Q: My experience with tea kettles has not been the best. One of my tea kettles started rusting and chipping paint into the water and the handle of the other kettle broke. I would love some advice from other readers about what tea kettles work and last a long time. More

I am in the process of setting up a new kitchen, with all the decisions, indecisions, and rearrangements that settling into a new cooking space entails. Every time I start in a new space, there's fresh resolve to fix the things that drove me crazy in the last one. This time, for instance, I decided to create order out of the tangled mess of my measuring spoons. Here's how I organized them, and why. More

I have been unpacking in my new kitchen over the past month, and as I hung up my aprons I considered what a stack of them I have, and how infrequently I actually wear them. I find that I often feel constricted with an apron around my neck, and opt to wear casual, easily washed t-shirts and jeans in the kitchen instead of fussing with an apron. What about you? Do you always wear an apron? If so, why? Or do you eschew the apron for daily cooking but throw on a frilly one when you have company?

This old 8-inch round pan is the cake pan I reach for above all others for the simple reason that I know whatever cake I make in it will come out neatly and easily. Why? Because of the slider bar, which completely rotates around the pan, neatly separating the bottom and sides of the cake from the pan. Once a more common feature, it's rare (although not impossible) to find the slider bar feature these days. Have you ever used one? More

Q: For Christmas, I was lucky enough to receive my very first Le Creuset (4 1/2-quart French Oven) from my sister. Now I need recipes that will put it to good use. Help?

Sent by Jamie More

I have always scorned the over-the-range microwave. "Never!" I would say, holding out for a kitchen with a beautiful range and equally stunning range hood overhead. Now, cut to the reality of my old, prewar house's tiny kitchen: More

There is no lack of tips and tutorials for seasoning cast iron, but very few of them actually explain the science behind the process — which is a shame, since knowing a little more about complicated-sounded scientific terms like "polymerization" and "drying oil" can help you choose the best oil for creating a hard, smooth, impermeable non-stick surface on your cast iron cookware. More

Q: I received a 1930's cast iron pan cleaned and ready to use, but it gives off a nasty smell when I use it. Could this be from whatever cleaned it, or from the decades of frying meats and other savories in there? It also gives a very, shall we say, earthy flavor to the meals I make. Any advice?

Sent by A. More

Let me begin this post by admitting that I'm far from an expert on knives. Until quite recently, we had few that were worth even picking up, but I invested in two winners and Santa left one under the tree so things are starting to look up around here. Knives can be a tricky thing to buy because department store sets often include repeats of what you already own, or knives that may not be useful for your cooking style. And then there are the choices, the brands, the pricing. There's so much to know. More

Packing up the holiday cookies cutters always makes me a little sad that the season— and its ever-present excuse for pulling out butter and sugar — is at an end. Not feeling quite ready to part with your Christmas stars and gingerbread men? Take some inspiration from The Food Network and put your cookie cutters to use in other clever ways around the kitchen. More