Here's What Happened When a Non-Cook Tested the Tovala Smart Oven

• Value: 20/20
• Functionality: 20/20
• Convenience: 17/20
• Aesthetics: 17/20
• Ease of Use: 18/20

Total: 92/100

No one dislikes cooking as much as I do. Seriously, even when I follow recipes to a T, the food still comes out nearly inedible. Yup, I'm that bad, so I saw two options for myself: Marry someone who actually knows their way around the kitchen or make the Tovala Smart Oven Pro (was $299, now $119) my new best friend. While the former would be awesome (at some point), I decided that, since I need to start cutting back on takeout sooner rather than later, the second option was the way to go. And being that the Tovala is supposed to be like an 'Easy Bake Oven for adults' (i.e., it does most of the work for you), I figured it was my answer to whipping up meals that I could actually eat and serve to other people. Here's what happened when I put its six-in-one versatility to the test.

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Using the Tovala Smart Oven is supposed to be as easy as one-two-three. First, you'll choose four to 16 meals from weekly menus to be delivered right to your door. Then, when you go to cook them, you'll only need to complete a few easy steps, like chopping ingredients and separating the main dish from the side to get it ready for the oven. From there, you'll scan the barcode on the recipe sheet and it will automatically choose all the proper settings, so you don't have to think twice. Just press start, and in 25 minutes or less, breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert is served. In other words, you don't have to worry about being a pro because, as the brand says, "Our chefs tell your Tovala Smart Oven how to cycle through cooking modes." And setting it all up is effortless with the Tovala app.

The next time I used the multicooker was for roasted mushroom gnocchi alfredo. While prepping and cooking was equally as effortless, I still noticed that the food wasn't hot, which is one of the cons of the one-touch cooking. So if, like me, you like your food somewhat steamy, I would say you may want to adjust the presets so your food can come out hotter. However, I also used the smart oven to bake pizza and sugar cookies with ingredients I bought at the grocery store, and they came out jusssssst right.

After testing it for three months (with and without the meal kits), I've decided that the Tovala Smart Oven has earned a permanent spot on my kitchen counter. Not only can I actually cook yummy meals with it, it also has a sleek look and is the size of an average microwave, so it doesn't take up too much space. As a non-cook, those are biggies for me. The fact that it's under $200 right now? Just the icing on the cake.