Sweet, juicy watermelon really can do no wrong. Sliced into thick wedges and eaten with sticky fingers, it’s summer fruit at its finest. You can also toss it with feta for a sweet and salty fruit salad or whiz it into a ridiculously refreshing cocktail, but you already know this. What you might not know is that watermelon can be transformed into something hot, savory, and spicy. I am talking about watermelon curry. The first time I read about watermelon curry I was confused.

Feeling stumped by those pie shells in the freezer aisle that come ready to go in their own individual aluminum pans? Aside from making a sweet pie, what good are they? Well, it turns out you can actually do quite a lot with them. Here are five ways to make use of this grocery-store convenience from morning to night. A rich, custardy quiche makes for a perfect lunch or brunch. A purchased pie shell makes it easy to throw one together.

Pick up a seedless watermelon and you may feel like you solved all your watermelon problems. No black seeds to spit out, right? Well, yes, except for the fact that even though a seedless watermelon doesn’t contain black seeds, it still can be full of white, almost translucent seeds. So is the term “seedless” just a big, fat lie? No, not exactly. First, it’s important to understand what seedless watermelons really are.

It may seem like a no-brainer to buy a seedless watermelon instead of a seeded one — those hard black seeds are annoying to spit out, so it makes sense to avoid them completely and go with the seedless variety — however, it’s argued that seeded watermelon actually have more flavor than seedless. Is that true? And if so, why is it that the case? This is actually just a big, fat myth.

Watermelon season is most definitely upon us, sticky juice dripping down our chin and all. For the rest of the summer we’ll be cutting through countless watermelons in order to get our fill, and we hope you do the same. But beyond the juicy pink flesh, let’s talk about the seeds. Yes, there is a whole lot to talk about when it comes to those little guys. Sit with a pile of watermelon slices long enough and suddenly the seed questions emerge. Why are there black and white ones?

Cut or break the bottom of a leaf of romaine lettuce and you may see a strange milky liquid seep out from the stem where it broke off. While it may look a bit ominous, there’s no need for alarm. The white sap is a milky fluid made of latex that’s naturally found in the lettuce and is completely harmless.

Not long ago, when kale was on its way to becoming the hottest vegetable around, someone had the bright idea to swap the hearty green in for romaine in a classic Caesar salad. At the time I thought this was brilliant — coat kale in creamy, cheesy Caesar dressing, pile it with croutons, and everyone will eat it. But there are only so many kale Caesar salads one can eat.

Perhaps the biggest question to answer when it comes to purchasing that heavy watermelon for your weekend cookout is whether to buy a classic seeded one or go for the seedless variety. Besides the obvious fact that seedless watermelons don’t contain those hard black seeds, what’s actually the difference between the two?

Sometimes a craving for a snack is very specific, like when you need salt and vinegar chips. Then there are times when only something sweet will do. What about the times when you just need to bite into something with serious crunch? Here are five out-of-the-box ways to nix that crunchy craving. Triscuits win the prize for the crunchiest cracker around. They’re also seriously sturdy, which means that even though they’re perfect on their own, they also shine when piled with toppings.

Toss any vegetable on a grill and it instantly improves. That’s because while it cooks, it gets lightly charred by the high heat of the grill. But what about bumping up the char so that the vegetable is practically burnt? Could that be any good? In fact, for these 12 vegetables, it’s awesome. Baba ghanoush is proof that charred eggplant is glorious.

Arguably the best part of cooking in the summer is that you can toss just about anything on the grill and call it dinner. Grilled meat, fish, and veggies don’t need much to make them taste great, thanks to the smoky flavor the grill imparts. But a ridiculously quick and easy sauce that works with just about anything — from eggplant to chicken thighs — wouldn’t hurt to have in your back pocket. Luckily, you came to the right place.

If you’re getting sick and tired of the same ol’ eggplant routine — maybe sliced and thrown on the grill, or cubed and sautéed — it’s time to shake things up. Grilling or roasting the eggplant whole until the skins blackens and the flesh softens to a pulp is arguably the best way to enjoy the vegetable, but what should you do with this charred eggplant? Oh, the possibilities.

Eggplant is a controversial food. Like cilantro or blue cheese, you either love it or you hate it. But what if I could convince haters that there’s a way to join eggplant’s fan club? If everything you know and hate about the vegetable is that it’s usually flavorless and rubbery, then trust me when I say it can be much, much better — you just have to burn it. The secret to incredible eggplant is to cook it whole, until the skin blisters and blackens.

Fresh corn is so juicy and sweet, it practically taste like dessert. So why isn’t it? It’s almost always subjected to savory applications — as a side or in a main dish — and so rarely brought to the last course of the meal. But that should change, because corn can be as sweet as just about any of the ripest summer fruit. Put some of those ears of corn aside next time you pick up a bunch and give one of these five unique recipes a try.

When it comes to a lot of things in the kitchen, I mostly lean towards Type A — precise and particular — but I am definitely not that way about everything. In fact, there are a handful of things that I am just plain ol’ lazy about, and eggplant is one of them. Read through your average eggplant recipe and it will advise you to slice or cube the vegetable, and then sprinkle a heavy hand of salt over it.

Even the simplest macaron is often too pretty to eat. The French treat — made up of two meringue-based cookies sandwiched together with an array of fillings like ganache, fruit curd, buttercream, or jam — always feels like a luxury. If you’ve ever attempted to make macarons yourself, you know they can take all afternoon to create. But head to Pinterest and you’ll find macarons that look more like little masterpieces.

A soufflé, be it sweet or savory, is all too often relegated to dinners at fancy French bistros and avoided in the home kitchen. That’s because even though they require simple ingredients, they also happen to be extremely intimidating. You place the ramekins in the oven expecting each one to rise tall, but sometimes that just doesn’t happen — no matter how precise you were with the recipe. Well, I have one teeny, tiny trick for you.

Sweet corn on the cob is one of summer’s greatest pleasures. Cut off the kernels and enjoy them in every way, shape, and form — from salad to chowder to even ice cream — but don’t just toss the remaining cobs in the compost or trash. They’re an equally valued ingredient in the kitchen, as long as you know what to do with them. Here are five ingenious ways to use them.

It’s no secret that a brine is the answer to incredibly moist and flavorful meat. The salty solution helps the meat absorb more moisture, which is especially valuable when it comes to poultry like chicken, which often dries out when cooked. But there’s an ingenious brine that you might not have thought to use before — and you’ll have to head to the cheese counter to find it. A feta brine is the best brine you’re never heard of before. Cheese? Yes.

Poached chicken adds a quick protein boost to green salads and sandwiches. It’s also crucial for chicken salad, and makes an easy taco filling when shredded. But there’s a secret to making poached chicken that’s not only tender, but also incredibly flavorful: kitchen scraps. Vegetable and herb scraps, along with hard cheese rinds like Parmesan, are magical flavoring agents.

Picture this: You bring out a big tub of ice cream at your backyard barbecue or pool party, and after it’s been scooped and distributed, it gets forgotten about as guests go back to swimming, lounging, and chatting. There the tub sits in the summer heat, and pretty soon it’s a sticky, drippy mess. Better throw it back in the freezer to refreeze for next time, right? Wrong. There are a few foods that you should never refreeze and unfortunately ice cream is one of them.

There’s no denying our love for raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries, but there’s a whole world of berries beyond them worth exploring. The thing is, you probably won’t find them at your local grocery store or even the farmers market. These berries are more likely found along roadsides and in your friends’ backyards. To the naked eye, huckleberries look a whole lot like blueberries, but they’re actually quite different.

If you’ve ever had the chance to enjoy afternoon tea at a fancy hotel or tea room, you may have been lucky enough to be served clotted cream. Piled high on scones along with jam, it’s so decadent that it’s practically dessert. But what exactly is it? Clotted cream originated in the counties of Devon and Cornwall in southwest England. It’s made by indirectly heating full-fat cow’s milk in shallow pans over steam or a water bath.

As much as I love bread (and I do really love bread), I can never seem to get through a loaf fast enough. With just a household of two, we rarely make it through a whole loaf before it begins to harden and stale. So when I came across a tip for reviving stale bread on Bon Appétit’s website about a year ago, I was definitely intrigued. The only problem was that I was too skeptical to actually try it, as the tip seemed destined for failure. The reason I felt this way?

Expanding the way you make use of the blender can be a game-changer. (Say goodbye to store-bought hummus!) However, while the powerful engine and blades of a blender can handle a lot of things, there are a few things that shouldn’t make their way into this appliance. Here are seven items you shouldn’t toss in your blender.

Our choice of cooking fats that we employ in the kitchen seem to be constantly growing and evolving. Gone are the days when our choices were just butter or a bottle marked “vegetable oil.” Even all-purpose olive oil (extra-virgin or otherwise) is receiving some tough competition. Inspired by traditions from all over the world, we’re now experimenting with cooking fats like ghee, niter kibbeh, and coconut oil.

High-powered blenders like the Vitamix or Blendtec are powerful tools in the kitchen. They can do everything from making silky-smooth soup to blending the ultimate morning smoothie to churning out homemade nut butter. As incredible as these machines are, they come with one slightly annoying quality: They are extra loud. With such a powerful motor, these types of blenders blend at a much higher volume than traditional ones, which can come as a bit of a surprise the first time you use one.

I currently have no less than half a dozen jars of honey in my pantry. Yes, some might call that a bit of an addiction, but that hasn’t stopped my collection from growing. They’re all different varietals, from orange blossom to chestnut to even wild raspberry. I drizzle them on yogurt, stir them into cocktails, and bake with them. Over time, however, I’ve found some of my honey begins to crystalize in the jar.

Every time I go to cut a winter squash, I find myself holding my breath. Because no matter how sharp my knife is, cutting through its thick skin and dense flesh is never an easy task. So if there’s a way to not risk slicing my fingers off every time I want to cook up a winter squash, be it butternut, acorn, spaghetti, or kabocha, then sign me up. That’s why I immediately had to try this tip for making cutting easier.

I’ve been without a microwave for the majority of my adult life, but when we moved into our current apartment a couple years ago, there was already one installed into the kitchen. While I was a bit put-off by it (I’d been a proud, anti-microwaving human after all!), my now-fiancé was elated — because as far as he was concerned, he could finally reheat food the easy way again.

Take a walk through the freezer section at any grocery store and you’re likely find almost an entire aisle devoted to microwavable meals. From rice bowls to mac and cheese to lasagna — the options are endless. But even the ones that claim to be nutritious or healthful don’t beat an equally quick meal made at home with the aid of the microwave.

I don’t know about you, but if there was a competition for most-used appliance in my kitchen, my waffle iron would easily come in last place. In fact, it wouldn’t even be a competition at all — one look at the dust collecting on it and all bets are off. The good news for waffle irons around the world is that there are people who are much more clever than I am and have found ways to lift the waffle iron out of its single-use appliance stigma.