shall we microwave the squid?

From Seed magazine:

A colossal squid weighing nearly half a tonne (ton) and believed to be the biggest ever caught is being kept on ice as scientists ponder whether to put it into a massive microwave oven.

The squid, caught by New Zealand fishermen in Antarctica last month has been measured at the Museum of New Zealand in Wellington at 495 kilograms (1,090 pounds) and 10 metres (33 feet) in length. Its weight had earlier been estimated at 450 kilograms.

But scientists say the frozen squid is so large, by the time the centre of the aquatic giant is defrosted the outer flesh could have rotted.

So they are considering using a massive one tonne (ton) microwave oven to speed up defrosting, said Steve O'Shea, a squid expert at Auckland University of Technology.

"A microwave of this sort of size does exist," he told Radio New Zealand on Thursday.

No final decision has been made on how to defrost the colossal squid, which has eyes as big as a dinner plate. If anyone made squid rings from the beast, they would be as big as tractor tires.

But there are no plans to eat the beast, partly because the flesh contains so much ammonia it would taste like floor cleaner.

More here.