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

[FlashJack]

9 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

you could always write a multi stage recipe to have a non-heating stage run for a preset amount of time

Jo, this is precisely the thing I dislike. Thank you for the instruction. This is why I gripe against our overthinking robot overlords. It's the UI/UX. Can we not be allowed to dial these things on the device? Without a phone?

 

I like to press buttons or dial dials. Does this frustrate you too?

 

Much as I like programming, my feeling is that these too-smart machines are dumb.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

4 hours ago, FlashJack said:

Jo, this is precisely the thing I dislike. Thank you for the instruction. This is why I gripe against our overthinking robot overlords. It's the UI/UX. Can we not be allowed to dial these things on the device? Without a phone?

 

I like to press buttons or dial dials. Does this frustrate you too?

 

Much as I like programming, my feeling is that these too-smart machines are dumb.

 

 

This aspect of the APO doesn't bother me at all.  What bothers me greatly is that the app is not a native iPad app, so when I open the app it flips my user interface upside down.

 

Personally I don't miss dial phones.

 

[TdeV]

@JoNorvelleWalker, are you able to program your own Anova? I heard a podcast which included an APO hotshot who was quite clear that folks mayn't do their own programming (some liability issue), or maybe it was that people can't crowdsource their recipes (same reason). I am only using the keys on the front (because I want to learn how it works).

 

Do tell.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

9 minutes ago, TdeV said:

@JoNorvelleWalker, are you able to program your own Anova? I heard a podcast which included an APO hotshot who was quite clear that folks mayn't do their own programming (some liability issue), or maybe it was that people can't crowdsource their recipes (same reason). I am only using the keys on the front (because I want to learn how it works).

 

Do tell.

 

Under the "oven" menu, enter your cooking parameters, then press "add stage".  For "transition" press "automatic".  Enter the parameters for the second stage.

 

Press "start".  The first stage runs for the allotted time and then the second stage automatically begins.

 

[TdeV]

But can you save that Cook Scheme?

[TdeV]

I've finished the descaling.

As a result of Duvel-inspired ham hocks (and, admittedly, some other stuff) the inside of the oven is filthy.

Warmed to 140°F yesterday and sprayed (not quite) fume free Oven Off.

Rinsed that off today.

But the inside window isn't cleaning well.

And the top of the oven is still filthy because the aerosol can won't spray upside down.

So for those who have had to clean this APO, how did you clean the top of the inside?

 

Requested upgrades: self clean cycle.

Edited April 19, 2021 by TdeV
Clarity. (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

52 minutes ago, TdeV said:

But can you save that Cook Scheme?

 

Under the Activity menu press "Create Recipe".  Enter the parameters of the stages as I detailed above.  Press "Save Recipe".

 

[jimb0]

from another forum i am on

 

"EDIT: for more on topic content, I can recommend the anova combi oven for its durability. Turns out it can survive being stolen from your moving trunk, getting dumped into a nearby ditch and then rained on and still power on!"

[palo]

@jimb0Interested in that post

 

p

[jimb0]

9 minutes ago, palo said:

@jimb0Interested in that post

 

p

 

that's the sum total, they were moving, it got stolen in the process and was found dumped in a ditch after getting rained on.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I learned something.

 

The APO lets me adjust cooking parameters on the fly, without turning off the oven first.  Some may be laughing, but my big GE oven doesn't let me change settings without cancelling the cooking first.  Nor does the CSO.  (Or at least if it does I don't know how.)

 

[gfweb]

7 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I learned something.

 

The APO lets me adjust cooking parameters on the fly, without turning off the oven first.  Some may be laughing, but my big GE oven doesn't let me change settings without cancelling the cooking first.  Nor does the CSO.  (Or at least if it does I don't know how.)

 

Breville smart oven allows such changes

[Lord_Pall]

Okay so impressions and then some odd questions - 

 

Had the oven since December. It's a really odd duck but I quite like it.  

 

So far it's replaced the sous vide anova, an air fryer, and in a lot of cases, the oven itself. 

 

Cooked bread for a bit. Added a slide in cast iron griddle to crisp the bottom more. Made so much bread I was asked to stop making bread because we ate too much. 

 

Did a lot of sousvide and steaming. Dumplings (212/100%), wings (212 for steaming), sous vide wings (160 for a few hours then fry), steaks (ribeyes, 137f 2 hours). Effortless job.

 

Air frying wings was great buuuut. It made a giant mess in the oven.

 

Complaints -

Oven is mega dirty. No idea how to keep this thing clean. Oven cleaner didn't help with cooked on stuff, but it also made the oven stinky for a while since it's so airtight. I'm not just wiping things out. I have stopped air frying things that can get fat all over for this reason. 

Included pan is awful. So awful. Likes to make a terrifying CLANG when I heats up. Ended up getting a few jelly roll pans and the slide in cast iron griddle. 

App isn't great. Wifi connection on the oven refuses to work with Ubiquiti Nanohd's. Multiple instances of folks running into this. Ended up running an oven specific wifi network on an old AirPort Extreme.  Generally I'm using the controls directly.

 

Overall it's a game changer on par with sous vide, but more useful. Kinda wish it didn't make the entire house's lights flicker, but that's more me than the oven.

 

Now here's the question(s) - 

 

Baked a cake in it last night for my Son's birthday. 350, no steam, top and bottom. Cake cooked too fast. Rose super fast, and the edges were overcooked before the center finished. Still tasty though.

 

I know you can adapt a cake recipe to a steam oven. But what about a cake in sous vide mode? 210 until cooked, then bump temp to get a bit of crust if you want that? lower temp with steam? Combination of heat and steam?

 

Can you sous vide a cake? Can you sous vide a cake with no steam to avoid it being a steamed pudding?

 

I feel like there's some oddball cooking processes I could try out here that might make a better cake. 

[rotuts]

@Lord_Pall 

 

"" Oven is mega dirty. No idea how to keep this thing clean. Oven cleaner didn't help with cooked on stuff, but it also made the oven stinky for a while since it's so airtight. I'm not just wiping things out. I have stopped air frying things that can get fat all over for this reason. ""

 

doesn't this oven have a ' Steam-Clean ' setting ?

 

similar to the CSO

 

major CombiOvens have this , as a key feature

 

but those are plumbed in w a drain and some actually wash the oven

 

just like a dishwasher and do a rinse cycle w pain water.

 

the CSO get very clean w just steam

 

you do have to wipe it down after

 

and have an empty drain ' box'

 

[Kerry Beal]

36 minutes ago, Lord_Pall said:

Okay so impressions and then some odd questions - 

 

Had the oven since December. It's a really odd duck but I quite like it.  

 

So far it's replaced the sous vide anova, an air fryer, and in a lot of cases, the oven itself. 

 

Cooked bread for a bit. Added a slide in cast iron griddle to crisp the bottom more. Made so much bread I was asked to stop making bread because we ate too much. 

 

Did a lot of sousvide and steaming. Dumplings (212/100%), wings (212 for steaming), sous vide wings (160 for a few hours then fry), steaks (ribeyes, 137f 2 hours). Effortless job.

 

Air frying wings was great buuuut. It made a giant mess in the oven.

 

Complaints -

Oven is mega dirty. No idea how to keep this thing clean. Oven cleaner didn't help with cooked on stuff, but it also made the oven stinky for a while since it's so airtight. I'm not just wiping things out. I have stopped air frying things that can get fat all over for this reason. 

Included pan is awful. So awful. Likes to make a terrifying CLANG when I heats up. Ended up getting a few jelly roll pans and the slide in cast iron griddle. 

App isn't great. Wifi connection on the oven refuses to work with Ubiquiti Nanohd's. Multiple instances of folks running into this. Ended up running an oven specific wifi network on an old AirPort Extreme.  Generally I'm using the controls directly.

 

Overall it's a game changer on par with sous vide, but more useful. Kinda wish it didn't make the entire house's lights flicker, but that's more me than the oven.

 

Now here's the question(s) - 

 

Baked a cake in it last night for my Son's birthday. 350, no steam, top and bottom. Cake cooked too fast. Rose super fast, and the edges were overcooked before the center finished. Still tasty though.

 

I know you can adapt a cake recipe to a steam oven. But what about a cake in sous vide mode? 210 until cooked, then bump temp to get a bit of crust if you want that? lower temp with steam? Combination of heat and steam?

 

Can you sous vide a cake? Can you sous vide a cake with no steam to avoid it being a steamed pudding?

 

I feel like there's some oddball cooking processes I could try out here that might make a better cake. 

Is your regular oven a convection? I generally drop temperature by 25 to 50º F when baking things like cake in a fan oven and cut back the time by 20% or so. 

[Lord_Pall]

 

 

Quote

 

Is your regular oven a convection? I generally drop temperature by 25 to 50º F when baking things like cake in a fan oven and cut back the time by 20% or so. 

 

 

Regular oven is convection, but super suspicious of it's temperature stability.  I definitely should've dropped the temp. Used a thermometer to measure the center though, that's what was so confusing about the whole thing. pulled it before 210, but by then it was too late.

 

Still feels like there's something more clever I can do with this piece of hardware.

 

 

 

Edited April 26, 2021 by Lord_Pall (log)

[chromedome]

16 minutes ago, Lord_Pall said:

 

Still feels like there's something more clever I can do with this piece of hardware.

 

 

Well, it's not especially clever, but... in the absence of oven-specific advice, wrapping the cake pan with insulating strips (Wilton sells them) is a universally-applicable option that helps keep the edges from over-baking before the middle's done.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

1 hour ago, Lord_Pall said:

Okay so impressions and then some odd questions - 

 

Had the oven since December. It's a really odd duck but I quite like it.  

 

So far it's replaced the sous vide anova, an air fryer, and in a lot of cases, the oven itself. 

 

Cooked bread for a bit. Added a slide in cast iron griddle to crisp the bottom more. Made so much bread I was asked to stop making bread because we ate too much. 

 

Did a lot of sousvide and steaming. Dumplings (212/100%), wings (212 for steaming), sous vide wings (160 for a few hours then fry), steaks (ribeyes, 137f 2 hours). Effortless job.

 

Air frying wings was great buuuut. It made a giant mess in the oven.

 

Complaints -

Oven is mega dirty. No idea how to keep this thing clean. Oven cleaner didn't help with cooked on stuff, but it also made the oven stinky for a while since it's so airtight. I'm not just wiping things out. I have stopped air frying things that can get fat all over for this reason. 

Included pan is awful. So awful. Likes to make a terrifying CLANG when I heats up. Ended up getting a few jelly roll pans and the slide in cast iron griddle. 

App isn't great. Wifi connection on the oven refuses to work with Ubiquiti Nanohd's. Multiple instances of folks running into this. Ended up running an oven specific wifi network on an old AirPort Extreme.  Generally I'm using the controls directly.

 

Overall it's a game changer on par with sous vide, but more useful. Kinda wish it didn't make the entire house's lights flicker, but that's more me than the oven.

 

Now here's the question(s) - 

 

Baked a cake in it last night for my Son's birthday. 350, no steam, top and bottom. Cake cooked too fast. Rose super fast, and the edges were overcooked before the center finished. Still tasty though.

 

I know you can adapt a cake recipe to a steam oven. But what about a cake in sous vide mode? 210 until cooked, then bump temp to get a bit of crust if you want that? lower temp with steam? Combination of heat and steam?

 

Can you sous vide a cake? Can you sous vide a cake with no steam to avoid it being a steamed pudding?

 

I feel like there's some oddball cooking processes I could try out here that might make a better cake. 

 

For baking a cake I'd be inclined to use only bottom heat, no fan.  (And use the strips as @chromedome suggested.)

 

[MokaPot]

2 hours ago, chromedome said:

Well, it's not especially clever, but... in the absence of oven-specific advice, wrapping the cake pan with insulating strips (Wilton sells them) is a universally-applicable option that helps keep the edges from over-baking before the middle's done.

 

@chromedome, have you tried the Wilton (or other) cake strips? Seems like a cool product. (Yes, judging by YouTube videos, seems like the cake strips would help to get an evenly-baked cake.)

 

[chromedome]

13 minutes ago, MokaPot said:

 

@chromedome, have you tried the Wilton (or other) cake strips? Seems like a cool product. (Yes, judging by YouTube videos, seems like the cake strips would help to get an evenly-baked cake.)

 

They're on my (lengthy) to-get list, but I have done the equivalent by wetting kitchen towels and securing them around the pan with a length of twine. It's a PITA, but I don't bake cakes very often so it's not a big deal.

[TdeV]

4 hours ago, Lord_Pall said:

Still feels like there's something more clever I can do with this piece of hardware.

 

I'm sure that you're absolutely correct there, @Lord_Pall 🤣 🤣

[palo]

Well it's about a month since I got my replacement pan and it definitely is an improvement.

 

Anyone else request and receive theirs?

 

What are your impressions of the "new" pan?

 

p

[JoNorvelleWalker]

6 hours ago, palo said:

Well it's about a month since I got my replacement pan and it definitely is an improvement.

 

Anyone else request and receive theirs?

 

What are your impressions of the "new" pan?

 

p

 

I haven't asked yet, thanks for reminding me.

 

[palo]

We in Canada often (constantly?) moan about the cost of items in Canada compared to the US.

 

Never again!

 

The APO in the UK will set you back CDN $1205.62  😨 😨 😨

 

That is the price of the oven, VAT (which are import duties) plus the DHL fees!!!

 

Part of the problem is that the ovens are shipped from their EU warehouse and due to Brexit they are considered "imports" to the UK and thus subject to the duties.

 

People in the UK purchasing one of these definitely need to keep a "stiff upper lip"

 

p

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I had a message this afternoon that "A new firmware update has been installed on your oven."