Q: I want to start using coconut oil in some gluten-free baking but cannot find specific instructions. Can you confirm that when a recipe calls for 1/4 cup coconut oil, it means melted to liquid form? Also, is there a good method for liquefying the coconut oil?

Sent by Kara

Q: What's a fool-proof recipe to win a bake-off at work? I need a great recipe that will impress in one bite. It has to be able to be prepared the night before and sit out for at least an hour (so no ice cream or frozen desserts). It also has to be cut into bite-size pieces.

Sent by Megan

Q: I lost my recipe for spinach casserole with Boursin cheese. I make it every Easter. Can you help me? Please!!!

Sent by Alegria

Q: I am having a dinner party for a friend this weekend who has requested an olive oil cake, but who cannot have lemon or orange juice. Is there a way to make this recipe without citrus? What is the purpose of citrus in an olive oil cake recipe?

Sent by Janelle

Q: The lumps you see in the picture were once dark chocolate pieces from one of the top chocolate brands, and had an expiration date of May 2012. They were stored in the pantry all this time and forgotten... Tastes fine to me today (no rancid smell/taste, etc) but I'm wondering if they're still ok?

Sent by Nisha

Q: I cannot eat dairy and love to bake. But the recipes I usually find without dairy are often vegan (without eggs/honey which are fine for me) or gluten-free (which contain a lot of ingredients I cannot get). Do you have any good baking recipes that just do not contain dairy?

Sent by Janelle

Q: I am about to venture into making cupcakes! I must say I am a little worried. Is there a basic cake recipe I can build upon to my taste and the icings can I infuse flavors like key lime strawberry, peach etc. into it?

Sent by Juanita

Q: Whenever I use baking soda, my eyes always fall guiltily on the packaging, which tells me that I should buy a new box every month. As much as I bake, there's no way I could go through an entire box of baking soda in a month, so it seems wasteful to follow their instructions unless there's a real reason. 

Q: I recently fell in love with making my own kimchi, which uses a tablespoon of salted shrimp in each batch. While I now have a lot of amazing kimchi, I also have a jar of salted shrimp in my fridge. It's something that I want to use, but I have no clue where to start. Help!

Sent by Amy

Q: How do I read The Kitchn and other food blogs now that Google Reader is going away? Google Reader is perfect because I can easily skip any post that doesn't interest me or click through to anything that does. It's available on my computer and on my phone. What's a good replacement?