Reference

Kitchen glossary

Plain-English definitions of the kitchen gear terms used across our buying guides.

Rated wattage: The power a motor or heating element sustains in normal use. Some brands advertise peak wattage (a brief surge number) instead; rated wattage is the honest figure for comparing blenders, mixers, and ovens.
Usable capacity: How much food an appliance actually cooks well at once, as opposed to the total container volume on the box. An air fryer basket rated at 6 quarts crisps closer to 4 quarts of food without steaming it.
Preheating: Bringing an oven, skillet, or air fryer to target temperature before food goes in. It matters most for baking and searing, where the first contact with heat sets texture.
Sear: High-heat browning of a food's surface. It builds flavor through the Maillard reaction and needs a dry surface plus a pan or plate that holds heat when cold food lands on it.
Maillard reaction: The chemical reaction between amino acids and sugars above roughly 285°F (140°C) that creates browned, savory crusts. It is why preheated cast iron outperforms a cold nonstick pan for steaks.
HRC (Rockwell hardness): The hardness scale used for knife steel. Everyday kitchen knives run 54–61 HRC: harder steel holds an edge longer but chips more easily and takes more effort to sharpen.
Full tang: A knife construction where the steel blade extends the full length of the handle. It adds balance and durability, though well-made partial-tang knives can still perform well.
Clad cookware: Pans built from bonded layers of metal, typically stainless steel over an aluminum or copper core. The core spreads heat evenly; the stainless surface resists reactions with acidic food.
Seasoning (cast iron): The polymerized oil layer baked onto cast iron and carbon steel. It provides rust protection and partial nonstick performance, and it builds with regular cooking rather than a single treatment.
Induction: Cooking by magnetic field: the pan itself becomes the heat source. It requires magnetic cookware (cast iron and most stainless steel work; plain aluminum does not) and offers fast, precise control.
Sous vide: Cooking vacuum-sealed food in a precisely controlled water bath. An immersion circulator holds the water within a fraction of a degree, so food cooks evenly edge to edge.
Proofing: Letting yeast dough rise in a warm, humid environment. Bread makers and some ovens include a proof setting around 80–95°F (27–35°C) to keep the rise on schedule.
Dehydrate: Removing moisture from food with warm, moving air at low temperatures (95–165°F / 35–74°C). It preserves fruit, herbs, and jerky and concentrates flavor.
Pulse function: Short motor bursts on blenders and food processors. Pulsing gives control over texture, breaks up large pieces before continuous blending, and prevents over-processing.