Microwave tip for faster defrosting...
I was defrosting some cooked ham today, fairly big piece - maybe 500g-1kg? I put it in for 4 minutes, not much change, another 2, not much change. And then i thought, what do i know about microwaves? They heat based on the fact that the emitted microwave wavelength is tuned precisely to be absorbed by the bonds in water molecules. That all goes to pot if you have ice, ice has an altered structure which is why things take more time to defrost than you'd think in a microwave - y'know, pot of beans takes under a minute sort of thing.
My thinking was to drip a bit of water on top of the meat. The water should, in theory, heat up quickly and melt the ice, chain reaction, etc, etc. And that's exactly what it did - totally defrosted and hot in under a couple more minutes.
So if you're defrosting something large that would otherwise take a few minutes, spray some water on the top or just drizzle it (a teaspoon is more than enough) and it'll heat up in no time :)
I don't know if this is something everyone already knows, but it's something i hadn't tried until today!
Re: Microwave tip for faster defrosting...
That principle also extends to heating foods themselves. A tablespoon of water to solid food such as rice, meat, etc before reheating helps keep food moister as it heats up quicker!