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A good sharp knife is used to shape a food product and reduce its size. Having the same size and shape ensures even cooking. Items are shaped by slicing, chopping,
dicing, mincing and other special cutting techniques. Slicing is used to create three specialty cuts: chiffonier, rundle, and diagonal. Slicing skills are also used to produce oblique or roll cuts and lozenges. A chiffonier is to finely slice or shred leafy vegetables or herbs. You first wash and distend the leaves, such as spinach. Stack several leaves on top of each other and roll them tightly like a cigar. For more details you can go to Then make fine slices across the leaves while holding the leaf roll tightly. Rendell’s are disk-shaped slices of round vegetables or fruits, such as carrots. Diagonals are oval-shaped slices of cylindrical vegetables or fruits. The cut is similar to cut rundles except that the knife is held at an angle to the item being cut.
Oblique cuts are small pieces with two angle-cut sides.
You hold the knife at a 45-degree angle, and make the first cut. Roll the item a half turn, keeping the knife at the same angle, and make another cut. The result should be a wedge-shaped piece with two angled sides. Lozenges, not cough drops, are diamond-shaped cuts prepared from firm vegetables such as carrots, turnips, and potatoes. Slice the item into long slices however thick you want it. Then cut the slices into strips. Cut the strips at an
angle to produce diamond shapes. Sounds easy, doesn’t it. Horizontal slicing is used to cut a pocket into meats, poultry, or fish. This is usually referred to as butter flying. Chopping is cutting an item into small pieces and size and shape are not important. This is much easier than the other ways of cutting. Mincing is the same except the pieces are
smaller. Dicing is cutting an item into a cube. Chefs in restaurants would want each side to be equal. Before an item is diced, it is cut into sticks, such as juliennes and baton nets. The sticks are 2 inches long, with the sides either 1/8″for juliennes or 1/4″ for baton nets. Burnoose is cubes of 1/16″, small dice are 1/4″, medium dice are 1/2″, and large dice are 3/4″. Pays Anne is a flat, square, round or triangular item 1/2″ x 1/2″ x 1/16″.
Turner is a cutting technique that results in a football- shaped finished product with 7 equal sides and flat ends. This is a difficult cutting technique that takes a lot of patience.
Parisian’s are spheres of fruits or vegetables cut with a small melon ball cutter.
Now that you know all the different types of cuts, my advice
would be to find machines that slice and dice, such as a
mandolin. They are much quicker and usually safer.

www.fair-recipes.com
www.chicken-wing-cookbook.com

YIBAO Corona Old Boy Style Pipe and Cigar Lighter with Gold Colored Center. This item is available for sale at www.thetobaccocellar.com

Silver JOBON Dual Flame Pipe and Cigar Lighter with Cigar Punch. This item is available for sale at www.thetobaccocellar.com

Cuban cigars originate from the Caribbean, which has a tropical climate very different to Europe. As a natural product, your Havana cigars need to be kept carefully. They are used to being in a warm climate with a relatively high humidity.

Therefore they will need to be protected from extremes of temperature and humidity (particularly low humidity). This is particularly difficult to achieve in air conditioned and centrally heated buildings, where the air tends to get de-humidified and cigars can dry out very quickly. Some cigars come in aluminum tubes which can help preserve them in dry climates, however they tend to mature at a much slower rate than ‘naked’ boxed cigars.

Maintain a temperature of 16 C to 20 C and a relative humidity of 65% – 70%.

In the UK you will need a humidor to maintain the humidity of your cigars at various times of the year:

Humidity

At the least, keep your cigars in a tight fitting cupboard, drawer or box, away from radiators and other sources of heat. Pick the coolest indoor spot in your house. Leave the cigars in their original boxes as this will help preserve them, stop them from being damaged, and prevent any cross-tainting of flavours between different varieties of cigars stored in the same area. If the humidity in your make-shift humidor is low, a damp sponge in a cup will serve as a basic provider of humidity.

When you purchase your cigars from Tomtom, they will be packed in an airtight zip-loc bag, which will maintain the humidity of your cigars while you transport them from the shop to your humidor. These bags are a very efficient short term humidor, however we would not recommend that you leave your cigars sealed in these bags for more than one month. Although humidity will be maintained, cigars also need to be exposed to some fresh air to allow them to ‘breathe’ and age correctly.

A variety of desk-top and travel humidors can be purchased (see ‘Accessories’) and are an essential item for the dedicated cigar smoker (more information below).

Temperature

The danger of excessive temperature (combined with too much humidity) is that the cigars can either go moldy or be damaged by weavil attack. If cigars go moldy, this is generally not a problem, as long as it is spotted reasonably soon and the mould (or bloom) only appears on the wrapper leaf. The mould can be removed with a soft brush (e.g. a badger shaving brush) and then the cigar can be returned to store in the correct conditions. If mould gets into the end of the cigar, we recommend that you do not smoke it. Weavil, or tobacco beetle, is a more serious problem. If you see any small holes in your cigar, you should take immediate action. Please call Tomtom for further advice. Never store cigars near direct sunlight or for long periods exposed to sea breezes (salt will not enhance your smoke). The lower the temperature, the higher the humidity required to compensate.

Desk-Top Humidors

There is a very wide selection of these humidors on the market. The basic design requirements are that they are sealable (and generally lockable!), but allow the cigars to breathe. This is normally achieved by leaving the base of the box unvarnished: and no portion of the inner cedar box should be laminated. The box contains a fitting, which provides the humidity: this is normally a pad containing a sponge or chalk, which can be dampened. The box may also contain a dial showing humidity and temperature.

As a rule of thumb, the smaller the box, the harder it is to maintain a steady level of humidity within its confines. These humidors do not regulate temperature. The price range starts from about 125 for a plexi glass humidor, which will hold approximately 50 cigars to 2000 and above. A comprehensive selection is shown on our accessory page. Fabulous humidors can also be created out of antique boxes which many families have inherited as writing slopes or medal cases and which have since become redundant. This is a very cost-effective way of storing your cigars in a unique and personal humidor.

Travel Humidors

Ranging in price from 100 upwards. These are not suitable for long-term storage of cigars, however they are essential if you are moving about: the wrapper leaf on a handmade cigar is very thin and delicate and will easily damage. The safest way to prevent this is to keep the cigars in their original box, in tubes or in a purpose-built travel humidor.

Cigar Cases

Generally these do not offer humidification systems built in, but will protect your cigars if you take them in your pocket for the day. There are some metal tubes with hermetically sealed screw tops that will act in the same way as a cigar tube and seal in moisture. The majority are made from leather and offer protection from damage as well as limited protection from fluctuations in humidity and temperature.

Reviving Dried-Out Cigars

This is not an exact science and not always successful. Dry cigars need to be rehumidified very slowly and with care. We suggest you speak to us

Footnote

We do NOT recommend that cigars are kept in a refrigerator for storage. It is likely that the cigars will be dried out by this process and irretrievably damaged.

The day of your wedding is a very special day. Many people help to make it even more special to the bride and groom. Generally, they’ll be a rehearsal dinner prior to the wedding. A gift for the ushers and bridesmaids can be given out at that time. This is a way to say “thank you” to them for helping to make your day wonderful. There are lots and lots of choices for gifts. Something that can be personalized is the best choice. It shows you went to the extra trouble of engraving or monogramming and that the gift was really chosen just for that person. There are many gifts to choose from and they are available in every price range. If your wedding is out of town, you will want to choose something that can easily be packed in your lightweight luggage. To begin with, choose the price range you’d like to stay within. Then you can look at the many choices. Some popular items for the ushers are key rings, money clips, wallets, and pens. Cigar items and flasks have been and will always be popular. For the executive types, there are clocks, and desk style pieces. Leather pad holders are also popular and come in an array of different leathers and price ranges.

Because travel is so popular today, there are gifts that stay with that theme. You can choose among many engravable or personalized travel accessories. For the ushers there are leather shave kits, leather grooming cases, or travel duffels. All of these items may be individually personalized with their initials. Another popular choice today is men’s watchcases or valets. Valets will hold their change, keys, cell phones, etc., in one place and protect dressers and other surfaces from scratching. There are also the recharging valets that will hold everything while charging your cell phone, ipod, etc. This is a new item that has become extremely well received for ushers. Poker chips has also gained in popularity along with the many different games of poker being played nationally. These can be individually monogrammed on each chip, or the case can be monogrammed with the individual’s initials or name.

There’s an equally large selection for the bridesmaids. Jewelry boxes are one of the most popular gifts for the women. Jewelry is also popular and it is often given with a trinket box that is monogrammed with the name or initials of the recipient. Many of the same items that are given for the ushers can be given for bridesmaids. Pens, key chains and wallets are popular with women as well as men. Leather jewel rolls for travel are also popular. These gifts last a lifetime, and the occasion can always be remembered fondly. Some of these items, which have been popular as corporate gifts, will work equally as well as wedding attendant gifts. Women, as well as men, also appreciate some of the newer travel alarm clocks made by companies such as Movado. These gifts are elegant as well as practical.

You do not want to leave out the junior ushers and junior bridesmaids. There’s also a ring bearer, flower girl and any speakers who will come up to the podium and say a few words, or a prayer or special poem. A small thank you that is personalized will go a long way to saying your appreciation. Don’t forget the parents of the bride and groom. They have contributed to the success of the party and would love a picture frame or clock engraved with a “thank you” and signed from the new Mr. And Mrs. Last, but not least, do not forget each other. While purchasing for your wedding party it’s nice to remember the main participants – the bride and groom.