt knife needs more force and slips more easily. A big spoon for the seeds, a peeler or small knife for the skin, and a large, stable chopping board. I put a damp cloth or a piece of damp kitchen paper under the board so it can't slide on the worktop.

Before anything, I wash the pumpkin under the tap and scrub off the soil, then dry it. A wet pumpkin is slippery in the hand, and whatever is on the skin goes into the flesh with the knife.

The first cut is the one that makes the rest safe. I lay the pumpkin on its side and slice a thin piece off the bottom, a little heel, so it stands flat and doesn't rock. With a long squash like butternut, I cut off both ends first, then cut it across where the neck meets the round part, so I have two pieces that each stand on a flat face.

Then I cut it in half from the top down. I put the tip of the knife in next to the stalk, keep my other hand flat on top of the blade's spine or well away to the side, and work the knife down with a gentle rocking or sawing movement. I don't lean my whole weight on it or try to cut through in one go. If the knife gets stuck, I don't wiggle it hard sideways; I pull it out and start again from the other side.

If the skin is very hard, I soften it first. I pierce the pumpkin a few times with the tip of a knife and put it in the microwave for two or three minutes, or in a hot oven for about ten. That is enough to make the skin give, without cooking the flesh. I let it cool enough to handle before cutting. What I never do is hit the knife with a rolling pin or hammer.

Once it is in halves, the seeds come out with a spoon into a bowl, not across the table. The halves then lie cut side down on the board, flat and steady, and I cut them into wedges or quarters.

Peeling is easier on small pieces. I don't try to peel a whole round pumpkin. I take one wedge at a time, lay it flat, and cut the skin away with a small knife, working away from my fingers, or use a sturdy peeler on a smooth squash. Often I don't peel at all and roast with the skin on.

I cut only what I will cook today. A whole pumpkin keeps for weeks in a cool, dry place; a cut one doesn't. The rest of a cut pumpkin I wrap, keep in the fridge and use within a few days. A tray of chunks cut "for the week" dries out and goes slimy.

For a simple supper, I toss the wedges in a tablespoon of oil and a pinch of salt and roast them in one layer at 200°C for thirty to forty minutes, until soft and browned at the edges.

Do you stand your pumpkin on a flat heel before you cut, or do you still wrestle it on the board?