Starches offer a low-fat, simple thickening alternative for sauces that is especially suitable for beginning cooks. You can even add a dash of herbs or spices to starch slurries to make them more flavorful. Starch thickeners are mostly flavorless, but they can give sauces an artificial sheen, making them less popular for stews or meat gravies. Cornstarch is inexpensive, readily available, and best for dairy-based sauces. Do not use cornstarch if you plan on freezing a sauce for later use, however, as cornstarch creates a spongy texture in sauce upon freezing. Combine 1 tablespoon (8 g) of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of cold water in a small bowl. With a whisk, blend them together until smooth. Gradually whisk the mixture into your cooked sauce that needs thickening. Continue stirring and cooking the sauce over medium to medium-high heat. Bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and stir the sauce for an additional two minutes, allowing the cornstarch to completely finish cooking and thickening. If you don't cook your starches, they can leave an aftertaste in your sauce. The longer you cook your sauce or soups, though, the better the flavor will be. Arrowroot is best for more acidic sauces, but avoid mixing arrowroot with dairy. However, you can use arrowroot when cooking with acidic dairy products like buttermilk. Arrowroot starch gives liquids a glossy appearance, making it especially desirable for dessert sauces or reductions. In a small bowl, mix equal parts of the arrowroot starch with cold water, whisking thoroughly to beat out any lumps. Add the arrowroot mixture to the already hot liquid and cook for 30 seconds at medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Remove the sauce from the heat, and allow it to finish thickening as it stands. If you are cooking pasta, potatoes, or another type of starch to go with your meal, set aside a cup of the water that you used to cook your starch. Working a spoonful at a time, stir your starch water into your simmering sauce, soup, or other liquid. Continue this process until you get your desired thickness.
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One-sentence summary -- Use cornstarch in sauce. Use arrowroot starch to thicken liquids. Add starch water to sauces and soups.

LinkedIn displays how often your profile appears in search, and what people are looking for when they find you. By adding more details about what you are doing, you can directly see how many more people are finding you online. The more contacts you add, the more people will see your updates. They tend not to be commented on like a Facebook post, but they are widely read. Use the same caveats as in any social media posting. The most important posts you can make to spread your personal brand are to LinkedIn groups that consist of professionals like yourself. They are most likely to be interested in what you post, and take action (should you want them to). " Influencers can have followers and their posts can be featured on LinkedIn Today. Influencers also can write mini blog posts that include images, which also boosts your readership. . There are ways to show LinkedIn that you are an influencer. You can tie your personal blog to LinkedIn so LinkedIn knows your readership carries over to LinkedIn. If you want to try to become an Influence, you can email to influencers@linkedin.com. Another good method is to hit someone who works at LinkedIn with a LinkedIn message.
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One-sentence summary -- Appear on Google and other searches. Don't add people you don't know, but continue to build out your contacts. Post updates to your LinkedIn contacts periodically. Contribute to the right LinkedIn groups. Know that the most visibility you can get is if LinkedIn designates you as an "Influencer. LinkedIn's criteria for becoming an influence has been changing, and is currently officially closed.

Though some believe a muzzle to be inhumane, many trainers regard it as a suitable tool for a suitable purpose, just like a dog collar or a leash. If you have trouble with your dog pursuing chickens with the intent to kill or eat them, a muzzle will make training safest for all of your animals. If your dog is especially excitable, you may want to keep him on a leash until he becomes calmer around your birds. Take him with you on your feeding chores to help him become even more accustomed to the chickens and the chickens more accustomed to him. Exercise simple commands like the compound sit-stay. You may want to practice this while entering the chicken coop to fetch your eggs, which has the added benefit of teaching your dog not to invade the boundary of the chicken coop. You can do this by rubbing down your chickens with damp cloth and putting that cloth in your dog's bed or pen. Dogs have a powerful sense of smell, so the scent of the chickens, when unfamiliar, can cause a strong reaction. While outside with your dog, you may see your chickens and/or roosters fighting. This is not especially uncommon, but can leave a valuable member of your egg laying team out of commission. With your dog on its lead, run towards the fighting animals and break up the scuffle. Once you have pulled the birds apart, practice one of your basic commands, or, if you've trained your dog in it, use the safe command. By showing your dog what to do in the event of a chicken fight, and rewarding him for helping you break it up, you will begin to teach him to run to help whenever he hears a chicken in distress. Your dog already has a keen sense of some wildlife predators, but crows and chicken hawks can be just as dangerous to younger birds and chicks as a fox. Together with your dog on his lead, shoo away crows or any other birds of prey. After you have successfully chased away the birds, praise your dog and feed him a treat. This will positively reinforce the behavior to protect chickens from birds of prey. As your dog becomes more trustworthy and proves he understands your commands and also your expectations of how he should act around your birds, you should allow him to patrol for critters. Thanks to your training in how to break up a chicken fight, he will race to the sound of a chicken in distress and help. You can't expect your canine companion to keep the chickens in line if he's out of shape. Go for regular walks, continue short, rapid fire training sessions, and show your dog he's a beloved part of your pack.
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One-sentence summary --
Consider a muzzle. Introduce your dog to chickens in the coop, gradually. Familiarize your dog with chicken scent. Teach your dog to break up rooster fights. Raise awareness in your dog of chicken predators. Allow your dog to patrol for raccoons. Exercise your dog.