There is an option of ‘Defrost’ in many microwaves that help to thaw frozen foods quickly. In this option, heat is used but the power usage is reduced to around 30%-50%.
When food is thawed it avoids cooking it as it is in low setting, heatwaves can enter the center of the food before cooking the outer layers.
Many microwaves have an auto defrost option and in weight defrost option in the microwave, defrost time is set according to the weight of the food.
To use weight defrost on the microwave, you need to follow the steps mentioned below:
- Take the food to be defrosted and note its weight mentioned on the package or weigh it on the kitchen scale.
- Put the frozen food on a microwave safe plate and place it in the microwave.
- Touch the Auto Defrost button.
- Enter the proper code (1 for meat, 2 for poultry, and 3 for seafood).
- Enter the weight of the food. It can defrost food from 0.1 to 6 pounds in one go.
- Touch Start button.
- The microwave gives a signal as a reminder to stir or flip the food midway in the cycle.
- Once the food is stirred or flipped, close the microwave door and touch the Start button.
- At the end of the cycle, the food will be defrosted properly and ready to cook.
In some models of microwave, only below mentioned steps are required:
- Take the food out from the freezer and note the weight as mentioned on the package or weigh it on the kitchen scale.
- Keep the food in the microwave on the microwave safe dish and touch the Auto Defrost button.
- Enter the weight of the food.
- Touch Start button.
What is weight defrost in microwave?
A weight defrost in the microwave is a defrosting feature by which frozen food is defrosted based on its weight. In this, the act of thawing is done without cooking the frozen foods.
It is done at lower power that is 30-50 percent of the full power which allows the heat waves to penetrate the center of the food without cooking the outer layers. So that food is thawed but not cooked.
This feature is present in the microwaves which come with auto defrost. In the weight defrost feature, defrost time changes with the weight of the food.
For example, to defrost 1 kg of frozen chicken, the time required will be more as compared to when ½ kg of frozen chicken is thawed even though in both cases poultry food is present.
What is time defrost on microwave?
Time defrost on the microwave is a feature in which you can manually set the time for defrosting the food. You can select a suitable defrost period based on the type and weight of the food.
When you select Time Defrost in the microwave, the power level is reduced to 30-50% just like the weight defrost feature to prevent the food from cooking and thaw the food only.
While using this feature, you have to keep the food to be defrosted in the microwave, press the Time Defrost button once, enter the defrosting time, and press the Start button.
If the clock has been set in the time defrost setting, an audible signal will be heard after defrosting has been done and the LED will show the time of the day. In case the clock has not been set and the defrosting is completed, the display will not show the time but show only “0:00”.
Difference between time defrost and weight defrost?
Time defrost and weight defrost are the settings found in the microwave with the Auto Defrost option. The time defrost function defrosts the food quickly by allowing you to select a suitable defrost period based on the type of food.
On the other hand, the weight defrost function thaws the food based on the weight of the food and the microwave sets the time accordingly when you enter the weight of the food.
Both these features lower the power of the microwave to 30-50% so that the food is defrosted only and not cooked.
Once the food is defrosted in the microwave, it should be cooked immediately to avoid getting it spoiled due to bacterial infestation.
Hamilton Beach microwave weight defrost
To defrost food in Hamilton Beach microwave weight defrost setting, the following steps should be followed:
- Put the food to be thawed in the Hamilton Beach microwave and touch Defrost by Weight once.
- Enter the food weight by using the number pad 1~5 (lb digit is from 1 lb to 5 lb).
- Again, press Defrost by Weight.
- Now enter the food weight by using a number pad (oz digit is from 1 oz to 16 oz).
- Press Start/Minute Plus.
- When the microwave pauses or signals, turn the food.
- Touch Start/Minute Plus to resume defrosting of the food.
It should be noted that the weight of the food should be in pounds or ounces. If the weight in ounces is less than 10, it must be preceded by a 0.
If the weight mentioned in the package of the food is in pounds only, change it to ounces by using the conversion chart. The maximum weight of food that can be defrosted in this microwave is 5 lb.
Conclusion
In microwaves with weight defrost setting, After keeping the frozen food in the microwave, enter the weight of the food which you get either through the package or by weighing the frozen food on the kitchen scale.
Based on this, the microwave will select the time automatically that will be required to thaw the food.
In the defrost feature, the power level of the microwave is reduced to approximately 30-50% so that food is thawed only and not cooked. Hope this article is helpful to you.