Capacitative apparatus for thawing frozen food in a refrigeration appliance

In a household refrigeration appliance, food thawing apparatus comprising:

• a compartment having top, bottom, back and side walls shielded against electromagnetic energy radiation and having a front access opening;
• a drawer adapted to be inserted through the access opening into the compartment and having a front face shielded against electromagnetic energy radiation so as to form, with the compartment, a fully shielded enclosure;
• a first planar electrode disposed beneath the drawer bottom;
• a second planar electrode movably attached to the compartment and having a retracted position above the drawer to permit removal of the drawer from the compartment and adapted to be movable into the drawer into close physical proximity with a food load in the drawer said first and second electrodes thereby defining a food thawing zone;
• means for supplying low power electromagnetic energy to said electrodes to provide gentle heating of a food load in the food thawing zone;
• and safety interlock means for enabling said energy to be applied to said electrodes to initiate a food thawing process only when the drawer is properly positioned in the compartment and said second electrode is lowered to its position in close physical proximity to the food load.