A reader has asked: My ground cinnamon is fading. Is there any way to perk up the flavor? I hate to throw it all away.

A reader has asked: Can I use a meat thermometer to judge whether cakes and breads are done? Inserting a toothpick never seems very accurate to me.

A reader has asked: Do you pack confectioners’ sugar like brown sugar when measuring it?

A reader has asked: What’s the one item in your kitchen you couldn’t live without?

A reader has asked: I’m expecting lots of guests over the holidays and would like to serve yeast-risen coffee cake for breakfast, but I don’t want to get up at the crack of dawn to make it. Can you recommend a schedule that would allow me to prepare the dough in the evening and bake it in the morning?

A reader has asked: I know ingredients for baking should be at room temperature, but I never know how long that will take. How long does it take for an egg or a stick of butter to come to room temperature after you remove it from the refrigerator?

A reader has asked: I love the flavor of biscotti, but I’d like to make a softer version. Any suggestions?

A reader has asked: What are the best rolls to make for sandwiches?

A reader has asked: I ran out of brown sugar the other day, and I was tempted to mix some regular white sugar with molasses, but I didn’t. Would that have worked?

A reader has asked: I keep my yeast in the freezer. Are there other ingredients I should store in there as well?

A reader has asked: I was making something the other day that called for a wooden dowel, but I don’t have one. What can I use in its place next time?

A reader has asked: I’d love to try making strudel. Is it very difficult?

A reader has asked: What is a tandoori oven?

A reader has asked: I know preheating the oven is important for, say, baking a cake, but does it really matter when I’m roasting meat or cooking a casserole?

A reader has asked: What’s the best way to butter a pan?

A reader has asked: This has always nagged at me: Why do so many sweet baked goods—all of them really—call for a little salt?

A reader has asked: How long will baking soda and baking powder stay active once opened?

A reader has asked: Settle a dispute: which babka is better, chocolate or cinnamon?

A reader has asked: My Italian-American mother made something called “wine cookies.” Have you heard of those? Are they for dunking in wine, or do they have wine in them?

A reader has asked: Why do some cakes cool in the pan and some cool on a rack?

A reader has asked: What are the best kinds of baking pans?