It's usually on a label right on the door or inside it. And if all else fails, it's easy to test wattage on your own. Wattage ranges from 600 to 1,200 and is a pretty good indicator of a microwave's power (the higher the wattage, the more powerful it is).
Microwaves 1,100 Watts and greater are powerful and often used commercially, such as in restaurants. These high-powered microwaves cut down on the amount of time needed to heat foods, and they can easily cook or heat up large plates of food.
Key Takeaways About Microwave Wattage
Small or compact microwaves used in hotel rooms consume around 600-800 watts. Standard microwaves that we use in our homes consume 800 to 1000 watts. Commercial microwaves are large microwaves usually found in restaurants that consume 1000+ watts.
High: 800-1000W
The fast cooking from a high wattage is best suited to reheating anything with a high water content, such as soups, canned food and hot drinks.
Most microwave recipes require 1,000 watts of power for best results, so you may want to choose a microwave model with a higher wattage when shopping.
The standard size for a microwave oven, 20 litres is great for smaller families where the microwave is frequently used. These time-saving appliances are perfect for those looking for a microwave that nails all the basics.
In general, the higher the wattage, the faster and more evenly your food will cook. Most microwaves sit somewhere between 600 to 1,200 watts. Larger, more expensive microwaves tend to have a higher wattage, so this is a price and size consideration that can strongly influence microwave cooking performance.
Microwave for the most part runs between 600-1250 watts and the higher the watts the higher the warming limit. In such a manner in the event that you are anticipating warming simply water and warming food, 900-watts will do fine and dandy.
The input wattage is the power used to turn the microwave oven on and heat up. It is measured in watts and is listed on the meter or label inside the microwave. The output wattage is the power consumed to heat up food placed in it. It is measured in watts and listed on a label inside the microwave oven.
When it comes to microwaves, wattage equals power. A 1,000-watt microwave will cook quickly and efficiently, so that's a great baseline. Microwaves with 700 watts or less are slower and may not cook evenly. In general, the higher the wattage, the faster the cooking time.
Microwaves run solely on electricity and a standard microwave requires about 1,200 watts. Larger and more powerful microwaves may pull slightly more energy than this rate while smaller microwaves generally use a bit less.
It all depends on your needs, but for most applications 700 watts is more than enough power. The worst case scenario is that with a lower wattage microwave, it may take a few minutes longer to cook and heat up food. Can I join two identical microwave ovens to make a larger one?
A: 1100 watts is 10% more than 1000 watts, so add 10% more time when heating with the 1000 watt oven to get similar results.
Check the inside of the oven's door, on the serial number plate on the back of the oven, or in the owner's manual or the manufacturer's website for the wattage.
On average, microwaves range in capacity from 0.7 cu. ft., which is suitable for most dinner plates, to 2.2 cu. ft., which is a better size for bigger cookware.
23L microwaves are perfect for people or families who need a little bit more interior capacity than a 20L model can provide. The difference isn't huge, but 23L models can fit larger dinner plates and cook more food, without taking up too much work surface space.
What are standard microwave sizes? Microwave sizes are fairly standardized with most over-the-range microwaves measuring around 30" wide, 17" high and 15" to 18" deep with the door closed. Built-in microwave sizes also tend to match standard cabinet dimensions.
20L Capacity. Available in silver or white. 700 Watts. Dimensions (WxDxH): 440 x 355 x 258mm.
The more litres an oven or microwave can hold, the bigger it is. This means you can cook more food at the same time. The litre measurement for these kitchen appliances basically means that if you could fill them with water, it would take 40 litres, for example, of water to fill it up.
Microwave capacities vary from about 17L to over 32L (more for integrated models). If you are shopping for a family-size microwave, consider models with a capacity of 27L and above.