When you are baking breads, cakes or cookies, if you prefer a darker bottom or crust, use darker pans to bake them in. The dark pans absorb more heat and will brown your food item to a darker color.
If you prefer a lighter crust or bottom, stick to the shiny-silver or glass pans, as they absorb less or reflect the heat which directs it away from what you're baking. You'll end up with crusts and cookie bottoms that are lighter in color.
By Julia from Boca Raton, FL
This does work too. The way I remember it is dark pans for dark crusts and light pans for light crusts. You'd think the oven temperature would be all we would need to get the same results, but I just learned this about using different pans about a year ago. Really good tip. I'm glad to know that someone else uses it too.
