Anova Precision Oven: Features, Accessories, Troubleshooting, and "Should I Buy One?"

[JoNorvelleWalker]

It is well the Fissler roaster fits in my APO.  So far that is the only spot I've found to store it.

 

[cyalexa]

I posted in March about having my APO replaced due to a leak. The replacement which arrived mid-March does not heat to the set temperature or properly display the correct internal temperature. I contacted Anova support and as directed, I jumped through the trouble shooting hoops, none of which made a difference. I want to return the oven for a refund. I was told that since the original order was in November on 2021 I do not qualify for a refund but they will send a replacement. I have requested the issue be escalated to someone that can authorize a refund as I have had the new oven only about 60 days. I loved the APO when it was working properly. I did not love it enough to repeatedly go through the hassle of wrestling it back into a box and driving to the UPS store, waiting for then unpacking a new one and getting it set up . 

Edited May 18, 2022 by cyalexa
grammar (log)

[palo]

Anova may be acting proactively regarding tank issues - I contacted support regarding getting a shield and gasket for mine (no cracking yet) - their reply:

 

Thanks for reaching out to ANOVA Support! I can certainly add you to the waitlist for our tank covers. I will make sure to add a new tank with the tank cover so that you'll have a new water tank assembly when it's available.

 

Nice to know, but no idea when I might expect it.

 

p

 

 

 

[palo]

Follow-up later this morning:

 

You have already been added to the waitlist for tank covers, I have SO-449422 as a reference. As I mentioned in my previous email, I even added a new water tank with the tank cover so that you'll have an entirely new assembly. An email notification with the tracking details will be sent to you once the tank cover is available and is ready to be shipped.

 

p

[jimb0]

are we still bullish on the apo? i see they're having a 10% off sale off the ovens, plus an additional 20% off sitewide (and 36% off their basic circulator + 50% off their higher-end circulator)

 

i'm surprised at how big the discounts are

[SherryCobySam]

I am loving my oven. If it ever breaks I am immediately getting another one. It has completely change the way I cook, and I feel no need to have either a toaster or a microwave because this does  everything better Albeit slower. I got it on April 30 and ANOVA just refunded me an extra 20% off to take advantage of the sale. These people are amazing. Who has the chamber vacuum and it is it worth it? 

[jimb0]

5 hours ago, SherryCobySam said:

I am loving my oven. If it ever breaks I am immediately getting another one. It has completely change the way I cook, and I feel no need to have either a toaster or a microwave because this does  everything better Albeit slower. I got it on April 30 and ANOVA just refunded me an extra 20% off to take advantage of the sale. These people are amazing. Who has the chamber vacuum and it is it worth it? 

that's rad, i'm glad you got some cash back!

2 hours ago, andrewk512 said:

I am loving the APO lately - using it a lot for steaming vegetables and making different types of koji.

 

Vegetables I am doing at 220F and 100% steam, pretty straightforward

 

Pearl barley I presoaked then steamed at 220F and 100% steam, I added a bit of water and had to mix part way through to ensure even and thorough cooking

 

Soybeans I presoaked then steamed with a bit of added water - the challenge is in finding out how much water to use without having enough left over

 

Koji I start at 30C and 100% RH, I cover the koji with a very thin towel then cover the tray with plastic wrap with holes in it, my pan is perforated. Half way through I turn the temp to minimum, remove the plastic wrap (the koji is still covered by a light towel) and I also bump down the humidity if needed. If you stick to standard grain depth then the temp will pretty well regulate itself due to the fan in the oven, this batch was a bit thick and I had to finish it at room temp to keep it cool. I have done rice and soybean koji in a similar fashion.

 

 

 

righteous, man. i also like to experiment with koji, etc., and hadn't considered that the apo might actually be a useful tool for this purpose.

 

ah! well,

 

[jimb0]

On 6/7/2022 at 2:07 PM, jimb0 said:

that's rad, i'm glad you got some cash back!

 

righteous, man. i also like to experiment with koji, etc., and hadn't considered that the apo might actually be a useful tool for this purpose.

 

ah! well,

 

 

lol i think i already regret this. terribly buggy setup, and now a probable failed forced firmware update. not sure i want to bother getting it fixed versus just returning it.

[palo]

48 minutes ago, jimb0 said:

a probable failed forced firmware update. not sure i want to bother getting it fixed versus just returning it.

Well the software is prone to failures/problems, but they aren't usually the "return it to the store" type errors - you may have to play with it, retry, adjust your settings - I think most of have had those kind of errors/problems but have persevered - the end result is worth it

 

p

[JoNorvelleWalker]

2 hours ago, jimb0 said:

 

lol i think i already regret this. terribly buggy setup, and now a probable failed forced firmware update. not sure i want to bother getting it fixed versus just returning it.

 

You could always try a forced reset.  Hold the WiFi and Start buttons simultaneously for several seconds.  Worked for me once after a failed firmware update.

 

[Rickbern]

@jimb0 make sure you’re on a 2.4 ghz wifi. I find mine to be pretty stable

 

https://support.anovaculinary.com/hc/en-us/articles/360050481412-Troubleshooting-WI-FI-connectivity-on-your-Anova-Precision-Oven

[jimb0]

thanks guys, i appreciate the help. i’m generally pretty tech savvy and i’m confident that the problems stem from the oven and/or bad software versus a network problem on my end. my network infrastructure is pretty solid. 

 

clearly it’s got some love here but it’s a poor experience so far, and i’m not sure i trust it going forward. oh well, we’ll see if support comes up with something. 

[palo]

I haven't found their software support to be that great, assuming you've done everything right, as it's buggy/weak software - for some it works great, others not so much.

 

I hope in your case I'm proved wrong

 

p

[jimb0]

i think there just may be not much in the way of qa; it seems like a looooot of bugs make it through. at least one redditor found that they’d stopped paying for some cloud api at one point for a while, which meant that nobody could link up their apps 

 

at this point in the lifespan of the product offering the experience should really be a lot tighter imo and it’s kind of a letdown. 

 

they’ve been owned by electrolux for five years now so it’s not like they’ve got no support. but given the quality of electrolux appliances i’ve had maybe i shouldn’t be surprised. 

[jimb0]

i think there must have been some backend configuration issue that they fixed today because magically out of nowhere (despite doing the same things repeatedly) it was finally able to download the new firmware and has since then remained connected to the app.

 

gave it a brief trial run with some sirloins on 100% steam to medium-rare. microwaved some fingerlings for a few minutes until soft, then put them in to brown while i took the steaks out to the ir burner on the grill.

 

pretty good overall, though i found the steaks seemed to dry out a little bit on the exposed end (admittedly i left them in for a little bit).

[palo]

Smithy did a wonderful job of documenting a disassembly of the CSO

 

What about the APO? Not my work, but I'll just pass it on 😉

 

 

p

[JoNorvelleWalker]

1 hour ago, palo said:

Smithy did a wonderful job of documenting a disassembly of the CSO

 

What about the APO? Not my work, but I'll just pass it on 😉

 

 

p

 

Unfortunately the video does not demonstrate the reassembly of the unit.  I must say the APO looks well made compared to the interior of the CSO.

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

[FlashJack]

That's oddly mesmerising.

 

Jo, there is no reassembly because there is no reassembly. This is the creation of a bucket of components.

 

It would be interesting to see how grubby it is in back after a couple of hundred hours of operation.

 

Thanks for the link.

[TdeV]

I only lasted 22 minutes. But I have bookmarked it! 😂

[JoNorvelleWalker]

1 hour ago, FlashJack said:

That's oddly mesmerising.

 

Jo, there is no reassembly because there is no reassembly. This is the creation of a bucket of components.

 

It would be interesting to see how grubby it is in back after a couple of hundred hours of operation.

 

Thanks for the link.

 

Expensive bucket of components.

 

[Smithy]

On 8/1/2022 at 7:28 PM, palo said:

Smithy did a wonderful job of documenting a disassembly of the CSO

 

 

In fairness, I'd like to note that I did not do the documenting. I simply pinned a link to that wonderfully helpful post. @Shelby deserves the credit for the post itself and the work that went into making it.

[palo]

2 hours ago, Smithy said:

 

In fairness, I'd like to note that I did not do the documenting. I simply pinned a link to that wonderfully helpful post. @Shelby deserves the credit for the post itself and the work that went into making it.

My apologies for my misrepresentation of Shelby's work - I jumped before I looked

 

Thanks Shelby

 

p

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I experienced a strange problem with my APO.  The temperature lights stopped working.  It looked as if part of the front panel had burned out.  As far as I could tell, control of the oven was still working from the app.  I did a factory reset and the display came back on.  Once I reconnected and updated to the current firmware, everything was fine.

 

I'm sure somehow the oven knew I had posted about the A4Box.

 

[palo]

On 5/27/2022 at 5:20 AM, palo said:

Anova may be acting proactively regarding tank issues - I contacted support regarding getting a shield and gasket for mine (no cracking yet) - their reply:

 

Thanks for reaching out to ANOVA Support! I can certainly add you to the waitlist for our tank covers. I will make sure to add a new tank with the tank cover so that you'll have a new water tank assembly when it's available.

 

Nice to know, but no idea when I might expect it.

 

p

 

 

 

Way back when (May 27) I posted about requesting a new tank and shield, well it arrived and looks nice - I haven't installed it yet as I've been otherwise busy

 

p

[JoNorvelleWalker]

One of my projects today was to clean the water tank of the APO.  Even though I use only distilled water in the APO, a reddish white organism was propagating in the tank.  I had the same problem with the tank of my CSO, but the CSO had algae growing in addition.  So far no algae yet in the Anova.

 

The tank is all cracked, not to my surprise.  And I was not delighted to find a pinhole leak in the distilled water bottle.  Mixing ovens with steam is a technology that needs more work.