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Microwave Heating Categories
Your microwave has been tested and labelled to meet the UK government's voluntary agreement on the
reheating of pre-cooked food.
The heating characteristics and output power levels of microwaves are usually calculated using a relatively
large portion of food (a 1000 gram load, IEC 60705) but many packs of pre-cooked food are sold in smaller
packs, often about 350 grams.
The UK government, in partnership with food companies and microwave manufacturers, have set up a
system of heating categories to help you choose the reheating time for pre-cooked food.
The category, (a letter from A to E) is designed to help you reheat small quantities of food such as
microwave ready meals.
The label given above and also on the oven door gives the heating category and output power of the oven.
Microwave ready meals weighing up to 500g (1lb 2oz) should have cooking instructions for heating
categories A to E. Follow the instructions for the letter that corresponds to the heating category of the oven.
The higher the output power and heating category of the oven the less heating time is required. This is
shown in the diagrams below:
Oven Output Power
Oven Output Category
Start cooking at the lowest recommended time, and add more time if necessary. The moisture
content of food can vary, ensure food is cooked thoroughly all the way to the centre before serving.
900W (IEC 60705) is the output power of the
900W
microwave.
E
E is the heating category for your microwave.
Check the cooking times for category E on the
food's packaging to see how long it should be
cooked for.
600 700 800 900 1000 Watts
A
Less heating time required
More heating time required
Less heating time required
B
C
D
More heating time required
E
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