Tovala Gen 2 Smart Steam Oven with Multi-Mode Programmable Cooking Small Black and Stainless

After a few months using this oven, I can say the benefits are many even if you never buy into Tovala's meal service.First, the lazy person's option.. the reheat cycle at between 20 and 30 minutes is great for most frozen foods. Slide them out of their wrapper into a glass casserole, maybe add a few frozen veg, and start. The preprogrammed cycle uses the steam, bake, and broil features in a sequence that makes many dinners such as the Amy's products come out moist yet broiler toasted and baked thru. Or toss various frozen veg in with some olive oil, salt and spices. super consistent and appetizing results, just tweak the time to find the sweet spot.You can make custom programs of several of the cycle types to accommodate your go to dishes.The toaster is a bit cautious, even on top setting it will only begin to brown a bagel on the middle rack. Perhaps putting them next to the broiler could help.You can see a little steam emerge when that feature is used. It might help with toasting bread, slices come out about as moist on the inside as they went in.The one thing I think really needs some engineering is the water storage and fill mechanism for steam. It doesnt show the level of fill in the tank, instead beeping when you pour in water and its full. and this always seems to be too much, it overflows into a shallow plastic tray that slides in under the oven. its hard to remove this tray, the water is prone to spilling before you can get it moved, and the tray is very hard to jiggle back in. The oven is so useful with its refinements that it doesn't deserve to be docked for this, but it just isnt practical at all. I would like to know if the tank needs some topping up, and to be able to do so without constantly having to deal with that tray.

Tovala saved my sanity. Picky eaters, demanding schedules, long hours, slow steady weight gain caused by too much take out, perpetual guilt of not eating healthier meals lead to the daily anxiety of figuring out “what’s for dinner?” Enter - TOVALA!!! We find these meals delicious, filling and best of all very easy to make. Pick a meal from the fridge, scan the QR code and go find something to do for 15mins. Viola! Enjoy a great meal made by a chef. Love it! We are enjoying these meals. As long as they keep up the taste, quality and price point I can our family ordering Tovala meals for a long time.Tovala is a game changer. It materially makes a difference in our life. It's the kind of technology that makes a meaningful improvement in how you live your life. It's similar to when the first DVRs came out. Before DVR, when watching live TV, you were at the mercy of the show. No answering phone calls, no going to the bathroom, no answering the door. But when suddenly you could pause live TV, you could do all those things. It gave control back. Tovala is like that. It takes 2 minutes to get the meal into the oven. In the 15 or so minutes while it's cooking, you can get a quick workout, take a shower, get some work done, etc. When the meal is ready, it's so fresh and tasty. Better than going out to any fast / fast casual place.

It works great and it has a few features. It is easy to assemble, however, a bit confusing to use and it might take you a few days to figure it out. For example, if you are baking something at 350, the timer will tell you how many minutes it will take the oven to reach 350 degrees, but it took me a few days to figure out that after the countdown to reach 350, you have to enter the amount of time you want something baked at that temperature, otherwise after a few minutes it will turn itself off, depending on which feature you are using.

This oven is awesome! I got it to replace my microwave. I wanted a countertop convection oven that I could cook meals in and this oven works very well for just about everything. It steams as well so you can cook veggies. I’m verry impressed with how it cooks chicken and fish. The meat turns out tender and juicy.I’ve tried some of the recipes with success. I’m also on the meal delivery plan. These meals are so much better than microwave frozen meals. You get a full portion of meat and the sides are good as well. The rice cooks to perfection.I’m also impressed with the quality and look of the oven. The materials used are obviously durable. The smart features are very convenient and user friendly. I use my smartphone as a hotspot to connect the oven to wi-fi. I haven’t had any connectivity or other troubleshooting issues.Overall I’m very impressed with this product!

If you are looking for a good countertop "Toaster Oven" that does more than just toast or reheat pizza, you will find the Tovala oven very proficient.Does it make toast? Yes, of course, and it does it well. Each of the main functions (Toast, Bake, Reheat etc) are actually a combination of functions that can include oven, broil, and steam. This means your toast will be brown and crisp on the outside, but still soft and warm inside. Perfect!The subscription meal service is reasonably priced. The meal selection is changed every week, and there seems to be a good variety of beef, pork, chicken, fish and vegetarian options. However, if you were strictly vegetarian, you may be to restricted on choices.Cooking the meals couldn't be simpler. Unwrap, insert into oven and scan the barcode to program the oven!They continue to expand on the number of store bought meals that can also be scanned for oven programming.You can also make your own programs for meals you buy elsewhere or prepare yourself.

Is it a glorified toaster oven? Yes. Is it worth the price? Yes. Personally, I don't use it for the prepackaged Tovala meal kits. I use it to reheat leftovers and cook small items that wouldn't make sense in my full-sized oven. No surprise there. But what I think sets it apart from being just another toaster oven is simply how it cooks these things. Specifically, the steam function is a game changer. When you cook food in this, it goes through a cycle of baking, broiling, and steaming, meaning your food comes out crisp and moist, not dry as jerky. I love this thing.