Wooden retort is an ancient cooker, mainly used for steaming rice. (It is still widely used in Guizhou, Sichuan, Yunnan and other regions. ) It looks a little like a wooden barrel on the outside, but the grate inside is a conical steaming bottom, and the bamboo sticks are slightly arched inward and upward, so there are many small holes for steaming food on the retort or pot.
It is mainly composed of retort cover, retort body and retort bottom. The retort bottom is a round bottom made of breathable wooden boards or bamboo sticks, and there are gaps between the wooden boards, so that water vapor can penetrate through the gaps and steam the rice. Generally, the bottom of the retort is one-third or one-quarter of the bottom of the retort, but it must not be aligned with the bottom of the retort, otherwise the rice will soak in the water.
The retort is a barrel similar to a wooden barrel. Because it is often cooked in water, the air changes hot and cold, and it is easy to loosen, so it needs to be tied with bamboo strips or iron wires in the middle of the retort. If the rice can't be steamed in the right way, it may be that the steamer is loose and leaked during steaming. The retort cover is made of wood and can also be woven with bamboo sticks. The woven bamboo cover is shaped like a big bowl, which can be used as a utensil for upside-down food and is generally not easy to be damaged.