French Door Appliance Trend

If you, like many people, strive to emulate your favorite celebrity chefs, you can appreciate that home appliance makers have increasingly taken cues from professional kitchens. For example, the French-door phenomenon has dominated the refrigerator market over the last several years, owing its popularity to a conveniently eye-level refrigerator space with full-width shelving to accommodate wide dishes and half-width doors that offer slim clearance.

If you've fallen in love with a French-door refrigerator, you'll be pleased to learn that appliance manufacturers have recently applied this intelligent and aesthetically pleasing design to ovens. French-door wall ovens are probably the hottest trend in home appliances this year, with several makers, such as GE Cafe, Viking, BlueStar, and Monogram, now offering sleek and ergonomically designed models that can help you cook like a pro without breaking out in a sweat.

There are countless reasons this trend is gaining momentum. Here are three benefits of French-door ovens you should know:

• Chic European styling adds panache to your kitchen design
• Innovative door design makes one-handed opening simple
• Side-opening doors give you easier access
• Works well in a tight space

It's no secret that you find cooking more enjoyable when your kitchen is lovely to behold. The symmetrical, double door design is both eye-catching and evocative of a gourmet French kitchen. Updated from antique double door ovens of the past, today's French-door wall ovens often feature shimmering stainless steel finish, understated flush touchscreen controls, and smooth lines for an uncluttered look.

Another alluring feature of French-door ovens is how easy they are to open. Despite the double doors, many models boast one-handed opening, allowing you to simply grasp one handle to release both doors. Fans of French-door ovens love that they can open both doors wide with one free hand and slide in a roast or casserole with the other.

Increasing the ergonomic benefits of this oven format, French-doors open to the side rather than forward to the floor. If you've ever struggled to scoot a huge Thanksgiving turkey out of a hot oven while straddling the open door, you can imagine how much easier it is to lift hefty baked items when you can stand right next to the oven. Additionally, the slimmer clearance of two double doors means French door ovens fit in snug galley kitchens better than their traditional counterparts.

Looks, convenience, and ergonomic functionality are three compelling reasons why French-doors have made their way onto this year's top kitchen appliance trends, and maybe why you might be considering adding one to your home kitchen.