“Smart” countertop ovens use advanced technology to take over cooking for you—or guide you step by step—while promising to replace a half dozen other appliances. Sounds like a tall order, and each oven takes a different approach. So are any worth buying?
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A completely incompetent review. You clearly don't know the first thing about how to properly use a combi steam oven. If you know how to cook, the Anova is the clear winner (BTW, it isn't a smart oven at all). If you don't know how to cook and want a toy to do it for you, then one of those so-called smart ovens is more your style
you obviously are using the Anova incorrectly, we use them 8-12 hours a day in our cafe , they are up their with high end combinations ovens .
in these real world these are the best home combi oven on the market. if you don’t know how to use something learn before you put your foot in ya mouth
Surprised to see the Anova do so badly. Ive had one for a while, and I find it pretty remarkable. I have the 240v Euro version, which seems to heat up quicker than the US version, maybe this would explain why you had problems with cooking time, but I certainly don't have that issue. The app isnt perfect, but there are only one or two things I dont like about it. Initially connected it to the wifi was an absolute pain, took ages, kept going wrong, but once it connected, it stayed perfectly fine ever since. The steam coming out the bottom has not caused any problems for me, but I guess it has to come out somewhere. I love it, I use it every day, and everything I cook in it, it does perfectly.
Please inform viewers that's this is a paid review.
This is the first review which didn't like Anova, I've heard only good things about. Been considering buying it for its steam and "sous vide" features, and exact temperature control.
Please review Combination Ovens-microwave, airfry, broil, steam, etc. Thank you 🙂
I found a referral code offering the Tovola oven at $49 with a $50 meal credit. I followed the link, said I could buy it for that price and no…the price changed right before my eyes. False advertising!!! I wouldn’t trust company at all!
Had the Tovala for a while now and really like it. It does meat so well because of the steam. Keeps them juicy. Just did a 3lb turkey breast for Thanksgiving and it did great.
No Joule Smart Oven?
Lost all hope with ATK… Thought you were not biased, but briefly talking about ovens you are not paid to sponsor says A LOT! By the way, I have the Anova Precision Oven and cooked a 17.5lbs turkey in four and a half hours through the Sous Vide method with quick top sear with the top broiler. Nine out nine family members loved it. Anyone looking at this video, do yourself a favor and watch real world home cooks using this oven and join the FB groups. 😊
I have lost all trust in you, ATK.
I've had the June oven for years. it's absolutely incredible. I've probably used our main oven only a handful of times since getting the June oven which we use multiple times a day. The best part is you can create your own custom cooking program, so if someone in the house doesn't know how to cook a certain dish, they can simply just click on the custom program you created.
Smart Ovens? Because Millennials and Gen Z's are Stupid AF!
Balmuda top notch Japanese oven
A brief word on energy efficiency would have been very helpful. But otherwise, great info. Thank you!
I’ve had the June for years now…. Can’t imagine life without it.
I would like you to add the Suvie to your comparison.
Tovala is only 50$… dang.
America’s test kitchen is a joke.
instead of any of these, i might just go for the breville smart oven
I have the anova and the app is not hard to use at all. LMAO @ this review. Using it with the probe, i've gotten fantastic results. It's amazing how you totally just glanced over the anova app with a single sentence but then june, you talk forever. You dont even mention the probe at all. This does not seem like a honest review. How much time did you spend on talking about the June?
The Anova Precision Oven is incredible if you know how to cook and use it. I honestly do not know the last time I used our built in oven it is that good.
June sounds great for people who don't know how to cook.
Presumably the editors of ATK know how to cook so their dismissal of the Anova barely talking about it is weird.
Also, don't talk about a big water tank like it's a bad thing?! 1 cup of water in the other one, do you have to fill it every cook?
My wife and I have a Tovala, but also have a Breville Combi-Wave 3 in 1 microwave/convection oven/air fryer. So far we are only using the Breville as a microwave. I have experimented a tiny bit with its air fryer features to reheat fried potatoes. Tovala has a software update that adds air frying features. Maybe someday someone will make a microwave with convection cooking, air fryer cooking, and steam cooking all in one.
My wife and I have a Tovala and have overall been pleased with it. It's $300 to just buy it, but it's very frequently on sale. The sale price is usually $100 but can be as low as $50 for special occasions like "Black Friday". The catch on the special price is that you have to commit to buying a certain amount of their meals, but my wife and I liked the meals and kept buying them after we no longer had to. We really like using Tovala as a toaster; it's slow, but the steam combined with the heating elements seems to make really nice toast. And we found that Tovala worked really well for steaming corn on the cob; no need to boil the corn in a large pot.
As with any smart appliance that calls back to servers the customer does not control, what happens if June goes out of business and their servers shut down? Does the core of the functionality remain (just without future updates) or does it have to call the server whenever you cook for any of the smart functionality to work?
I've been eyeing the anova for a couple of years but it's a shame it's not any good. Though cooking with steam might not be good enough of a gimmick to warrant a large, hot appliance in a small kitchen. ATK clearly has some kind of deal with June here but I couldn't ever justify that price. It must be meant for upper class urban types in tiny Manhattan apartments
I’ve had my June for a couple of months and it is such a joy to use. I pretty much use it every day along with my Breville smart oven air pro. Having these two makes cooking fun.
No Breville?
There is a 54 page thread on the Anova at egullet. It goes back 6 years and is worth reading if you are interested in the Anova.
ATK is usually my gospel for reviews but I feel this review was very superficial and WAY off on many aspects.
I have the Anova, Brava. ( for 3 years) and Tovala ( I have 3 and have gifted an additional 2 ).
Let’s start with Tovala. Really works well. The Reheat function is outstanding and I use it multiple times a day. It often sells for $99 ( with the meal plan delivery for 6 weeks ) and right now it is $49 with the meal plan. The meals aren’t inexpensive but very tasty and convenient. It also recognizes and scans the code for many Trader Joe’s and other items. You can easily fit in a spatchcocked chicken.
The comparison of the water used is somewhat misleading. Yes, it does only use a cup of water. The Anova uses distilled water but that tank of water lasts forever. So it’s not a drawback at all. I have had great success with everything the Anova has cooked and baked and I love the app and temperature probe. So I’m not seeing the issues that the reviewers found. I don’t make ribs so I can’t comment on the success of ribs in any of the items. Chicken doesn’t take forever. And chicken cooked with steam and convection are outstanding in any oven which utilizes steam as long as you get that skin crisp at the end. The Anova is the largest of these ovens and has a large footprint ( so you need to have the counter space to put it as opposed to some of the others which are toaster oven sized. ) But you can fit a LOT in it as well as large items ( turkey).
Brava does some things exceptionally well. There are some features in the app that I wish they would fix and the display screen on the top of the oven is awkwardly placed unless you are 6 foot tall. Some of the pluses are their searing functions which produce excellent crispy results. The app is constantly being updated with lots of recipes constantly updating with a great support network. Disadvantage: The cost needs to be taken into account. By the time you have purchased all the necessary pans and chef’s cast iron casserole dish ( which are all excellent and well designed btw ) you are looking at $1500.