Tovala Oven and Meals

I bought the Tovala oven - it must have been at a year or two ago, or even longer - because I wanted to play around with baking bread with steam. The oven was cheap as long as I agreed to buy their meals for a while.

Okay, I don't mind easy meals. While the meals didn't seem ... gourmet ... I figured they would be fine for days when I was too busy to fuss with cooking for myself. Cheaper than takeout, I told myself. And I didn't have to put on shoes or people-friendly clothes to go out to eat.

The oven was smaller than I expected - more of a large toaster oven than a countertop oven. I had a few small pieces of bakeware and cookware that would fit, but it was limited. I managed to bake a loaf of bread using steam, but to be honest, it wasn't impressive. And I worried that an over-enthusiastic loaf of bread might rise too high and attach itself to the top of the oven.

See this bread? It wouldn't fit in the Tovala.

As a toaster oven, it worked well enough. And by that, I mean it could toast bread and reheat things. Just like any other toaster oven.

Since my purchase, Tovala has come out with several new models, including one with stronger air fryer functions, but with no steam at all. Needless to say, I've got no opinion on those.

Okay, so let's talk about the meals.

One of their selling points is that the food is fresh, not frozen. Mostly not-pre-cooked. So that limits what can be sent, because it has to last in shipping, followed by some time in the refrigerator once the customer receives it. Lettuce wouldn't survive, so no salads. Vegetables have to be sturdy. Then, the food has to cook in the short time allotted (because a short cooking time is another selling point), and the vegetables or other side has to cook in the same time as the protein. There are a lot of moving parts there that have to coordinate. Which means that the options are more limited than, let's say, frozen foods from the grocery store.

So, what was I eating?

Chicken. SO MUCH CHICKEN. And they were all skinless, boneless chicken breasts. Surprisingly, the oven did a fine job cooking those breasts, in part because the breasts were brined (more on that later). The first few meals were good, but then it started getting redundant. Chicken breast, all with the same brine, with a side of broccoli or green beans or occasional Brussels sprouts. The chicken came with a sauce or rub, so you might have barbecue chicken or chipotle chicken. But in the end, it was the same chicken and a limited number of vegetables and sides.

The chicken brine is a bit of a mystery. The chicken didn't taste particularly salty, but many of the meals are high in sodium. Often, I felt like I ate too much salt. And after many many chicken meals, there was a flavor I could detect. It wasn't chicken, and it wasn't spice. No doubt something in the brine that I got tired of eating.

There were a few things I liked enough to order again - one was a wrap. There were others, but obviously they weren't memorable. And since I stopped ordering the food, more options have been added, like steaks that cost extra. And seafood, also extra.

Looking at current options, I see that sausages have been added, as well as desserts that can be added to specific meals. A breakfast option is also new. It's great to see that the company is expanding its food choices, but it's still limited.

The Tovala group on Facebook is enlightening. There are some people who love the food and the service. Others feel that there's not enough food, or that it's not a good value for the price. While the price complaint is valid from the consumer's standpoint, shipping must be expensive, and there's plenty of packaging involved that the company has to pay for each time. 

On the group, there are many complaints about food arriving late, damaged, or spoiled, particularly in the summer. It's not Tovala's fault when the carriers can't deliver on time, but it's a real problem for people who plan on eating meals that are no longer available. Tovala is very good about replacing the inedible food, but that's another expense that Tovala has to consider when setting prices. It's no wonder the meals cost what they do.

As far as those upcharged steaks, the reviews on the Tovala group are hit-and-miss. Some people find them tough. Some people like them. Some people order the meals, but cook the steaks on the grill or in a cast iron pan - but why not buy a steak at the grocery store? It puzzles me, but people do it.

Besides being able to scan and cook Tovala meals, the oven also recognizes some frozen foods that can be purchased at the grocery store. I guess that's nice, but there are instructions on the box to cook the food in a regular oven, and it's not difficult.

There are also people who purchase their own proteins and vegetables, and cook them using the Tovala recipe cards. 

Tovala may be a good choice for people who don't know a lot about cooking, or those who are too busy or stressed to think much about shopping or cooking. Or for people who want a super-cheap oven and don't mind trying the meals for a while - or paying a higher price for the oven without the food.

I am not one of those people. I got tired of the repetitive meals and decided that the oven was not worth its space on the counter.