I pull the food out of the freezer and let it thaw out on a paper plate (I left it in the bag once and it got all soggy). Then I take it in the bathroom, wipe down the sink and place the mouse in it. I get the hairdryer out and go to town. When the thing feels warm to the touch to me, it is ready. Just don't put the end of the hairdryer in the sink all the way because the ambient heat around blowing around in the sink bowl heats the dryer up and it will overheat and almost all of them have an auto shut off switch. Then you have to wait for it to cool down to room temp to reset.