# How often do you use a power setting other than high on the microwave and when? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [September 20, 2025, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-a-power-setting-other-than-high-on-the-microwave-and-when/1023228 "2025-09-20T16:46:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2025, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-a-power-setting-other-than-high-on-the-microwave-and-when/1023228/61 "2025-09-21T16:39:28Z")
Science! ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2025, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-a-power-setting-other-than-high-on-the-microwave-and-when/1023228/62 "2025-09-21T17:02:31Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > When I reheat things, I do it on half or 1/3rd power for the amount of time I expect will get it warm enough. Then I test it and if I’ve guessed short, give it 30 seconds or a minute on full blast to finish it off to full eating temp Too complicated for this pup. My rule of paw is that if it’s a prepared frozen food that simply calls for heating on high, that’s what I do. If it calls for stirring halfway, I just cook on 50% power for twice the time. If it’s non-frozen leftovers I just use my judgment based on experience. Curiously, freshly prepared non-frozen foods seem to have ridiculously too-low reheating times, whether in the microwave or in the oven, so I’ve learned to compensate for that. It’s certainly not a fault of my microwave or regular oven which work just fine otherwise. For example, the fresh rice or noodle bowls that I like, like Szechuan Beef on rice, call for microwaving on high for 2 to 2½ minutes. Gimme a break – those things are big, and come within a hair of weighing a full pound. After taking it out of a cold fridge, I find that it takes nearly 4 minutes to really get it good and hot throughout. Likewise prepared dinners like chicken souvlaki with rice and roast potatoes that I reheat in the regular oven say to cover with foil and put it in at 400F for (I swear) 7 to 10 minutes. Again, I request to be given a freaking break! 7-10 minutes will barely even start to get it lukewarm. What are these people thinking? ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2025, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-a-power-setting-other-than-high-on-the-microwave-and-when/1023228/63 "2025-09-21T17:24:24Z")
I just used the “Sensor Reheat” button to heat a very large plate of roast, potatoes, and carrots. It did a serviceable job. Most of the food was hot with a few cooler spots mainly in the potatoes. I have no idea how it does it. I assume it measures steam or something. I wish there was a way to know if and how it was changing the power output. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2025, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-a-power-setting-other-than-high-on-the-microwave-and-when/1023228/64 "2025-09-21T17:26:48Z")
For donuts that are a few days old, I put them in for 30 seconds at 40% and they soften up to nicely. I also use the auto defrost on occasion for frozen tamales to get them unfrozen (they are then cooked on default high power). ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2025, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-a-power-setting-other-than-high-on-the-microwave-and-when/1023228/65 "2025-09-21T18:02:33Z")
I use reduced power when melting butter for popcorn and for thawing frozen meat. Other than that, full power. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2025, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-a-power-setting-other-than-high-on-the-microwave-and-when/1023228/66 "2025-09-21T20:15:57Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Just remember microwaves are not the kind of radiation that kills things (ionizing radiation kills living things…microwaves are not ionizing radiation). There is no difference between hot water from a microwave and hot water off a stove. The water will be the same. The only difference is the time it takes to boil the water and (maybe) cost to do so. Also in the microwave you boil just enough, and when making tea or something you don’t have to pour the water from the pan into your cup. Our microwave is above the oven, and gets disabled when the oven is on the clean cycle, and it was a pain to heat coffee in a saucepan. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2025, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-a-power-setting-other-than-high-on-the-microwave-and-when/1023228/67 "2025-09-21T20:32:45Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Our microwave is above the oven, and gets disabled when the oven is on the clean cycle, and it was a pain to heat coffee in a saucepan. That seems like an annoying “feature”. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2025, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-a-power-setting-other-than-high-on-the-microwave-and-when/1023228/68 "2025-09-24T02:48:32Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > That seems like an annoying “feature”. I suspect it is to prevent the electronics for the microwave from overheating from the oven. It is definitely annoying. Took us back to the days before we owned a microwave. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2025, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-a-power-setting-other-than-high-on-the-microwave-and-when/1023228/69 "2025-09-24T02:56:45Z")
Typically I run it at setting 9, effectively “high” but not quite since the one I have now is a little more high wattage than my last one. Some frozen foods recommend half power for some of their cooking, and I’ll use it at that level then. For re-heating foods I normally use full power 30 seconds at a time, stirring or flipping the food between reheats. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-a-power-setting-other-than-high-on-the-microwave-and-when/1023228/70 "2026-04-22T04:43:17Z")
When I have Stauffer’s Lasagna they tell you to nuke it on full for so many minutes and then at 50% for so many minutes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-use-a-power-setting-other-than-high-on-the-microwave-and-when/1023228.md?page=3)