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Dress just before serving so that the fennel will still be crunchy and the melon retains its juices.

The flesh immediately surrounding the seeds is the most succulent part of any melon; if you haven't tried eating the crunchy seeds before, hold on to your hat.

Eggplant is like a sponge. Salting it draws out moisture and firms up the flesh, and deep-frying ensures it cooks evenly until creamy throughout. Worth your time.

Delicate squash blossoms are a farmers' market treasure. Look for flowers with perky, intact petals and a generous length of stem still attached. Wrap them loosely in damp paper towels and tuck them into a zip-top bag; they'll keep this way in the fridge for a few days. Or bypass the storage completely and turn them into a predinner bite as soon as you get home.—Alison Roman

Sugared, roasted lemons are edible from rind to flesh and give this salsa-like mix a bracing jolt of sourness.

Cooked summer squash can be mushy. Solution: Eat it raw. If you can't find buckwheat groats, use chopped toasted almonds instead.

"Coating sweet grilled corn with miso butter brings nutty flavor to a classic." —Brad Leone

If you don't want to heat up your house with the oven, you can bake any muffins on the grill but the lightly smoky flavor that the grill imparts is especially nice with corn-based ones. Because keeping the grill at a steady temperature can be tricky, the baking time can vary, so keep an eye on the muffins. For the best muffins, be sure that the entire pan is not set over direct heat (otherwise, the bottoms will burn).

The black pepper adds a surprising aromatic and spicy flavor to the sweet grilled peaches. The recipe here makes more syrup than you'll likely need but it will keep in the refrigerator for at least 1 week and is great in a cocktail or with sparkling water.

Chef Rachel Yang likes her rice "chopstickready": sticky enough to hold together lightly, but with defined grains. To get that texture, rinse shortgrain white rice (a.k.a. sushi rice)—Alison Roman

Hit the reset button on your potato salad: These spuds are roasted, not boiled, and tossed with a mustardy vinaigrette and jalapeños while warm.

We think fat spears of asparagus have the best texture. White ones take a little longer to cook, so boil them separately.

Can't find favas? Double up on peas. No pea shoots? Use mĊche or baby spinach instead.

Mild rice vinegar and a fair amount of sugar yield a less acidic brine and a bright-tasting pickle.

Swap the black pepper for other spices, such as cumin, or fresh chopped herbs.

A proper tabbouleh will be mainly vegetables and herbs, with just a smattering of bulgur threaded through.

This lightly pickled mix of vegetables and seaweed is especially good with seafood.