Q: I recently baked two cakes in two different Bundt pans (one was stoneware, the other a dark, non-stick) and both cakes stuck!  I'm very frustrated.  What could I have done to keep the cakes from sticking?
—Sheila S.

A:  This is a common problem, Sheila, but the fix is pretty straightforward.  Here are a couple of tips from Test Kitchen Director Lyda Burnette and Assistant Test Kitchen Director Rebecca Gordon.

Lyda Burnette: I actually had the same problem this weekend with a regular Bundt pan.  I let the cake stand upside down in the pan on a cooling rack overnight -- the next morning, with a thump on the bottom from my fist, it came right out.  My advice: Really grease the inside of your pan with shortening.

Rebecca Gordon: I always tell folks to liberally grease their pans with shortening, then dust with flour (making sure to hit all the small crevasses).  You might even try using a cooking spray for baking, which has flour in it.

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Q: I like soft cookies, but the cookies I bake are always hard.  I've tried reducing the bake time, but as soon as they cool down, the cookies go from soft to too crisp.  Help.
—Rosa R.

A:  Here are several tips from our Food staff:
From Test Kitchen Professional Kristi Crowe (who has a PhD in food science): Try replacing some of your white sugar with brown sugar. The moisture in the sugar affects the chewiness of cookies and brown sugar has more moisture than granulated sugar.

photo: All-Time Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

Welcome to the brand-spankin' new "Ask the Test Kitchen" category. 

Here's your chance to pick the brains of our expert Food staff for answers to your most puzzling and perplexing kitchen dilemmas.  Whether baking, frying, grilling -- you name it -- it's wide open. 

We'll even help you figure out if your baking powder's still good...or how to pick the right wine for the right occasion...or what to do with that bag of fresh figs your neighbor just gave you. 

Bottom line -- we're here to help!  So ask away...

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If you regularly follow my blog, you know that two of my passions are running and wine--and depending on the time of year and my training schedule, one is ever-so-slightly more important than the other. 

Right now, I'm in the middle of training for the Chicago Marathon this October (check out my Team World Vision page), so I've had to temporarily cut back on my enological field study in lieu of more electrolyte-rich beverages, but I still like to relax with a glass or two of wine on the weekend.