Noninvasive electromagnetic hyperthermia, used in combination with radiotherapy or chemotherapy, is a promising technique in the treatment of large, deep-lying tumours. One of the major difficulties in effective implementation, however, is that the spatial distribution of electric fields within the patient is strongly influenced by tissue morphology and dielectric properties, and is therefore difficult to model. Even when desired heating profiles are achieved experimentally, the specific absorption rate at the focus generally does not reach its theoretical maximum value since the E-fields are not completely coherent. In this article, a new method, phase interference mapping, is developed to address this latter problem and is demonstrated in phantoms. The complete process for optimizing spatial and temporal control of electromagnetic heating has three separate steps. The first involves phase calibration of the individual dipoles of a phased array applicator with a noninvasive E-field probe placed on the surface of the phantom. In the second step, an iterative feedback method is used to rapidly steer the thermal focus as close as possible to the desired location. Noninvasive mapping of the temperature and specific absorption rate is realized by magnetic resonance imaging. The final step in the process consists of phase interference mapping of the dipoles, to maximize E-field coherence. Temporal control of the temperature rise or specific absorption rate can then be performed.