Microwave wattage converter
The packet says 3 minutes at 1000 W, but your microwave is 700 W? Enter the time and wattage to get the time for yours.
That's 1.2× as much heat as a bag of popcorn, while a ready meal is 1.33× more heat.
What it means
How much heating is that?
Assumes time scales with power. Very short times and small portions do not scale perfectly, so check the food is piping hot all the way through. Wattage is the output power on the label inside the door.
Every unit
That time at every wattage
Learn
Three things worth knowing
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Time × watts stays the same
Multiply the time by the recipe’s wattage, then divide by yours: 2 min × 900 ÷ 700 = 2:34.
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A melted candy bar
Percy Spencer noticed a chocolate bar melting in his pocket next to a radar magnetron in 1945. The first microwave oven, in 1947, stood almost 1.8 m tall.
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Input is not output
The 1500 W on the plug is the power drawn from the wall. The cooking power is lower, often 900 to 1000 W.
Shortcuts
Popular heating conversions
Background
About microwave wattage
Packets give heating times for a stated output power, often 800 W or 1000 W. A weaker oven needs proportionally longer: time × recipe watts ÷ your watts. Three minutes at 1000 W is 3 × 1000 ÷ 700 = 4.3 minutes, or 4:17, at 700 W.
Find your wattage on the label inside the door or on the back, and use the output figure, not the input power, which is higher.