{
  "id": 8046125,
  "title": "I tried Tovala’s smart oven for two weeks — here’s whether it beats takeout",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/i-tried-tovalas-smart-oven-for-two-weeks-heres-whether-it-beats",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-17T15:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TechCrunch",
    "slug": "techcrunch",
    "url": "https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/17/i-tried-tovalas-smart-oven-for-two-weeks-heres-whether-it-beats-takeout/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "I spent two weeks testing Tovala's smart oven to determine if it could simplify dinner preparation as claimed by the company. While it doesn't match the quality of a well-cooked home meal and results varied, convenience stood out on days when cooking was unappealing. This challenge was addressed by Tovala co-founder and CEO David Rabie, who identified a need for a solution as convenient as takeout or frozen meals, but with the taste of home-cooked food. Rabie's inspiration came from his own experience in business school where he often sought convenient alternatives. He realized he was essentially pressing buttons while using multiple appliances and this led to the concept of a comprehensive system: fresh, mostly prepped meals combined with a connected oven capable of automatic cooking. The system works by sending meals with pre-portioned ingredients to your home, along with a smart oven that takes care of cooking. Instead of chopping, measuring, determining cooking temperatures, and monitoring a stove, you mainly unwrap, follow simple instructions, put everything in provided trays, scan a QR code using the companion app, and let the oven handle the rest. The countertop oven can bake, broil, air fry, toast, and reheat. It costs $299 for the regular model and $349 for the Smart Oven Pro, which adds a steam function. The meal delivery service offers over 45 options each week, including meals for 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, or 16 people. Prices start at $8.99 per serving for two-serving meals, plus a $10.99 shipping fee. However, the meals aren't inexpensive. Despite this, the grocery feature that allows the oven to recognize certain products and adjust cooking settings accordingly makes Tovala feel more like a smart oven than a machine designed only to cook its own meal kits. If you find ordering takeout due to exhaustion from cooking, Tovala offers a strong alternative. Tovala is available on its website and Amazon, shipping to most U.S. states, but not to Alaska or Hawaii.",
  "summary": "Tovala offers both a smart oven and a meal-delivery service. Its meals come with QR codes that you scan using the app, allowing the oven to automatically follow the cooking instructions.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}