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Control panel

Modern microwave ovens use either an analog dial-type timer or a digital control panel for operation. Control panels feature an LED, LCD or vacuum fluorescent display, buttons for entering the cook time and a power level selection feature. A defrost option is typically offered, as either a power level or a separate function. Some models include pre-programmed settings for different food types, typically taking weight as input. In the 1990s, brands such as Panasonic and GE began offering models with a scrolling-text display showing cooking instructions.

Power settings are commonly implemented not by actually varying the power output, but by switching the emission of microwave energy off and on at intervals. The highest setting thus represents continuous power. Defrost might represent power for two seconds followed by no power for five seconds. To indicate cooking has completed, an audible warning such as a bell or a beeper is usually present, and/or "End" usually appears on the display of a digital microwave.

Microwave control panels are often considered awkward to use and are frequently employed as examples for user interface design.