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Best pumpkin varieties for soup?

post #1 of 85
10/5/10 at 1:43am
Thread Starter 
Yeah, I know there is already a pumpkin thread, but what are the best pumpkin/winter squash varieties for soups? Thanks.
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post #2 of 85
10/5/10 at 1:46am
I am a big fan of the classic butternut. Acorn, yellow/golden and even spaghetti squashes work well in soups too.
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post #3 of 85
10/5/10 at 2:27am
I've found that making soup from an actual pumpkin is kind of a pain in the ass. There's all the chopping, then the peeling, then the cubing, then the boiling, then the pureeing, etc.

I'll take canned pumpkin over all that hassle any day...unless you're making something that actually has cubed pumpkin in it. At any rate, I always heard that the smaller the pumpkin, the more intense the flavor but I don't know how much stock I'd put in that. Heh...stock.
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post #4 of 85
10/5/10 at 2:36am
+1 for butternut squash. Also had good pumpkin luck with a variety called Rouge Vif d'Etamps.
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post #5 of 85
10/5/10 at 3:45am
I like Kobacha Squash- its got a nuttier, sweeter taste for me than something like Butternut.

If you can, you should try to buy Kobacha at an asian supermarket because the price for that will be about a third to a half less expensive than buying it in a regular grocery supermarket.
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post #6 of 85
10/5/10 at 6:30am
I've found butternut is the easiest to make into soup. It peels nicely since it is smooth, plus the squash isn't too hard. Squash with creases/ribs like pumpkin and acorn either end up with more waste or take longer to peel. I've tried to peel a few varieties that were incredibly hard as well. I can't recall what variety it was, but I ended up just using my cleaver to cut it up.

The smaller pie pumpkins taste great in soup too.
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post #7 of 85
10/5/10 at 6:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by esquire. View Post
I like Kobacha Squash- its got a nuttier, sweeter taste for me than something like Butternut. If you can, you should try to buy Kobacha at an asian supermarket because the price for that will be about a third to a half less expensive than buying it in a regular grocery supermarket.
+1 on Kabocha.
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post #8 of 85
10/5/10 at 8:51am
Dunno if you can find it readily but look for the pumpkin variety "Musque de Provence" or "Fairytale". It's quite good raw, make a slaw to place atop the finished soup, for example.
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post #9 of 85
10/5/10 at 9:06am
As far as my experience goes, I would say the smaller the squash the tastier the soup. The larger ones are best reserved for other dishes.
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post #10 of 85
10/5/10 at 10:13am
wow, my whole foods only has one type of pumpkin, as far as I could see. have to see if I can find more, I just started cooking pumkin this year
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post #11 of 85
10/5/10 at 10:24am
Are there different kinds of pumpkins? I was unawares. It's not the sexiest but I'll second the butternut recommendations. Pumpkin is sort of a PITA to break down in comparison and acorn is as well. I'd certainly enjoy trying different gourds but I can't say I have any experience with them. I am tempted to be a good SFer and google it and expound on what I've found as though an expert, but it's still early and I don't have the energy. I do love me some squash soup this time of year. I like to float a few sage leaves crisped in butter and some whipped cream, or just sour cream, on top.
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post #12 of 85
10/5/10 at 10:31am
I like it similarly, Douglas. Had a butternut squash soup with candied jalapeno and corn bread in San Antonio last Fall- nice.
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post #13 of 85
10/5/10 at 10:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cary Grant View Post
I like it similarly, Douglas. Had a butternut squash soup with candied jalapeno and corn bread in San Antonio last Fall- nice.

sounds great. creative combinations like this make me realize why i could never be a real chef. i just am not that bright when it comes to flavor pairings. oh well, a line cook's life for me. (or, well, an aspiring amateur one anyways)
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post #14 of 85
10/5/10 at 2:27pm
barring a great farmers market grower with rouge vif, or musque, butternut or kabocha. modern pumpkins are built for show, not for go. they're bland and stringy. in fact, the "pumpkins" that go into canned pumpkin puree are closer genetically to butternut than they are to halloween pumpkins.
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post #15 of 85
10/5/10 at 2:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sterling Gillette View Post
As far as my experience goes, I would say the smaller the squash the tastier the soup. The larger ones are best reserved for other dishes.

If smaller ones are better in soup (which they are), then why would the larger ones be better for other dishes?

You always want smaller squash, zucchini etc... rather than larger ones.
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