Defrost by time (manual defrost)
The oven runs at a low defrost power for the time you set; you judge the time yourself instead of letting a programme calculate it from the weight.
What it is for
Use it for food that is not in the auto-defrost list, or for small pieces. Set short bursts and turn or separate the food between them: Dacor’s rule of thumb is about 5 minutes per pound (roughly 11 minutes per kg) at 30% power, and Teka advises no more than two minutes at a time.
Makes differ, check your microwave’s manual: the same drawing can start a different programme on another brand, and only your model’s manual gives its exact watts, weights and times.
- What it looks like
- A snowflake with a small clock or hourglass, or a Defrost power setting that you pair with a time on the dial.
- Names makers use
- Defrost power level 270 W (Panasonic); Manual Defrost at 30% (Dacor); Defrost by time (Teka)
Where makes differ
Some ovens have a separate snowflake-and-clock key, others simply use the defrost power level with a time: Panasonic’s Defrost level is 270 W, Dacor tells you to pick 30%, Whirlpool’s power table lists 160 W for defrosting.
What it does not mean
It does not stop by itself when the food is thawed — the time you set runs to the end, so edges can start cooking if you set too long.
Other symbols with the same shapes
Sources
No published standard we could check defines microwave control icons, so this meaning is taken from 3 makers’ own manuals and support pages, each fetched and read on the date shown:
- Dacor: Dacor (Samsung) — Use and care manual, over-the-range convection microwave oven PCOR30S — “Manual Defrost… You can defrost any frozen food… by using power level 3… Estimate defrosting time and press 3 for 30%… the rule of thumb is approximately 5 minutes per pound.” Checked 2026-09-28.
- Panasonic: Panasonic — Operating instructions and cookbook, convection/grill/microwave oven NN-CD58JS — “Microwave Cooking and Defrosting”: pressing Micro Power twice selects “Defrost 270 W”, then “Select cooking time by turning the dial.” Checked 2026-09-28.
- Teka: Teka — Microwave symbols and functions explained — “Your model may offer two defrost modes: by weight and by time. Use the time setting for smaller pieces and the weight setting for larger ones”; “don’t defrost food for more than two minutes at a time.” Checked 2026-09-28.
Written in our own words; quotations are the makers’ wording.