Is it possible to cook for less than 15 seconds? The dial only goes down as far as 15 seconds but there are things I like to cook for say 10 seconds.

A malfunctioning control panel or membrane can cause erratic behavior in your microwave oven. If the control panel is not registering the start command correctly, it may interrupt the cooking cycle. Try cleaning your membrane and control panel with a soft and damp cloth to remove the dust.
If cleaning doesn't resolve this issue, try resetting the microwave oven by unplugging it from the power source for a few minutes, and then plugging it back in.
The microwave may not generate the required heat to cook the food properly if the magnetron or high voltage capacitor is defective. This could lead to the timer counting down without any heating action.

According to a recent 'Ask Umbra' column on Grist, there are three factors affecting nutrient loss when you cook vegetables: temperature, time, and water. "Nutrients tend to be both heat-intolerant and water-soluble," the article says, which means that any method that requires a) cooking at a high temperature for a long time, and b) uses a lot of water will result in the greatest nutrient loss. (So by this measure, boiling vegetables is likely the worst offender.) It goes without saying then that cooking at a lower temperature for a shorteramount of time and with less water would result in the least amount of nutrients lost, and that's what the microwave accomplishes.So where did this idea originate in the first place? According to Grist, in 2003 a study from Spain claimed that steaming broccoli in the microwave caused it to lose 97 percent of its antioxidants, while stovetop cooking only resulted in an 11 percent loss. But critics say the study used more water than would ever be necessary in a microwave, and thus the results were flawed.Basically, water, not the microwave, is the most important factor when cooking vegetables, according to Grist. The less water, the better:Steaming, for instance, is a fairly good option because the veggies have less contact with water. Even better: Cook your veggies in a stew or soup, and you'll be able to slurp those escapee nutrients up. Stovetop stir-frying or saut?ing is also a good choice, assuming you don't go crazy with the oil. Baking and roasting are yummy, but don't forget that long exposures to heat will zap some of the nutrients. Of course, other arguments against microwaves have to do with magnetrons and radiation levels, etc., which is a whole other topic. But as far as nutrient loss goes, if microwaving is your preferred choice for cooking vegetables, than cook on. Just watch the amount of water you use!

Usually a quick start button along with dial to scroll down from one minute.check if any buttons are push click to see if they extend away from fascia once pressed or try select one minute then use main dial anti clockwise to reduce time.hope this helps.

Step 1:

Door Switch

If the microwave runs for a few seconds and then shuts off, a door switch might have failed intermittently. Check each of the door switches for any signs of overheating, arcing, or burning. Also check each of them for continuity. Replace any of the switches that is visibly damaged or that only has continuity intermittently

Step 2:

Main Control Board

If the microwave runs for a few seconds and stops there may be a short circuit in the main control board. Check other components first, these boards are often misdiagnosed.

Touchpad and Control Panel

If the microwave runs for a few seconds and stops the touchpad and control panel might be defective. There are several other components that can cause this problem, be sure to check any other components before replacing this board.

Touchpad

If the microwave runs for a few seconds and stops the touchpad might be at fault. This is not common. Generally speaking, if the microwave display is working and some of the buttons respond correctly but some don't, the problem is with the touchpad.

High Voltage Transformer

If the microwave runs for a few seconds and stops the high voltage transformer might have an intermittent short. This is not common. Check other components related to the microwave symptom first.

Thermostat

If the microwave runs for a few seconds and stops the thermostat might be defective. Watch our video on testing thermostat

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Step 6:

use the DVOM tester and fix it. God bless you

I would say that when the microwave is switched on to cook, the magnetron heaters take about 3 seconds to get the magnetron to draw current and that would coinside with a poor connection in the mains power plug or fuse holder in the machine.
Seems logical to me.

Hi I have the same model - I absolutely love it. The only problem is that the seal is broken and because Breville no longer supply parts I'm using it more as a slow cooker!
It's pretty simple to use:
The basics:
1. Pull the handles apart (note you must have the 'pressure lock - the only sliding knob on the lid) in the 'unlocked position'.
2. Set the temperature on Max (only until the meat, onions etc are brown, then turn down to 1 or 2- just enough to keep the orange button 'popped' on the top of the machine
3. turn the timer (bottom dial on the front of the cooker) to an hour (you can always turn the dial more if needed, but not reduce time) by the time you've browned meat & chopped veges, etc that will be about 10-15 gone. I've never had it pressure 'cooking for more than an hour for anything'
3. re timing - casserole takes about 40 min from when the orange button on top 'pops' up (ie. steam build up enough pressure to cook quickly)
4. don't over fill - there's a little cast iron bump about an inch from the 'top' inside the cooker - that's about the max.
5. if you're cooking meat dishes have the dial on the top 'pressure release dial' on 3 - lighter dishes (e.g. soups) have on 1 or two.
6. until you get use to it keep an eye on the orange button - you get to know what temp to put it on by how much steam is released - it it's hissing away, turn the temperature down.
7. makes great casseroles, rissotto, soups (even with dried beans, only about 40 min)
if you ever find a supplier for seals, post an answer!

I believe the dial on Hobart microwaves allows you to manually enter any amount of time by spinning the dial for the desired time, and programmable buttons to save the time settings. HL1600 is 1.5 cubic foot, 44 liters

magnetron is leaking internally, do not use until magnetron is replaced. the mag creates interference with the control board and resets it

Press clear/reset button and hold 5 seconds. If this doesn't work unplug unit or shut off breaker for 10 seconds.

Hi! I just purchased the same microwave, and came online to find the solution. I was then able to find the correct answer to this problem. On this model, Emerson does not put a "time cook" button for odd cook times such as 15 seconds. Instead, they have you push the "Power Button" prior to setting the cook time.

If you want to cook on full power, press the power button once, and then enter your cooking time and press start. If you want to cook on 50% power or 30% power or something like that, push the "Power Button" several times until the appropriate power level is displayed, then enter the cook time and press start.

The reason that it starts up right away when *********** pushes the 1 button is because Emerson has the quick cooking feature for 1 minute through 6 minutes. You only have to push the number once to get the 1 minute cook time or anywhere through 6 minutes respectively.

Hope this helps!