Just to follow up my OP. When I went to JC Penney, I ended up buying two pans. Penney's was having a huge sale on the Circulon 12" non-stick, originally $59, on sale for $17.99! So I bought that Circulon 12" pan, and also the Cooks Tri-Ply linked above, except in the 10" size. I decided I didn't like the handles on the Cooks hard-anodized, so that choice was out of the running. The 10" pan size is actually more practical, since I use it more frequently. But I am glad to have the 12" size for those times I have a big amount for the pan. Having now used both the Circulon and the Tri-Ply non-stick, I'd say the Tri-Ply is slightly preferable. Mostly for cleaning; they both cook equally well. The Circulon, with its tiny ridges (that help with the non-stick ability) is a slightly bit harder to clean cause you have to make sure all the ridges are clean. It's not a big deal, maybe another 30-45 seconds of cleaning over the Tri-Ply nonstick. Hope my post helps anyone else looking for non-stick pans that are inexpensive but still cook well. I know there is another thread on this Forum where someone doesn't like their T-Fal nonstick. I saw those T-Fals in the store, and felt they were really lightweight, compared to other pans in that same price ballpark. I am glad I chose the JC Penney's Cooks Tri-Ply, and would recommend it.

Wildchild, I don't use nonstick anything. But the color (as well as much flavor) comes from the oil you use, and, from what I understand, nonstick still requires some oil; only less of it I'm told. So, just a guess on my part, but I can't imagine why eggs would have a much different color cooked in nonstick versus other materials. If you really want to see color differences, check out free-range eggs vs. regular commercial eggs. >cast iron or carbon steel is the only way to goI don't think so. I use both, as well as stainless, and the food comes out pretty much the same in all three. In my experience, though, food is more likely to stick in the carbon steel than in any other material.

1. Have you checked your oven temperature with an oven thermometer? That's how you KNOW when your oven reaches the correct temperature for baking - not according to any certain amount of time or a magic pre-heat beep from the oven. Many ovens are out of calibration. Just because the knob or digital read-out says 350F, doesn't necessarily MEAN that's the actual temperature. You need to check the temperature with the oven thermometer where the baking is going to be done (such as the middle rack in the middle of the oven). In some ovens the temperature can differ from one rack to another, as well as from the front of the oven to the back. Baking muffins in an oven that is too hot will create asymmetrically shaped muffins. If the oven temperature is too cool, the muffins will be heavy and not rise correctly. Most muffins bake at 350°-400°F. Those temperatures vary according to the recipe and the type of batter used. 2. If the silicone muffin pans aren't working for you, then I'd suggest using standard metal pans. If you don't like the clean-up, use paper or foil muffin papers to line the muffin pans (metal OR silicone). Did you spray your muffin pan with PAM or other vegetable spray? That can discolor silicone (as well as metal pans), especially any over-spray on the surface top of the pan. I avoid PAM for spraying ANY type of pan - it's just nasty, gunky, stuff that builds up on the surface and is difficult to remove. Did you place the silicone muffin pan on a flat surface (a cookie sheet) during baking? There are different finishes on different brands of silicone bakeware, and some work better than others. 3. How did you mix your muffins? Only mix muffins until the dry ingredients are almost completely incorporated (even a small amount of dry ingreients still visible is okay - over-mixing ISN'T okay). DO NOT use an electric mixer because that results in too much gluten development and poor quality muffins. A wooden spoon or spatula will work fine, even a dinner fork is a good choice for mixing quick batters. A Danish Dough Whisk is actually one of the best investments for hand mixing (yeast breads, quick breads of all kinds, etc.). Your problem may partially be your mixing technique, oven temperature, as well as the pan. Wait to mix and pan muffin batter AFTER the oven has completed pre-heating. You never want the batter to be waiting for the oven to heat (that goes for all batters that have chemical leavening - soda/baking powder - in them.) Due to the type of leavening (baking powder), you need to quickly mix, pan, and get it into a hot oven to get maximum lift out of the leavening. Baking powder reacts twice, once when it is mixed with the liquid ingredients, and again when it hits the hot oven. It will lose it's UMPH the longer it sits waiting for the oven to pre-heat. 4. Normally, a bread machine only needs "babysitting" for the first 10 minutes or so of mixing/kneading until you are sure the dough has the correct hydration. You have to do that with ANY bread making technique, not just bread machines. I use a bread machine for nearly all my yeast breads anymore (dough only). It does a better job than either by-hand or stand mixers. King Arthur Test Kitchen uses Zojurishi BM for all their bread dough making for just those reasons. Patience is still a virtue, even in this ADD/ADHD world where people choose baby carrots so they don't have to peel and chop whole carrots, salad in a bag, instead of choosing the greens, washing and preparing them, and a whole generation who only "cook" using a microwave. Slow cooking is a lost art. -Grainlady

jakkom, I have carpal tunnel issues too, and that's why I like the old cast iron, my small cast iron pans from Griswold weigh abut the same as my newer Calphalon. My 8 inch Griswold weighs 2.5 lbs, almost a pound less than my 8 inch Lodge, which is newer. My 8 inch stainless steel Cuisinart pan weighs the same as the cast iron Griswold, 2.5 pounds, but the nonstick Calphalon weighs 1.5 pounds. I don't have an 8 inch Le Creuset, but I do have a 9 inch one, which weighs a whopping 4.2 pounds. That's just too heavy for me to use for something like eggs, I can't pick the things up to slide the eggs onto the plate, and the sloped sides aren't very good for picking up an egg with the spatula to place on a plate. The Lodge is a pound less, but not much easier on the wrists. Amazon tells me that an 8 inch Circulon pan weighs 1.8 pounds, only 7 ounces less than the Griswold. The real problem, of course, is that you can't just go out and buy an old Griswold skillet, you have to search and be very lucky, but a Circulon you can buy on Amazon. Truthfully, I think all nonstick skillets are "disposable", none of them last a really long time but they are inexpensive enough to not hurt your wallet too badly when you have to toss them and buy a replacement. Annie