How to Fix Common Cooking Mistakes
Some people love to cook, but unfortunately, not everyone is blessed with culinary prowess. As a beginning chef, you may find yourself falling for these common cooking mistakes. Have no fear, because there are easy ways to fix these mistakes that will bring your cooking from that of a novice to a seasoned home chef!
Over-Marinating Meat
It’s possible to over-marinate meat. Letting your meat sit too long in acid breaks down the proteins and ruins the texture. A good rule of thumb is to mix your acid, like citrus juice or vinegar, with oil in a ratio of 3 parts oil to 1 part acid. Keep the marinating time to an hour or two at most so that the meat doesn’t get mealy.
Cutting Meat Too Soon
As juicy and tempting as it looks, don’t slice into your steak right as soon as it’s done cooking. After it leaves the heat, let the meat sit for about ten minutes. That resting time gives the delicious juices time to redistribute so that when you do cut into it, they stay in the meat instead of going all over the cutting board.
Overcooking Vegetables
Overcooked greens have too often deterred many potential vegetable fans. If your vegetables do end up overcooked, give them a dip in ice water to stop the cooking process and help them firm up.
Overcrowding the Pan
Not having enough space in your pan will cause your food to steam and become mushy instead of browning and crisping properly. When sautéing, frying, or roasting, try not to let your food touch and always give it plenty of space. If you need to, try cooking in smaller batches at a time instead.
Cooking with the wrong oils
Different oils serve different purposes, but it’s a common mistake for people to think that one oil will fit all their uses. Some are better for high heat cooking, some are better for medium-heat cooking, and then there are some that are used for finishing food. For high heat cooking, like frying, only use oils with a high smoke point and a neutral flavor like peanut oil, canola oil, or vegetable (soybean) oil. Mild flavored oils, including olive, avocado, safflower, and sesame oils are best for medium-heat cooking like roasting and searing. Finishing oils are meant to add flavor to your dishes and can be as light as extra-virgin olive oil or as aromatic as truffle oil.
Originally published on DiwakerAgarwal.org
Tips for Building Trust In Your Network
Trust plays an incredibly important role in business. It’s integral to success because it builds healthy client relationships and a strong internal culture. Trust must be earned between you and your employees, network, and clients. Without it, you risk weak – if nonexistent – relationships, and they would be better off taking their business elsewhere. Although there are many strategies and tips that exist for cultivating trust in the workplace, the truth is that managers are busier than ever. Instead of trying out the whole gamut of strategies, you can focus on just a few key tips to maximize your organization’s return on investment in trust. The strategies below are applicable to any business and may help your business in attaining the success you seek.
Build for Trust
When you’re starting off with building trusting relationships, start by doing it within the company. This way, you’ll establish a culture that will expand to include your clients. There are a number of ways to do this, but it begins with clear communication. Allow for feedback and consider having an open-door policy. This way, you get upper management involved and employees can talk to any manager they feel most comfortable with. It can also help to hold frequent company activities so that employees can get to know each other better, which then leads to better trust.
Make Meaningful Connections
There is no denying the impact that networking has, yet the term itself has the self-serving implication that you make connections because they will benefit your business. Bryan Phelps, founder and CEO of Big Leap, calls it his ‘crew,’ but the point here is to make meaningful connections not just for the sake of furthering your business. In using the colloquial term, ‘crew,’ Phelps defines it as a group of friends who hang out together. After all, a strong relationship is what holds the crew together. Think of your crew as a unique support system built on strong relationships where you can meet regularly, have fun, help solve issues, and learn from each other. You can assemble your own crew by attending local networking events and by maintaining close relationships with past, present, or even potential customers. What’s key here is to make and maintain strong, meaningful connections with these people.
Of all the tips and tricks out there for building trust, it boils down to focusing on creating meaningful relationships. Doing so will not only maximize both your time and effort, but it can also create a sustainable trust that will influence the success of your business for years to come.
Originally published on DiwakerAgarwal.net
What is a Radiologist?
The field of medicine has many exciting career paths, and one of those is a career in radiology. In short, a radiologist is a type of medical doctor who specializes in medical imaging. As a doctor, radiologists use these images to help diagnose, monitor, and treat various conditions or injuries. Not to be confused with radiographers, though both of these professionals work with medical images, radiographers are the people who operate the machinery. Within radiology, there are a number of specializations including diagnostic radiology, interventional radiology, radiation oncology, and medical physics.
Diagnostic radiology is probably what comes to mind when you think of radiology. Diagnostic radiologists use medical imaging such as x-rays and ultrasounds to diagnose and treat diseases. They serve as an expert consultant to your referring physician and are responsible for choosing the proper exam and directing radiographers in properly performing quality exams. Their specialty allows them to interpret and report on the resulting images and recommend a course of treatment.
In addition to diagnostic image interpretation, an interventional radiologist has also been trained in interventional therapy, enabling them to use medical imaging to guide minimally invasive surgical procedures in the treatment of many conditions. They work with imaging guidance to navigate small instruments, like catheters and needles, through blood vessels and organs to perform procedures such as angioplasty, thrombolysis, and biopsies. The role of an interventional radiologist is incredibly important in laparoscopic surgery. The use of imaging can lead to safer surgical procedures and faster recovery times.
A radiation oncologist treats cancer patients through the use of radiation-based therapy. They still rely on medical imaging for the monitoring and treatment of the condition, much like other radiologists. The distinction, however, is that they also use high energy radiation in the treatment of cancer by damaging the affected cells to prevent them from spreading further.
Radiologists are called such because most of the techniques they use in medical imaging involve the use of radiation. Radiation may have harmful effects, but radiologists are highly trained in keeping patients safe. Depending on their specialty, some are more actively involved in the treatment process, such as in the case of radiation oncologists and interventional radiologists. Others, like diagnostic radiologists, may provide support to other doctors and medical professionals.
Originally published on DiwakerAgarwal.com
About Diwaker Agarwal
Diwaker Agarwal is a medical doctor and radiologist from Oregon. It may come as a surprise that his passion for radiology came from a love of visual storytelling. On his profession, he says, “My love for radiology sort of began because of a love of pictures and imagery. I always loved science and art, and radiology turned out to be this crazy intersection between the two where I can use my talents to benefit the people around me.”
He studied at King George’s Medical University and graduated in 1993. Afterward, he completed an internship at King George’s and went on to complete residencies at Maharani Laxmi Medical College, Westlake Community Hospital, Melrose Park, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, and Baystate Medical Center. Additionally, Diwaker Agarwal also completed a fellowship at North Shore University Hospital in Body Imaging. Most recently, he was a Senior Partner in a radiology private practice known as Mercy Medical located in Roseburg, Oregon.
As a radiologist in the outpatient imaging center, Diwaker worked with all modalities, from x-rays to basic nonvascular interventions. His primary interest lies in cross-sectional imaging including that of the whole body, neuro, and the musculoskeletal system. He is affiliated with the American College of Radiology (ACR), the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), and the American Roentgen Society (ARRS). Diwaker is talented and successful in his work, having consistently ranked in the top percentile for exam evaluations and receiving a number of awards and recognitions. He was even nominated for the title of “Physician of the Year” while he worked at Mercy Medical Center.
Diwaker Agarwal’s passion for images manifests outside of his profession through his hobby of photography. “Photography is excellent because it facilitates travel,” he says. “You don’t just want to take pictures of the same thing over and over, so it almost necessitates that you get outside of your comfort zone.”
Aside from photography, Diwaker also enjoys cooking, reading, and staying healthy. These hobbies provide him respite from the hustle and bustle that comes with his career.
To learn more about Diwaker Agarwal, be sure to check out his website and follow his blog!
Diwaker Agarwal 