I am trying to find a cooking and a baking class in NYC  for my 11 year old daughter.  Other than the CIA, what do you recommend?

–Carol

Check out Cupcake Kids and Cook with Class. Both of them over set programs for tweens but can also create a special program for a group if you'd like to put one together. Friends of ours have raved about both! Oh, and don't forget about the Institute of Culinary Education, which also offers a whole host of kids' classes.

My daughter likes to make fancy cupcakes. What's a good cookbook that would make it pretty easy for us to do?

–Jen

Alyssa's daughter loves Hello, Cupcake! Don't be put off by the fancy cupcakes on the cover--what's inside is much simpler and each cupcake design is broken down into really easy-to-follow steps. Pull this one out for a rainy-day playdate...sure to be a big hit.

I have an 11 year old daughter who loves to cook and bake.  I'm looking for an afternoon and/or weekend class(es) for her to take with a friend.  Do you know where I can find a more serious class than the 'kids in the kitchen" that she took as a child? Thanks.

–Carol

Three places to try: Institute of Culinary Education does have some classes for tweens as does Chef Rob at Cook with Class. Another option (though we have no first-hand experience) is the Natural Gourmet Institute for Food and Health. We know adults who've taken classes there and said they were great so it might be worth a try. Bon Appetit!

All of my cookie sheets and baking pans are kind of nasty and I can't seem to scrub off the old Pam residue. Short of getting new ones, any way to save these?

–Dina

If you (or someone you know) has a self-cleaning oven, this is the ticket. Pop the cookie sheets into the oven, set it to the clean cycle, and it pretty much burns off all the crud. If you can't find anyone with a self-cleaning oven, then it's worth a trip to Costco.