I found myself in a dilemma over the last semester: eating was hard. Eating healthy was even harder. There’s a laundry list of reasons as to why this became such a big issue in my life, but to name a few:
- I live off-campus.
- I work (from home, thankfully) 24-28 hours per week along with managing my full-time course load.
- I’m a student athlete, participate in student media organizations, and work on game days in athletics.
- ADHD.
Clearly, my schedule is not the best, and on most days, my schedule is packed to the point where my friends look at me with wide eyes, asking me, “how do you do this?!”
I spent my very limited free time trying to plan healthy meals and cook at home, but that always failed for various reasons, and I was throwing out expired food more than I’d like to admit.
I then started my research into viable options for a meal delivery service, ideally one that would eliminate the time spent cooking while still eating fresh(er) meals. I stumbled upon Tovala and decided to give it a shot.
What is Tovala?
Tovala is a heat-and-eat meal delivery service that went so far as to develop and sell their own countertop smart convection oven for the best quality meals. Yep – that’s right – this service is modeled around a proprietary smart oven.
For clarity, I purchased the Tovala Smart Oven Pro, which is the higher end model that features the use of steam when cooking these meals. There is a lower level model, the Tovala Smart Oven, that doesn’t feature a steam function and instead advertises itself on its airfrying capabilities.
| PROS | CONS |
| Basically no meal prep involved besides adding sauce and/or cheese to a dish. | Meals can only be purchased in even number increments. |
| Convenient meal selection. | Air fryer function on the Tovala Smart Oven Pro oven leaves something to be desired. |
| Clear messaging regarding meals that may fit into specific diets (ex. “Carb Conscious” and “Calorie Smart” tags). | Variety of meal options may not be diverse enough for some users. |
| Phone app delivers notifications when the meal is ready. | Vacuum-sealed proteins leak on occasion. |
| Easy to skip shipments. | |
| Perfect for those who are looking for single-serving meals for one. |
My Experience
Overall, I love my Tovala oven. It has freed up so much time in my day due to the fact that it’s so easy to use. My schedule is so busy, so every week, I check my calendar and decide how many meals I need this week. If I decide that my schedule is too busy, or I don’t need the meals, I’m given the option to skip.
For example, this coming week, I determined that I needed five meals for my dinners this week. Now, five meals is something that is “hard” to achieve, as the service only offers shipments of four, six, eight, 10, 12, and 16. I personally have only ever ordered up to eight meals for a week, and that means I’m having a Tovala meal for lunch (which isn’t a complaint – lunch is an equally hard meal time for me).
The reason why five meals can be hard to hit is because it requires some additional planning on my part. My selection for the number of meals this week should be four, and ideally, I should be able to select a meal that comes with two servings (these are counted as one meal). These types of meals are clearly denoted on the meal selection screen, making the selection easier to achieve.
The meals themselves are easy to prepare, and Tovala is also very good at noting on the meal selection screen if there will be any additional prep needed, such as slicing baby tomatoes or adding water to a dish that includes Israeli couscous or risotto.
Once you complete the very minimal prep instructions that are included on the meal card, it is ready to go into the oven, which is where the “smart” is showcased. In order to cook the Tovala chef-created meals, the meal cards include a QR code that is scanned by the oven.
It’s as easy as inserting the meal into the oven, scanning the QR code, and pressing start. Once it’s in the oven, all you need to do is wait for the finished meal.
Having been a Tovala customer for some time now, I do have two complaints about this service and the oven itself.
When I made my original purchase, the Tovala only featured the Pro oven, and the air fryer function was was a selling point for me. I’ve found that in comparison to a standard air fryer, the Tovala Pro oven doesn’t get food as crispy as it could. The recent release of the new “standard” Tovala Smart Oven has been heavily marketed on its air frying capabilities, but I’m unsure as to how well items are frying in this model.
My other complaint is regarding the vacuum-sealed proteins and their liability to leak, especially the chicken. It doesn’t happen with every shipment, but it has happened to me a few times. As someone who was raised to be paranoid about foodborne illnesses, I’ve stopped ordering meals with these proteins, even though I’ve never had an issue with these meals making me sick.
It’s worth noting that Tovala’s customer service is helpful for when there is a leaky protein, and they have always been more than willing to credit my account for the meal that no longer has a protein attached. Some meals have worked out without the protein, such as the various salads that are meant to be prepared with chicken, but others are built completely around the protein, such as the Garlic Pepper Chicken Breast with Balsamic Roasted Broccoli. I haven’t had any other reason to contact customer service, so I can’t attest to how they may handle any other potential issues.
Overall, Tovala has genuinely saved me so much time in my day, and has given me the opportunity to have a much healthier diet. Without Tovala, I was either not eating, or eating poor options such as Totino’s Pizza Rolls or Bagel Bites (I still love these, but they’re certainly not a healthy meal).
