The microwave oven is a ubiquitous feature in modern society. However, its limitations are well known. These include, for example, uneven heating and slow absorption of heat, especially for thawing (or defrosting). In fact, ordinary microwave ovens, when used for thawing and even heating, result in foods in which the one part may be generally warm or even partly cooked or overcooked before another part is even defrosted. Thawing and warming of objects using conventional microwave ovens typically suffers from uneven and typically uncontrolled dissipation of energy in the load.