The 1999 International Housewares Show, held recently in Chicago, was the showcase for numerous technological innovations, not the least of which was a new, super-smart microwave oven developed by researchers at Cook College/Rutgers University, with support from Samsung Electronics America, Inc.

This first-ever intelligent microwave is designed with the ability to read specially programmed barcodes that allow the oven to cook foods and dinners to perfection no matter how complex (or minutely printed) the cooking instructions. The user simply scans the barcode on the food package into the microwave’s built-in scanner, and the oven automatically adjusts its settings and cooking times to optimal levels.

“This unique barcode reading technology will completely transform the way people prepare food in the 21st century,” claims Samsung marketing manager Dennis Joyner.

And how good would a 21st century microwave be without a link to the information superhighway?! When hooked up to a computer, this microwave has Internet capabilities, which enables it to communicate with food manufacturers to locate cooking parameters for new food products, allowing optimal preparation of an infinite variety of foods.