It’s no surprise to overcook or undercook food in a microwave. Unlike cooking on your stovetop, it’s a little fussy to keep on checking on your food while cooking in a microwave.
Think about it, opening the door, checking on your food, closing the door, and pressing start again. This is too much, right? In fact, way more work than simply lifting the lid on your cooking pot.
The biggest problem arises when you try cooking in a microwave with less or more wattage than what’s required to prepare the food in question. Here, it’s very easy to overcook or undercook.
That’s why it’s very important to learn how to adjust your microwave’s cooking time to avoid the hassle.
So, how do you adjust the cooking time for a 700 watts microwave? Let’s find out!
Adjusting Cooking Times for a 700 Watts Microwave
If using a 700 watts microwave for cooking food with a different power rating, you must adjust the cooking time to get the expected results.
Remember, a 700 watts microwave is too slow and may not cook food evenly. Therefore if, for instance, you follow cooking instructions based on a 900 watts microwave and fail to adjust the given cooking time, you’ll be in for a rude shock.
A 700 watts microwave is less powerful than the oven the recipe was initially written for. Therefore, you’ll need more time to get your food to the right temperature.
To boil a cup of water, a 700 watts microwave takes 3 minutes. This information should help you adjust the microwave cooking time/power level to suit the wattage specified in any recipe.
To match a lower wattage
To match 700 watts with a lower wattage, say 600 or 500 watts, you only need to divide the desired wattage by your unit’s wattage.
Then, shift the decimal to 2 places to the right in order to get the percentage power to set the microwave.
Therefore, if following a recipe that calls for 400 watts, you should set the power to 57%. This means that you’ll have to reduce your cooking time to match a lower wattage when using a 700 watts microwave.
To match a higher wattage
To match the power of higher wattage, you need to increase your cooking time when using a 700 watts microwave.
You’ll need to add approximately 10 seconds for every 100 watts. Therefore if a certain food takes 2 minutes in a 900 watts microwave at 100% power, it’ll take 2 minutes and 20 seconds in a 700 watts microwave.
Note that even with the ability to adjust your oven’s cooking time, there are other factors that affect the heating/cooking time of a microwave.
These factors include:
- The size of the microwave -The bigger the microwave, the more powerful it is and vice versa.
- Different technologies – Different technologies affect power as well. For instance, convection microwaves blow hot air around your food. This makes it heat more quickly than conventional models. Microwaves with inverter technologies heating even at low power levels. The technology enables the microwave to cook faster than regular models.
- The amount of food you’re cooking – If cooking a large batch of food at a go in your microwave, it’ll take you more time than when cooking smaller batches.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How much extra time does a 700 watts microwave need?
A 5-minute recipe will require an additional 3 minutes, while a 10 minutes one will use an additional 6 minutes in a 700 watts microwave.
Q: Can you cook in a 700 watts microwave?
A 700 watts microwave can cook basic meals like instant noodles and vegetables. It can also reheat leftovers, beverages and make popcorn.
Q: Is a 700 watts microwave any good?
A 700 watts microwave is only suitable for basic cooking. Note that when it comes to microwaves, the higher the wattage, the more powerful it is. A 700 watts microwave is slower and may actually not cook evenly.
Q: Will a 700-watt microwave cook a frozen dinner?
Yes, you can cook frozen meals in a 700 watts microwave, but it’ll take longer. Remember that cooking frozen foods in a microwave requires defrosting first.
Note that the defrost function will only use about 30 to 40% power to melt the frozen food, even when using a high-power microwave.
A 700 watts microwave can defrost frozen food using low power and then cook food evenly.
Q: How long will it take to bake potatoes in a 700 watts microwave?
Baking potatoes in a 700 watts microwave will take you about 11 minutes.
Q: How hot does a 700 watts microwave get?
A 750 watts microwave can get up to 350 degrees hot.
Q: How efficient is a 700 watts microwave?
A 700 watts microwave is energy-efficient as it consumes less electricity and uses this power proficiently. This results in less electricity cost.
Q: Can a 700 watts microwave pop popcorn?
Yes, a 700 watts microwave heats kernels fast, enabling pressure to build in the seed quickly. This heat is enough to rupture your popcorns’ outer shell.
It takes about 2 minutes and 15 minutes to pop popcorns in a 700 watts microwave.
Q: What is considered a low-wattage microwave?
Most low-wattage microwaves have a wattage of less than 700. They are considered low wattage because they can only perform basic cooking tasks.
Low-wattage microwaves are often inexpensive.
Q: How long will it take you to boil a cup of water in a 700 watts microwave?
A 700 watts microwave boils water in 2 ½ to 3 minutes.
Conclusion
A microwave can’t control the power coming in irrespective of the wattage. For instance, when you have a lot of going on, doing laundry while vacuuming and operating your air conditioner, the unit may not get much power.
Therefore, the only best way of controlling /adjusting your microwave’s cooking time is by setting the timer in short increments. You also need to keep on checking on its progress if you don’t want to end up with burnt or undercooked food.
- Pre-programmed buttons for popcorn, potato, pizza, frozen vegetable, beverage and dinner plate
- 700 Watts with 10 power settings, clock and kitchen timer, 30 Seconds Express Cooking
- Large LED digital display, easy-to-read control panel, child safety lock, interior light, removable 10” glass turntable
- Push-button door release for easy access
- Dimensions (W x D x H): 17.3” x 13.0” x 10.2”
