What do the symbols on your microwave mean?

Ever wondered what all the symbols on your microwave mean? Well, you are not alone. Your microwave has symbols all over it and they all serve a very unique purpose. From helping you understand whether you are dealing with the heat or grill function to ones related to the safe use of your microwave, this nifty kitchen appliance is home to many symbols.

After learning about all the different sizes of microwaves and seven things to do and not to do while using your microwave oven, the next thing to learn about is the symbols or functions available on your microwave. We are here to help you understand and decipher just that. 

Microwave symbols: A detailed explanation

Microwaves have a wide variety of functions across different modes and brands. However, the design of each of the symbols associated with them is almost similar across microwaves from different brands; some brands do choose to use clear labels instead of symbols.

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However, if you have a microwave with symbols then here’s what you need to know to get started:

1. On/off button (line within a circle)

The button represented with a line within a circle is the on/off button, which is used to turn your appliance on and off.

2. Start button

This button is used to start your appliance.

3. Timer (clock icon)

Use this button to set the timer on your microwave.

4. Timer (hourglass)

Instead of a clock some microwave models use an hourglass symbol for the timer button which sets the timer on your microwave.

5. Alarm (bell symbol)

This button is used to set the alarm for your chosen time and you will be alerted with a beep when it’s time to check if your food is cooked.

6. Child lock (key symbol)

This is a svate or deactivate the child lock. When enabled, it will prevent the microwave from responding to buttons being pressed oafety measure that works by pressing and holding a touch control for a few seconds to actir dials being turned.

Microwave cooking symbols: All you need to know

Now that you know the most basic symbols of a microwave as well as the one that denotes whether a container is microwave-safe, it is time to learn the cooking symbols on your microwave to get the most out of it.

1. Microwave (square with three arcs or waves)

This symbol represents the microwave function which can be used to defrost food and reheat leftovers from the previous day. When you use this function, you will need to use less water to boil vegetables than you would in a pan.

2. Defrost (snowflake with a water droplet)

The defrost function is commonly depicted with a snowflake symbol in a microwave. Some models may even use a snowflake with a drop to indicate the thawing of frozen items.

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This symbol allows microwave users to set the appliance to defrost mode, which helps to thaw food without cooking.

3. Crisp (pan with wavy lines above it)

The symbol for the crisp function is not a standard one across microwave models but it is usually represented with a pan with lines above it. This indicates heat or a dish with radiating lines. The symbol clearly represents a hot plate and the function can be used to make crispy oven fries or give your pizza a crunchy crust.

4. Fan function (fan symbol)

This mode uses a fan to distribute the heat evenly throughout the entire space. The fan mode is used to bake relatively quickly and isn’t suitable for baking cakes but is ideal for preparing an oven dish.

5. Steam (cloud icon inside a square)

The steam function on a microwave is used to steam vegetables. With this function, you can steam your vegetables by placing them in a steam dish filled with water to ensure your vegetables don’t lose their freshness, flavour, and aroma.

6. Full grill (a double zigzag line)

A double zigzag line indicates that heat is being produced by the whole grill element. This function is used for cooking a lot of food at once and is ideal for anything that sizzles.

7. Partial grill (a single zigzag line)

The partial grill setting or half-grill setting will only use one section of the grill elements. To get the best result with a partial grill, you need to ensure that your food is directly under the part that gets hot and is used for cooking a few handy items.

8. Fan with lower heat (a single horizontal line with a fan above it)

In your microwave, a single horizontal line at the bottom of the square with a fan above it indicates that heat will be produced at the base but will be circulated around by the fan. This mode is ideal for keeping the top of a dish moist while the bottom gets nicely cooked and is used for making pizzas.

9. Lower heat (a single horizontal line at the bottom)

A single horizontal line at the bottom of a square means that heat will come only from the heating element at the bottom of the microwave. This mode is great for crisping up the base of a pizza.

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10. Upper heat (a single horizontal line at the top)

A single horizontal line at the top of a square means your microwave is only using the upper heating element. This function is used for baking cakes with a pre-baked bottom or if you wish to gratinate your dish.

11. Fan grill mode (a zigzag line at the top with a fan below)

A zigzag line at the top with a fan below is used to represent the fan grill mode, which means that the grill and fan are working at the same time. When enabled, the fan spreads the heat of the grill and is used when you don’t want to heat up the whole oven or burn the top.

These are some of the most common symbols that you will find on a microwave and one you should know about. Your microwave may have some additional symbols for unique programmes and you can read about them in the user manual.