A dry run is where you run your smoker without any food. This will help you gauge how long it takes your smoker to reach a certain temperature. Write down how long it takes for your smoker to reach the right temperature. Keep this for future reference. Use a lid thermometer to keep track of the temperatures inside the smoker. Some smokers have built-in thermometers, but these can be off by 50F (10C). Some parts of a smoker are much hotter than others. If you place your thermometer near these areas, you won't get an accurate temperature reading. Some thermometers, especially electric ones, are just inaccurate or go bad. You should replace it when this happens. If the temperature inside the smoker does not match the temperature on the damper, you may have a leak. This is especially common among cheap, barrel-shaped smokers. The leaks typically occur around seams. Once you find them, seal them with gaskets or food-safe silicone. If sealing leaks did not help, try using the exhaust damper instead of the bottom ones to adjust the temperature. If the inside of the bowl or ash catcher are dirty, you will have poor airflow, which can affect the temperature. The bottom damper should also be clean to reduce clogs. If it is clogged, then you won't have enough oxygen reaching your fire, resulting in low temperatures. If your smoker tends to run too hot, leave it smoky and greasy inside. This will make it less reflective and allow it to radiate heat outside the smoker. If it is a hot or windy day, close the intake damper to reduce the temperature inside the smoker. If it is a cold day, open the damper in increase the temperature. If that doesn't help, try the following: Hot day: move the smoker out of sunlight or shield it with a canopy or patio umbrella. Cold day: have extra fuel handy. Windy day: work downwind or move the smoker next to a wall to shield it. If your intake damper is open and the temperature has not changed for several hours, give the charcoal or firewood a stir. If that doesn't help, add some more charcoal or firewood. Switch up the brand of fuel. Sometimes, that is all that you need to do. Not all brands are created equal. Lump charcoal tends to burn hotter and faster than coal briquettes. If the smoke is white, the wood may not be burning properly. Open the intake damper to allow more oxygen and create a hotter fire.
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One-sentence summary -- Perform a dry run the first time you use the smoker. Make sure that the thermometer is away from the edge of the grate. Search for leaks if the temperature is inaccurate. Ensure that the smoker is clean. Adjust the intake damper on hot, cold, or windy days. Check the fuel if the temperature is not rising fast enough.

Use a spoon to check the thickness of this mixture. Allow it a few minutes to cool if you want to do a taste test. If you are happy with the taste and consistency, then you are done. If you are not happy with the consistency, then you can thin it out with water or thicken it with more cornstarch. If you find that the sauce created by the cornstarch and liquid is too thick, you can add some water to thin it out. Start by adding another 1/4 cup (59 mL) of water. Taste it and then add more water if needed. You may need to heat up and stir the mixture again after you add water. You can add more cornstarch to the sauce if you find that it is not thick enough. Simply repeat the process, but use slightly less cornstarch and water than you initially used. Keep in mind that repeating this process too many times can break down the recipe due to the use of heat. Cornstarch is one of the thickening agents that contains the least amount of fat. Fat often adds flavor to a recipe, so you may find that the recipe is less flavorful than desired after it has been thickened. If this is the case, add extra seasoning or other ingredients to the recipe to make the flavor more pleasing. Add seasoning, like salt, in small increments to avoid over-salting or over-seasoning the recipe.
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One-sentence summary -- Check the consistency of the cornstarch and liquid mixture. Thin out the cornstarch and liquid mixture with water. Add more cornstarch to the recipe. Alter the taste of the recipe if necessary.

Many Cockatoos love the water, and they will dive right into a bowl of lukewarm bowl of water if you provide it. The bowl should be very shallow, as they cannot swim and can drown in only inches of water. They'll also love showers, which you can provide with a shower head or a watering can. Just start sprinkling it on your bird, and you will see it light up with excitement. If your bird does not enjoy showers or water in general, do not fret it. Forcing it upon them will cause unhealthy stress reactions. Not showering will create more dander, but will not harm the bird. When showering your bird, make sure the shower stream isn't too strong. It's best to bathe or shower your bird out of its cage, so you don't get water all over the cage. To trim your bird's nails, first you'll need to get a powdered clotting agent and guillotine-type trimmer for cats or small dogs. Have a helper hold the bird with a towel over its head, grasping the bird's body gently but firmly in 2 hands. Examine the bird's feet and look for the quick, the small pink vein running through it. Clip off the end of the nail, avoiding the quick. If you hit the quick and your bird starts to bleed, put the clotting powder on it. You can find the powder at most drug stores and pet stores. You can also use corn starch. If you are worried about cutting too deeply you can also use a small Dremel tool such is used for cats and dogs, which uses a rotating disk of sandpaper. Use in short bursts to avoid the nail becoming too hot and burning the bird's toe. Trimming keeps your bird healthy and also keeps you from getting accidentally scratched. Your veterinarian can do this for you if you don't feel comfortable doing it. You shouldn't try to trim a bird's beak by yourself. You can cut it into the wrong shape or get severely bitten. Plus, your vet will know if it needs trimming or not, and sometimes, a long beak can indicate a health condition. Find a veterinarian who specializes in birds.
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One-sentence summary --
Give your bird a shower or bath at least once a week, if they'll allow it. Trim the bird's claws every 3-6 months. Take your bird to the vet for beak trimming once a year.