Tovala Gen 1 Smart Steam Oven with Automatic Multi-Mode Cooking

Bottom Line: I updated this review. My initial oven broke - though the meal service was great. My initial report slipped through the cracks but customer service reached out to me and replaced the oven at no cost to me. They even allowed me to upgrade to the GEN 2 oven - and I've had no issues with it.I used the Tovala meal service for about two months and really liked it. The meals are good, extraordinarily easy to prepare with the oven, clean-up is easy, and the portions/calorie content for the food was very good.You have to buy the oven in order to use Tovala - the oven uses a combination of convection and steam heat at varying intervals. The process is easy for the user - you just scan in the QR code and the oven automatically adjusts the type of cooking for the product. The longest prep time I had on a meal was about 20 minutes - and most were 10-15 minutes.Buying the oven adds significant cost to the meals - but should balance out if you use the meals for long enough.That's where the model runs into trouble - when the oven breaks after a short time using it. That's what happened to me. I used the meal service without issues for about 6 weeks when suddenly my oven had trouble connecting to the wifi. The oven is entirely dependent on the wifi and QR code - there's very little ability to adjust times/temperature/cooking type without the internet-enabled process. Even if there were there are no instructions on any of the meals or website for cooking them manually. You HAVE to have a working wifi connection to the oven.Mine stopped working at about the 6 week mark. I ended up going through a few hoops but ultimately they replaced the oven and allowed me to upgrade to the GEN 2. The GEN 2 is much easier to use and corrects a lot of the issues from the GEN 1.

Had a couple of months now, very happy with oven.

I spend 3 days try to set up to operate but failed, it has to link with my cell phone without any option. I don’ Know to whom Didn’ Has cell phone, not everyone has it, poor design need to consider about all consumers.

Received this as a Christmas gift and am not crazy about it. The oven is basically a steam oven and doesn’t brown the chicken breast. It comes out very white in color even with the seasoning, which I find to be quite bland. (Disclaimer: I’m Black and accustomed to well seasoned food).The chicken also has an odd texture. When I cut it, it was juicy, but the texture was a bit tough when I cut it. It was cooked thoroughly, but still rubbery.The oven itself is easy to use, but takes up a great deal of counter space. For the amount of money this oven costs, the results are disappointing as I could have had a more flavorful, better tasting chicken breast in half the time on my George Foreman grill or even in my Instapot.The meals put me in the mind of airline food. The concept was cute, but there are other easier options that take up less counter space and yield better quality results.

As everyone knows, bagels are not toasted on both sides. Tovala doesn't have this option, which on most toaster ovens there is an option for having heat only from the top. I have tried duplicating this function by putting the oven on broil, but this is a poor substitute for my trusted toaster oven. My first week of meals will be arriving any day. I'm hopeful that the ease and manner in which these meals are prepared will be a wonderful improvement

The Tovala oven/meals are a great mealtime solution for busy professionals like myself.When working late or if there's otherwise a limited window of time to eat a meal, this is the perfect option. Prep and cleanup take almost no time at all, and the oven cooks the food in about 20 minutes. The meals taste great, are filling and healthy--a much better alternative to ordering GrubHub or UberEats (and the meals are cheaper!).When I do have more time to cook, there's a helpful app with a bunch of recipes you can use to make your own food. I'm still experimenting with all of the different meals / sides I can prepare, but everything I've tried so far has been great! This is great for my wife as well, who generally prefers to prep / cook her own food.Overall, I'd recommend the product to anyone who is consistently looking for quick, healthy meals that actually taste good.

As a busy professional with little time and virtually no cooking skills, Tovala has been an absolute life saver. With Tovala, I'm able to continue living my life without the hassle of figuring out what I'm gonna do for dinner each night. No more time consuming trips to the grocery store. No more painfully expensive delivery from Postmates (seriously, $25 for Chipotle???). I value fresh, clean, natural eating and Tovala checks all of those boxes. The variety of meals each week keeps the service interesting and the food is actually really good! Like restaurant quality good. I'm not very tech savvy, but using the steam oven couldn't be easier. And I must say, the super sleek design is quite aesthetically pleasing so my kitchen actually looks better lol. Overall, I couldn't be more excited about Tovala and would highly recommend to anyone looking for delicious, affordable, healthy, super convenient eating.

I wanted something to replace my microwave and got much more than that.The steam cooking element does a great job keeping meat juicy and it’s amazing at reheating leftovers. The reheat and toast functions are amazing.The Tovala meals couldn’t be easier to prepare and are a huge time saver. They’re also much healthier than takeout or junk from the freezer section.I’m looking forward to cooking with this more myself with my own recipes. I have an affinity for high-end cookware (good knives, sous vide, vitamix) and the quality of this machine is on par with what I expect out of my kitchen gear.Would recommend to any aspiring home chef just as much as people looking for easy, quality food.