Baking Pumpkin Seeds

As we approach Thanksgiving, my class does a measure by difference experiment where we weight the pumpkin with and without the pulp. Afterwards, I would collect the pulp, separate the pumpkin seeds and bake them in the oven.

It sounds tedious, but it it is actually quite easy.

First what you do is you stick it all in a large pot field with water. The pulp strands sink to the bottom and the seeds will float to the top.

Then you just skim the seeds using a slotted label. This is much easier than picking them out by hand. Of course, you have to put your hand in there to break apart the stubborn seeds clinging to and tangled in the pulp strands. I would say that this takes me perhaps 30 minutes.

Once they are all collected, I rinse them out with water. The seed's are dirty. They were handled by a handful of students—who were playing out in recess, picking their nose, and who knows what else—so I make sure to thoroughly wash them. Then, I pat dry them with a paper towel or dish towel.

Normally, I would lay them out on a baking tray and bake them for about 40 minutes at 375°F, flipping them over halfway through. But this time, I wanted to experiment.

This time, I decided to use an air fryer. The air fryer was a gift from my parents, and I have been using it for EVERYTHING. If you ask Maybelline what is the most used kitchen gadget used by Tennyson, then she'll say "Air Fryer". It's just so convenient!

It worked pretty well. I had to do it in three batches, so it didn't really save any time over using the oven. But it seemed to be well baked and seasoned. I think it tasted better than last year's.

Just for the sake of impressing the students, I also usually season the pumpkin seeds with different flavors. I just use whatever is on hand. This year I made one with no seasoning, one with salt and garlic, and the last one with soy sauce.

I'll share it to the class tomorrow, and I'll let you know what they think about the flavors.