The invention relates to a method for defrosting, heating, cooking and/or baking a food mass, in particular a dough-based product, a pasta, a frozen dough, a panade, minced meat or minced vegetables, in the microwave field, characterised in that the food mass contains an added microwave absorber in an amount from 0.5 to 5.0 % by weight in relation to the total weight of the food mass, wherein the microwave absorber is selected from orthophosphates (PO
4 )
3- , hydrogen phosphates (HPO
4 )
2- , dihydrogen phosphates (H
2 PO
4 )
- , diphosphates (P
2 O
7 )
4- (pyrophosphates), metaphosphates [(PO
3 )
2
2- ]
n , tripolyphosphates (P
3 O
10 )
5- or more highly condensed phosphates having an average chain length of 3 to 50, carbonates, hydroxides, citrates and gluconates of the metals calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu), with the proviso that the water-solubility of the microwave absorber at 20°C is less than or equal to 50 g/L water and the microwave absorber has a pore volume of more than 3.0 x 10
3 cm
3 /g and less than 200 x 10
3 cm
3 /g.