We’ve all been there: You’re excited to cook your favorite roasted chicken or steak recipe, only to get home and realize you forgot to take the meat out of the freezer.
Good news! Dinner isn’t ruined. In fact, a microwave feature you probably overlook can save the night: the defrost setting.
In the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen & Cooking Lab, we’ve tested dozens of microwaves over the years, and I, along with my expert colleagues, use the appliance daily at home and in the Lab. As a GH product tester and a trained chef, I’m certainly not above relying on the microwave for a quick defrost, especially when I'm in a hurry.
Here’s what you need to know about this microwave feature the next time you want to quickly and safely defrost dinner.
How does the defrost feature work?
Rather than emitting a steady stream of heat, the defrost setting operates in short pulses. “Instead of blasting the food with full microwave power, defrost uses short bursts of energy with pauses in between,” explains Steph Chen, founder of the microwave cookware brand Anyday. “That slower, gentler rhythm helps thaw food gradually, so the outside doesn’t start cooking while the inside is still frozen.”
In the Lab, we test the defrost setting on a pound of frozen ground beef. On average, it takes seven to 10 minutes, though some models finish in six minutes and others take up to 16 minutes.
How to use the defrost button
Before defrosting, remove all packaging and place the frozen item in a microwave-safe dish. Using a vented lid can also help prevent splatters.
Kitchen Lab Reviews Analyst Eva Bleyer has tested the defrost setting on over 12 microwaves and says that while every model has a defrost setting, it’s not always in the same spot. First, look for a preset button labeled defrost. If your appliance doesn’t have one, the setting might be within a feature menu you’ll need to scroll through.
Once you’ve selected defrost, you might need to choose your food from a menu and then enter the weight. Other microwaves only ask for the weight. Entering the weight helps the appliance properly adjust the power level and time.
Your microwave may pause and instruct you to flip the food partway through the defrost cycle for even heating. If you’re thawing multiple pieces, like chicken wings or thighs, pull them apart when they’re thawed enough to do so.
To determine if your food is ready to cook, Bleyer suggests looking for visual cues such as color and texture and testing the ingredient with your hand or a utensil. “You want to make sure that your meat is no longer frozen, but still raw,” she says. “If your ingredient bends (if it's pieces of chicken or meat), or pulls apart easily (if it's ground meat), it should be ready to cook.”
If your food feels warm, take it out of the microwave and finish cooking it right away—that indicates the cooking process has begun.
What can you defrost in the microwave?
The defrost setting is best for frozen-solid foods you’ll finish cooking on the stove, grill, or in the oven. For example:
- Chicken breasts, thighs, or wings
- Steaks and other smaller cuts of beef
- Ground meat and poultry
- Pork chops
- Sausages
- Finned fish like salmon, swordfish, and tuna
- Shellfish like shrimp and scallops
- Large, prepared dishes like casseroles and baked pastas
What foods should you not defrost in the microwave?
Large or unevenly frozen foods, like a whole roast or whole chicken, should not be defrosted in the microwave. Anything that doesn’t have a uniform thickness or shape can thaw unevenly. Thinner parts can reach the “danger zone,” a temperature range where bacteria grow rapidly, while thicker parts stay frozen.
Is the microwave defrost setting safe?
As long as you follow a few food safety guidelines, your defrost setting is completely safe. According to the USDA, the most important thing is to cook your food thoroughly and immediately after thawing it in the microwave to avoid the danger zone. Also, never refreeze food thawed in the microwave without cooking it first.
