Tovala’s Smart Oven Makes a Strong Case for Convenience

TechCrunch’s Lauren Forristal tested Tovala’s smart oven for two weeks. The system combines a countertop oven with portioned meal kits: users add any required ingredients, place the food in provided trays, scan a QR code in the companion app, and let the oven follow the cooking instructions automatically.

The oven can bake, broil, air fry, toast, and reheat while changing temperatures and cooking modes during a recipe. The regular model costs $299. The Smart Oven Pro costs $349 and adds a steam function.

Tovala offers more than 45 meals each week, including steak, salmon, soup, pasta dishes, and stir-fries. Plans include 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, or 16 meals per week. Single-serving meals start at $13.99. Two-serving meals start at around $8.99 per serving, or $17.98 total, plus a $10.99 shipping fee. Family-sized meals start at $35.96.

Forristal found that meat texture was the biggest weakness and finished a steak in a steel pan for extra browning. Other dishes performed better. She particularly liked a pineapple shrimp stir-fry. A grocery-food feature also lets the oven recognize some store-bought products by barcode, extending its use beyond Tovala-branded meals. Tovala is sold through its website and Amazon and ships to most U.S. states, except Alaska and Hawaii.