How to Carve a Pumpkin Like a Pro

Directions

1. Set up your carving station on an outdoor table covered with a cheap plastic tablecloth you can toss after. If it's too cold, work on a kitchen table with the same cloth or kraft paper. Avoid surfaces that stain easily, like fine antique furniture.
2. Collect your carving tools. While standard pumpkin carving kits work, experts often use kitchen items: an ice cream scoop for scraping, a thin filet knife for piercing tough rind, a sharp paring knife for cutting, and a lemon zester or vegetable peeler for decorative textures. A melon baller can create eyeballs.
3. Cut a square or diamond-shaped opening in the back of the pumpkin, large enough for your hand and wrist to reach inside. Remove the panel and set it aside—you'll replace it later. Avoid cutting around the stem, as that weakens the pumpkin and causes faster decay.
4. Place a large bowl nearby to collect seeds and pulp. Use your hands or an ice cream scoop to remove all the gooey insides. Scrape the inner walls clean with the wedge tool from a carving kit to prevent premature rotting and discourage squirrels if the pumpkin sits outside.
5. Sketch your design on paper first, then transfer it onto the pumpkin using a dry erase marker, washable marker, or grease pencil—these wipe off more easily than permanent markers. For intricate patterns, use transfer paper or tape a stencil directly onto the pumpkin and carve through it.
6. With your sharpest knife, carefully cut along your design, keeping the hand that holds the pumpkin away from the blade. If a cut piece doesn't come out, push it inward and retrieve it through the back hole. If it's stuck, cut it in half. If a piece breaks off, use toothpicks to reattach it.
7. To slow rotting and repel animals, spray the pumpkin inside and out with a bathroom cleaner that contains bleach. Let it dry for at least five minutes before displaying.
8. For illumination, place LED holiday string lights inside, trailing the cord out the back hole to a power source. Battery-operated flameless candles work too. If you prefer a real candle, cut a small vent in the top back of the pumpkin to let smoke escape.