"why do they sell insulated?" Well, they are in the business to sell, and usually what sells is the "new and improved", whether it really is or not. As far as what to cook, I can't guess. BTW, the gold/dark/insulated/etc cookie sheets aren't the best either. The plain old 1/2 heavy aluminum sheet pans from the restaurant supply store are the best. I suspect that it's the iPhone/"latest and greatest" mind-set that sells most kitchen items.

I have many different types of loaf pans and nothing is exclusive to bread except probably the metal ones. If I made meatloaf I would make it in a pyrex type pan. And in the metal category, I have el cheapos that work perfectly fine and pricey gold pans from WS that work about the same. You should be able to get two non stick (preferable for many types of bread) metal pans for under 12 dollars. I see big sets of bakeware for under 15 all the time. Overstock has a nice metal loaf pan for 8.69 and similar items are on Amazon and Wal Mart. TJMaxx has ceramic loaf pans for under ten most of the time and I have bought most of my polish pottery there cheapish, including loaf pans, which are aesthetically pleasing to me. I'm not a thrift store kind of gal (dh is though) as I hate the way those places smell and wading through garbage that is priced like it's gold. I'd rather dig through stuff at Tj.

It really will depend on the recipe. If you're making a yeast bread you'll have a cold cast iron pan and there's going to be a certain amount of time for the pan itself to absorb heat. Once the heat is absorbed it will brown beautifully and you will find the bread has a wonderful crust. But for a quick bread (i.e. cornbread) you can preheat the pan if you wish. That will give you a quick burst of heat and faster results. You're just going to have to play with the pan and make notes per each recipe until you get a sense of how the pan works for your favorites. Carol

A standard recipe for one dozen muffins makes about three dozen mini-muffins and requires approximately 10-15 minutes baking time (use the same temperature called for in the recipe). As with all muffins, fill the cups 2/3-3/4 full. Although you didn't ask (I'll add this for free should you get jumbo muffin tins), the same recipe for a dozen standard-size muffins can be baked in a 6-cup jumbo muffin pan and requires about 20-25 minutes baking time. What size are your small loaf pans? For yeast breads, weigh your dough: 7-1/2x3-1/2" - 2-1/2 c. flour or up to 1-pound of dough 5-3/4x3-3/4" - 1-1/2 c. flour or up to 8-ounces of dough 4-1/2x2-1/2 - 3/4 c. flour or up to 6-ounces of dough Yeast bread is baked to an internal temperature of 195-210 degrees F. Take the temperature with an instant read thermometer. The small 4-1/2x2-1/2" are probably done when they are between 190-195 degrees F., which is the same temperature for yeast rolls (dinner rolls, burger/sandwich buns, etc.). If you use your mini-loaf pans for quick breads, fill them 2/3 to 3/4 full. You can also use your mini-muffin tins for making small cinnamon rolls, sticky pecan rolls and dinner rolls. Just keep in mind the amount of dough you place in each mini-muffin cup should be approximately 1/3 of the size of the baked roll. A dough log for cinnamon rolls will be about the diameter of a quarter, or about as large as the circle formed when you press your index finger to your thumb. Cut each roll about 1/2-3/4 of an inch thick. The dough ball for dinner rolls will also be about that same size, or about 1/2-ounce of dough. -Grainlady