# Without looking, do you know the wattage of your microwave? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [December 6, 2022, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-do-you-know-the-wattage-of-your-microwave/976082 "2022-12-06T06:00:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2022, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-do-you-know-the-wattage-of-your-microwave/976082/42 "2022-12-07T23:41:37Z")
1. The number stares me in the face every time I open it. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-do-you-know-the-wattage-of-your-microwave/976082/43 "2022-12-08T01:45:44Z")
No microwave, but our iron is 1700 watts ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-do-you-know-the-wattage-of-your-microwave/976082/44 "2022-12-08T12:07:53Z")
> [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](#): > > The only downside to the powerful microwave is that it is basically useless for defrosting raw meat or chicken I regularly defrost raw meat in the microwave. I take it out of the freezer in the morning, put it in the microwave, and by afternoon it’s usually defrosted. ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-do-you-know-the-wattage-of-your-microwave/976082/45 "2022-12-08T13:18:04Z")
Heehee. I should try that. It would ensure that Cranky Dog doesn’t get to it. I thaw in the fridge though when I’m smart enough to plan ahead. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-do-you-know-the-wattage-of-your-microwave/976082/46 "2022-12-08T21:42:11Z")
From a food safety perspective, it is advised not to defrost at room temp. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-do-you-know-the-wattage-of-your-microwave/976082/47 "2022-12-08T22:00:38Z")
Yeah, we always used to put the meat on the counter in the morning to defrost it for dinner, but, apparently, that’s a big no-no. Well, I survived. Though I’m not going to do it anymore. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-do-you-know-the-wattage-of-your-microwave/976082/48 "2022-12-08T22:17:04Z")
Same here; we did lots of stuff that are no-nos by food safety standard that I try to avoid now as an adult but, yes, it seems we survived with no incidents of food poisoning that we know of or noticed. (Doesn’t mean we didn’t have mild cases, perhaps.) ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-do-you-know-the-wattage-of-your-microwave/976082/49 "2022-12-09T13:04:10Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > From a food safety perspective, it is advised not to defrost at room temp. I suppose it’s a matter of how long it’s out, right? If the surface is still cooler than room temperature when you start cooking, it should be fine. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-do-you-know-the-wattage-of-your-microwave/976082/50 "2022-12-09T13:13:52Z")
I would have thought so, but the USDA seems to contraindicate the practice altogether (probably because it’s just easier.) However, if you do fully defrost something on the counter, by the time the center defrosts it means the areas of meat outside the center will have been been above freezing and most likely a good bit above 40F (the lower end of the “danger zone”) for some time. ---
**Author:** ![WhyWhyWhy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whywhywhy/32/7539_2.png) [@WhyWhyWhy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyWhyWhy)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-do-you-know-the-wattage-of-your-microwave/976082/51 "2022-12-09T14:13:12Z")
No, but no matter what the wattage of all the microwaves I’ve ever owned, I still have to add a minute or two to nix the instructions to stir at the halfway point so wattage doesn’t seem to matter. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-looking-do-you-know-the-wattage-of-your-microwave/976082.md?page=2)