A retort on the use of retorts

Retort construction is governed by a strict set of manufacturing guidelines and subsequent distribution legislation on installation. This states that no part of a retort can be more than one degree Celsius different from any other part. Retort validation is carried out by a third-party expert, such as Professor Philip Richardson's team at Campden BRI.

Lagarde retorts, which are the UK standard for chilled meal pasteurisation, regularly achieve greater than 0.5°C distribution accuracy. This ensures there is statistical data to confirm the accuracy of cooking in a retort (as opposed to an oven) and, on that basis, I feel your article is a little misleading. In addition, the fan-assisted tubular construction of a retort, means all layers in a retort basket achieve the same cooking process, regardless of the position of the tray, as steam is a three-dimensional heating medium.

Everybody loves new technology (myself included) but I feel that it is important to ensure that the facts are presented in an unbiased way, especially when those facts have been validated by third-party specialists in the field.

Christopher Holland

md, Holmach​