A new microwave oven that reads the barcodes on ready-made meals and other microwavable foods as well as automatically seting the cook time and temperature has been launched this month by Beyond.

The new Scan and Learn Microwave avoids mistakes being made and ensures food is cooked according to the instructions contained within the barcode.

The system works by scanning the packaging with a scanning wand that is attached to the front of the microwave and then entering the exact cook time and temperature into the microwave. Over 2,000 barcodes are already programmed in to the memory but if a code is not found the microwave has the ability to learn up to 1,800 additional barcodes for favourite foods.

The Scan and Learn Microwave is available from Curry's at £149.99

• Beyond - Official website of Beyond

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