[booker]

This is how I have always understood it:

Steeping grains have the starch already converted or there is no potential to extract fermentable sugars. There is no enzymatic activity taking place. Essentially, they are for flavor, color, body, etc. So, technically Gwill is steeping.

Partial mash (or mini mash) is the active conversion of the starches in the grains to sugar.

I've always used white buckets, they are easy to clean, fairly tough, and they store stacked in each other, which save space. To each their own. I've brewed quite a few types (California common is still my favorite), but now I'm trying to convince the boss that we should go with kegging instead of bottles. While I like drinking from bottles, it is a PITA. Besides, drinking from a growler is much better.