Abstract: A system and method for preparing food products in a programmable appliance such as a microwave includes an appliance configured with a communication element for communicating with a device such as a smartphone, tablet, or computer. The device is configured to scan a product identifier such as a barcode and match the scanned identifier with a list of known identifiers stored in a database. The database associates each of the product identifiers with a product and instructions for cooking the product in the appliance. In another aspect of the invention, a remote server may be provided and configured to receive information from the device such as demographic information relating to the user of the system and the products used thereby.