Plain-English definitions for the words buyers and makers hit in our world — hanging weight, baker's percentage, feed conversion, COGS, AWG, superfat — with examples, dos/don'ts, and the math they plug into.
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Everyday kitchen math — scale recipes, convert units, plan meals, nail ferments.
Baker's Percentage
Every ingredient in a bread recipe expressed as a percent of flour weight. Flour is always 100%. Water 65-75%, salt ~2%, levain 15%.
Brine
A salt-water solution (wet brine) or salt rub (dry brine) that seasons and tenderizes meat by denaturing proteins and pulling moisture in.
Maillard Reaction
The browning chemistry between amino acids and sugars at 300°F+. Responsible for the crust on seared steak, bread, coffee, and roast vegetables.
Sourdough Starter
A live culture of wild yeast and lactic-acid bacteria kept alive by regular flour + water feedings. The leavening engine for sourdough bread.
Production, pricing, and planning math for growers, bakers, and makers.
CSA
Community Supported Agriculture — members pay up-front for a share of a farm's harvest, delivered weekly through a season.
Dressing Percentage
Ratio of hanging (dressed) weight to live weight. Beef typically 60-64%, pork 72-76%, lamb 48-52%.
Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR)
Pounds of feed required to produce one pound of live-weight gain. Beef ~6-10:1, pork ~2.8:1, broiler chicken ~1.8:1.
Grass-Finished
Beef (or lamb) raised and finished entirely on pasture and forage, never grain. Different from "grass-fed" which requires only partial pasture.
Organic Certification
USDA Organic label requires 3 years of organic soil management, no synthetic pesticides, no GMOs, and third-party annual audit.
Bulk-buying math for real life — hanging vs take-home weight, freezer fit, meat per person.
Dry-Aged Beef
Beef aged on an open rack in a humidity-controlled cooler for 21-45+ days — moisture evaporates, flavor concentrates, enzymes tenderize.
Hanging Weight
The weight of a butchered animal after hide, head, and viscera are removed — but before cuts and trim. What most farmers price on.
Marbling
Intramuscular fat flecks inside a muscle — drives flavor, juiciness, and USDA quality grade.
Primal Cut
The first major division of a carcass — chuck, rib, loin, round on beef. Every steak and roast is subdivided from a primal.
Take-Home Weight
The actual packaged meat that ends up in your freezer — after the butcher cuts bone, trim, and fat from the hanging carcass.
Maker math for woodworking, sewing, soap, candles, pottery, leather, jewelry, and design.
AWG (American Wire Gauge)
Standard US wire thickness system. Smaller number = thicker wire. 10 AWG is thick structural; 30 AWG is fine beading wire.
Board Foot
Lumber volume unit: 144 cubic inches. A 1"-thick × 12"-wide × 1-ft-long board is 1 board foot.
Gauge (Knitting)
Stitches per inch — the foundation of any knitting pattern. Match the pattern's gauge exactly or the garment will be the wrong size.
Karat vs Carat
Karat is gold purity (24K = pure). Carat is gemstone weight (1 ct = 200 mg). Same pronunciation, different measurements.
Kerf
The width of material a saw blade removes with each cut. Table saw ~1/8", bandsaw ~1/32", laser ~1/100".
Superfat
The percentage of oils in soap that are left unsaponified — uncombined with lye. Adds moisture and buffers the bar.
Pricing, margin, and break-even math for small food businesses.
COGS
Cost of Goods Sold — every cost directly tied to making and delivering one unit: materials, labor, packaging, shipping, processing fees.
Keystone Pricing
Classic retail pricing formula: sell at 2× wholesale cost. Yields a 50% margin (100% markup).
Markup vs Margin
Markup is cost-based (price / cost). Margin is price-based (profit / price). A 50% markup is a 33% margin — not the same.
Sales Tax Nexus
The legal trigger that requires you to collect sales tax in a state. Physical presence creates nexus; so does exceeding the state's economic threshold.
Daily energy, macros, and hydration for healthy eating plans.
Footprint, waste, and composting math for greener kitchens.