With Opaque bottoms having less mass and essentially retaining less heat; would it be more beneficial in the case of cold starts?

We feel you will get pretty much the same effect with an opaque bottom compared to a standard.

We do feel that in all honesty, a thin wall will get up to temp faster than a thick wall or opaque wall.  But will need heat sooner to keep it proper.

We find the dab dish in the Silver Surfer to work great as the heat is always there so you get the perfect temperature all the time.