Does the defrost setting on a microwave waste a lot of energy?

Question

say compared to just microwaving something?

Answer 1

No. When defrosting, it decreases the power produced by cycling the magnetron (the part that ultimately generates heat) on and off. The microwave appears to run continuously, but while defrosting, part of the time the magnetron is on, and part of the time its off. With normal cooking, it's 100% on and uses more energy.