700- Vs. 1,200-Watt Microwave

Longer Cook Time

• The chief disadvantage of a lower-wattage microwave such as a 700-watt unit is that food items take longer to cook, defrost or reheat than they would if you were using a 1,200-watt microwave. While both microwaves are operating at 100-percent heat, the definition of "100 percent" changes depending on how much maximum power the microwave can output. This is especially confusing when cooking microwave foods such as frozen dinners or snacks. The directions for cooking on many packages apply to 900- to 1,000-watt microwaves. This means you must estimate how much longer the food will have to remain in a 700-watt microwave.

Lower Power Consumption

• An advantage to 700-watt microwaves is that they consume less power than their 1,200-watt competitors. Low power requirements are all that are necessary for items such as reheated beverages or dinners. This lower power consumption does not apply if you're using the microwave primarily as a defrosting or cooking aid, since lower-power microwaves will need to run longer to attain the same result.

Maintenance Required

• While a 1,200-watt microwave may cook faster, this can cause problems, especially during defrosting or in microwaves without a rotating plate. Food in a high-powered microwave can begin to cook during the defrosting process if it's not turned or stirred occasionally. This partial cooking can make the edges of meats rubbery. Lower-wattage microwaves do not bombard food with as much power during the defrost cycle and require less frequent maintenance.

Power Settings

• On most microwaves, power settings are determined according to percentages, with 100 percent used for cooking, while 50 percent may better suit even reheating or defrosting. Still, a 50-percent setting on a 1,200-watt microwave produces the same cooking power as a 700-watt microwave at 85 percent. This difference causes problems when following recipes that call for a certain percentage of power during cooking.