Business Insider/Jessica Tyler
Tovala sells a gourmet meal-kit service along with its futuristic smart oven.
- Tovala has created a smart oven and meal-kit service that's intended to simplify home cooking.
- The oven is a countertop machine that essentially combines four types of appliances: a broiler, steamer, oven, and toaster.
- We got a chance to test it out - here's what it was like.
Meal kits have become one of the biggest trends in food
But the backlash has already begun. Some say the market is now oversaturated with meal-kit options, and industry innovators such as Blue Apron have found themselves losing customers.
Tovala, a smart oven and gourmet meal-kit service, is hoping to swoop in and woo these customers on the assumption that they still crave good food and convenience.
The Tovala oven is a countertop machine that combines four types of appliances: a broiler, steamer, oven, and toaster. The oven is WiFi-enabled and connected to an app with hundreds of different recipes on it. The user simply needs to select a recipe on the app or scan the barcode on one of its pre-prepared meals, and the oven will then do all of the work.
In February, Tovala received an undisclosed amount of funding from food giant Tyson Foods. The capital raised was to be used to support Tovala's growth, including adding staff across all departments, geographic expansion, and investment in product, operations, technology and marketing, Tovala said in a press release at the time.
On Tuesday, Tovala launched its new and improved second-generation machine, which is lighter than its predecessor and has a new function that enables users to cook without using the app. The first machine was rolled out in 2017.
Find out how it works below:
