Isn't this concept the entire point of
Tovala? Perhaps make a gadget where one does not need to purchase proprietary "meal kits."
When I cook, I want to be actively involved. I enjoy the processes involved in making a meal. If I want to do other things, then the slow cooker or something baked, or what-have-you, is made. Cooking is my language of love. I love to cook for those I care about....distant monitoring isn't part of that.
To be fair, when I was working, I definitely needed ideas to save time. I resorted to a lot of one pot dishes or sheet-pan meals. Live-saving. I would have gotten something like the Tovala if it had not had proprietary kits back then.