I look forward to the first zucchini of the season almost as much spring’s first asparagus. Taut, crunchy and with an almost grassy taste, the small, early zucchinis have a concentrated flavor without the diffuse bloat of their overgrown siblings. Of course, the vegetable gardeners among us have all summer to take their pick of the tiniest, perkiest zucchini, but those of us at the mercy of the market will have to find the smallest ones we can and cook them right away, when still at their brightest and best.

One marvelous way to showcase your little zukes is Eric Kim’s new recipe for cold noodles with zucchini. He stir-fries zucchini half-moons until they’re browned, not mushy, then tosses them with a savory blend of garlic powder, fish sauce, maple syrup and soy sauce. The secret ingredient here is ice, which quickly cools the noodles and makes the sauce brothy and cold enough to freshen a July evening.

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Cold Noodles With Zucchini

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Ali Slagle doesn’t specifically call for zucchini in her adaptable recipe for chicken fried rice, but I’m planning to add some anyway. She uses ground chicken because it’s easier to infuse with the aromatic scallions, ginger and garlic, and it caramelizes beautifully without toughening. A pop of chile sauce, vinegar or MSG at the end lifts the dish further, giving it an impeccable zing.

Right next to the zucchini at my local farmers’ market I’ve already spied the season’s first ears of corn, and Alexa Weibel has a way to take full nose-to-tail advantage of them, as it were. She uses both kernels and cobs to make her five-star caramelized corn and asparagus pasta, dolloped with creamy ricotta. The corncobs add a hint of sweetness to the pasta water, which Lex balances with a splash of dry Vermouth (dry white wine works well, too) and a pinch of earthy turmeric in the sauce. She says the lemon zest and juice at the end is optional; I wouldn’t skip it, as it really helps bring all the flavors together.

For a speedy, no-cook recipe on the pescatarian side, I can’t wait to dive into Kristina Felix’s spicy tuna and avocado tostadas. You’ve already given this new recipe five stars, and I can see why. A bit like a combination of guacamole and tuna salad, it uses a tart dressing of serrano and lime to balance the richness of the avocado. Pile this colorful mix on a tostada or serve it with some totopos on the side. Don’t forget a dash of hot sauce for a fiery, vinegary bite.

If you want something hearty and meaty, try Samantha Seneviratne’s panko-crusted pork tenderloin with tahini slaw. It resembles a schnitzel or Milanese, in that slices of meat are dipped in seasoned crumbs and fried until crisp. But Sam adds minced parsley stems and Dijon to the breading to boost the flavor and serves the golden, porky morsels with a red cabbage slaw doused in a citrusy tahini dressing. It’s a flexible preparation that would be just as stunning with chicken breasts or fish fillets.

Time for a light and fruity dessert, don’t you think? David Tanis’s nectarines in lime syrup is an exercise in seasonal minimalism: Slices of ripe nectarines (no need to peel them) are soaked in a lime syrup that’s been spiked with orange liqueur. Calling for just four ingredients, it’s a fragrant and elegant way to cap off any summer meal.

As always, you’ll want to subscribe for all these smart recipes and so many more (in the realm of tens of thousands more). If you need any technical help, the brilliant people at cookingcare@nytimes.com are there for you. And I’m at hellomelissa@nytimes.com if you want to say hi.

That’s all for now, see you on Wednesday.

At Twelve, a waterfront restaurant in Portland, Maine, the hottest seat in the house is right by the plancha, where you pick up a few tricks (and a little perspiration) while watching line cooks prepare steak after steak. On a recent visit, Everette Allen, the chef at the protein station, made about a dozen strip steaks in an hour.

He seasoned each slab with salt, white crystals visible on the red meat. Then, he seared the steak’s fat cap running along its side by holding it up with tongs perpendicular to the hot metal plancha. After browning both sides of the steak, hard and fast in its own sizzling fat, he transferred it to the oven to finish cooking.

When Mr. Allen placed the dish in front of me, I knew I was in for something special.

For those nights when a chef isn’t making your steak dinner — and when you don’t want to turn on the oven at home — a stovetop butter baste is the way to go.

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The simple method, a classic French technique called arroser, or to baste, involves searing the steak, then adding butter and aromatics like garlic and fresh herbs, and tilting the pan to spoon the pooled butter repeatedly over the meat to gradually bring the internal temperature up to about 120 degrees. As it rests off the heat, the steak will continue rising in temperature to reach a lovely medium-rare. Butter basting your steak helps you achieve an even, rosy pink interior, juicy and full of promise, rather than a distinct red line in the center, which is often tough and somehow both hot and cold at the same time (like seared ahi tuna, and not in a good way).

Hannah Ryder, the chef de cuisine of Twelve, said butter basting works only when the butter is “hot and foaming,” so that its high heat can help elevate the temperature within the steak, as well as form a nice crust. If your butter isn’t foamy, she said, “you’re kind of just washing away that sear with flat butter,” which is watery. Another definition for arroser, in French, is “to water,” but that’s not what we want with steak cookery.

In fact, Ms. Ryder suggests listening for “the little popping of the thyme leaves,” a good indicator that your butter is hot enough for a proper baste.

Here’s one more tip: The No. 1 trick to cooking steak at home is hiding all of your smoke detectors. “No matter what, that thing will go off,” Ms. Ryder said. (Of course, put them back right afterward.) All this to say, you need high heat to cook a great steak at home. But that’s only half of it: You also need a gentler, more even heat, in the form of an oven or, as in this recipe, a tried-and-true butter baste.

When a seared steak is finished with a hot shower of fat, its center cooks gently and evenly, and its outsides develop a bronze crust infused with whatever you choose to add. In this recipe, ginger, garlic and herbs lend their aromas, and the ginger leeches out its sugars, which caramelize, making the pan sauce shiny and sticky. It’s an overall effect that a quick and hard sear alone cannot duplicate.

While the steak rests, raw asparagus can be stir-fried in the savory pan juices. A splash of soy brings you home, especially once served with white rice to soak up the beef’s buttery remnants, and a spritz of lime resuscitates the palate coated in fat.

This steak might not make you feel as if you’re in a restaurant, because you’ve cooked it yourself. But you’ll appreciate the taste, and the view. It’s the hottest seat in the house.