A Ground beef should be used within two days of purchase. Be sure to check the use by information on the package label before purchase. You can store ground beef safely in your refrigerator at 35 to 40 degrees, for one to two days. If you can't use it within that time, freeze it.
Quick loaf pans. Most quick loaf recipes (banana bread, zucchini bread) are written for 9 x 5 x 2 3/4-inch pans, a traditionally shaped loaf pan that's just slightly larger than a yeast bread loaf pan. Caveat emptor: Using a yeast loaf pan for a quick bread recipe may result in batter overflowing the pan. Likewise, using a quick bread pan for a yeast loaf recipe may result in a loaf that doesn't dome. These pans, though similar in size and shape, are not interchangeable. Quick loaves also can be baked in a longer, narrower pan (about 12 x 4 x 2 1/2 inches).
Because of the difference in available pan sizes, half sheet cakes come in a variety of sizes. A half sheet cake from a bakery is often larger, and serves more people, than a typical sheet cake baked at home. A half sheet cake from a bakery can measure 15 inches by 11 inches, 15 1/2 by 10 1/2 or 16 by 12 inches. Unless a special half sheet pan is used, the typical sheet cake baked at home measure only 13 inches by 9 inches. A bakery-size half sheet cake typically serves between 18 and 40 people, depending on the size of the slices.