Anova Precision Oven Review
First, a physical description: The Anova oven is about the size of a large microwave. The oven measures 23 inches in length, 18 inches tall, and 20 inches deep. It is big enough to handle a 10 lb turkey easily. The directions say it needs 4 inches of clearance. I would add that it needs something substantial underneath and should not be placed below a cabinet. All the manual controls are electronic and in the handle.
Second, what it does: The is a steam oven with a temperature range of 77 to 482 degrees Fahrenheit. While it has manual controls in the handle, the machine is designed to work best with a cell phone app that requires both blue tooth and a WIFY connection. The company has a line of sous vide appliances and apparently thought a steam oven would be an excellent upgrade for sous vide cooking. While I may try that at some point, that is not why I bought it. It is called a "Precision oven" because it uses a PID (proportional-integral-derivative) controller that corrects a failure in a particular control function. Multiple temperature sensors and a microprocessor control temperature. So when the sensors pick up an increase or decrease in temperature, the PID controller makes the adjustment to maintain the temperature programmed. There is a large water tank (over a gallon) that uses distilled water.
Third, My limited experience using the oven: The manual controls are worthless except for the most basic features. One cannot even turn on the oven light without your phone. This wouldn't be so bad, but, in my house, the wify can be a little flakey, which can be a problem when trying to control the oven with my phone.
Once you master the app setting up a baking sequence is pretty simple, and the timers work great, with several options like manual switching, automatic switching etc... The only real issue with the timer is that it cannot be set up to turn off the oven. The oven must be turned off on the app or manually when the timer ends. A safety workaround is to set your last sequence to 77 degrees lower burner only. This will prevent you from burning the food if you lose track of time and don't hear the little "ding" at the end of the timing sequence.
I don't think there is a better proofing box anywhere on the planet. Being able to control both the temperature and the humidity is a huge game changer. Not just for bread dough but Chocolate, Yogurt, Keifer, Kombucha etc ...For those who want to make Fermented Red Rye Malt (solod), this machine couldn't be better if it were custom-made.
Finally, there is the high-heat steam feature. I was surprised at how much faster bread cooks at 450F and 100% steam. It cooks in about half the time of my regular oven. The oven spring is amazing. The only issue and I have a support question in about this and will comment later, is that the steam never really turns off. My program for 500mg of dough (a little over a pound) is for a 10-minute cook @ 450F 100% steam and 25 minutes of 390F@ no steam. I've opened the oven at the end of the steam setting to let out the steam, and even after another 10 minutes of no steam, steam still leaves the oven when I open the door. I get a decent crust, but I know it could be better. Could be something I'm missing. As I use the oven more and learn more about it I will update this review. If anyone else out there has this oven and has something to add, please, add!
The Anova list price is around $700, but I paid $500 - there always seems to be a sale as there is now as of this writing.
About steam coming out of the oven when you have already turned off the steam, there are two likely culprits. One, if you are using a baking stone, during the first 10 minutes of steam, the stone may have absorbed some steam, and that may be the source. The second possibility is that the loaf itself is letting off steam as it cooks, and that is what you see. I have not used the Anova, but have a combi oven, and to work as a steamer, most ovens have vents that are shut to keep in the steam, and on some there is a different setting that opens the vents to let out the steam that is generated from the food while it is cooking. Gaggeneau ( which I don't have ) uses 0% humidity to refer to open vents, and 30% humidity does not actually add any steam to the oven, it just closes the vents and keeps the steam that is released from the cooking process in the oven. Glad you like the oven spring. In my oven, I felt that the constant fan offset the steam, so the oven spring was not all that great.
RV -- I've used an Anova many times at my brother-in-law's apartment. It's the best oven I've baked high %age ryes in. I've never had the problem with steam not dissipating. I always get great oven spring & amazing carmelized crusts -- and timings are pretty close to what is called for in the recipes. What's more, by taking occasional peeks through the big window, I've learned that, contrary to what I always thought, the loaves don't only rise during the steam phase of baking. They actually rise alot in the later stages of too.
Wheat breads are a different matter (tho my in-laws like the ryes so much that I have less experience baking them.) First, as you report, breads often get done 1/3 quicker than exoected -- and if I don't watch them like a hawk, they have a tendency to scorch.
If you are opening the Anova to vent steam the tenperature inside the box will drop like crazy. Opening the oven rapidly to put the loaf in causes the temp to drop by maybe 40 C. A longer venting would drop the temperature more precipitously. Might this be why you are underwhelmed by the crusts?
My in-laws are Swiss, so their Anova is running on a 220 circuit. I don't know if American Anovas run on 110 and if they operate differently.
Rob
110 vs 220? There are certainly advantages to 220, can’t say if that is one of them. Opening the oven to vent the steam was a suggestion on the mfg website. Since the second stage of the bake is at a lower temp it made sense to me, especially if they don’t have steam vents specifically to accomplish that task.
‘Apparently the more expensive ovens have vents to release steam, if the Anova has steam vents I am unaware of them. Unless it is where all that steam in the front right corner is coming from (which is why you don’t want this oven under cabinets). As I said, I have a support question I’m waiting on for clarification.
I, like you, bake mostly rye breads so don’t have much experience with wheat flour breads, esp bread and A/P flours.
Received a reply from their customer service. The steam vent is on the lower front right corner of the machine. they suggested running at less than 100% steam and suggested the remaining steam in the oven was from the loaf (possible). After using it for about a month now I am (overall)happy with the purchase, just wish the wify wasn’t so flakey.
https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/67418/anova-precision-oven-bread-baker-my-impressions#comment-514856