# Why are oven doors hinged at the bottom? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [June 5, 2021, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-oven-doors-hinged-at-the-bottom/943682 "2021-06-05T18:07:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-oven-doors-hinged-at-the-bottom/943682/21 "2021-06-06T13:59:03Z")
Oven doors are normally wider than they are taller also. A bottom hinged door only swings out into your space the height of the door. A side hinged would swing out the entire width which is probably not desired. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-oven-doors-hinged-at-the-bottom/943682/22 "2021-06-06T14:13:36Z")
Broil is the American word for grill. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-oven-doors-hinged-at-the-bottom/943682/23 "2021-06-06T14:18:32Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Broiler is a setting that just turns on the top heating element. The food is usually put on the top shelf so it’s close to the heat. And the broiler can generate a significant amount if smoke if the door is left closed. Cracking the door open the door allows the smoke to be more controled and monitored. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-oven-doors-hinged-at-the-bottom/943682/24 "2021-06-06T14:37:54Z")
> [@Bayaker](#): > > Additionally, it is _very high_ heat used to sear steaks and quickly brown toppings like cheese or buttered breadcrumbs. Or making toast. I’ve found it to be much better than any toaster I’ve ever used. > [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > And the broiler can generate a significant amount if smoke if the door is left closed. Cracking the door open the door allows the smoke to be more controled and monitored. It also lets you see into the oven to see how things are going. It doesn’t take long to go from underdone to burnt. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-oven-doors-hinged-at-the-bottom/943682/25 "2021-06-06T15:22:00Z")
> [@hibernicus](#): > > Broil is the American word for grill. And to an American, grilling always refers to food sitting on some sort of hot surface with a heat source underneath. Usually, the surface is a metal grid, like a BBQ grill, but it can also be a solid surface in some contexts (e.g., a grilled cheese sandwich is cooked on a solid surface). ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-oven-doors-hinged-at-the-bottom/943682/26 "2021-06-06T15:24:59Z")
Many (most?) commercial ovens that have side hinged doors have 2 doors half-width doors that meet in the middle. They’re connected by a sprocket & bicycle chain mechanism so they move in unison. Ref some comments above, switching consumer ovens to that versus a single bottom hinged door would increase costs. Twice as many hinges, twice as many seals, twice as many parts to hand during assembly, plus they door sync mechanism. On the plus side there wouldn’t be a need to build and stock left- and right-sided models. Nor to provide for a door and hinges that can be swapped L vs R in the field. Oven door hinges are a lot more involved than are the simple pin-in-hole hinges used on consumer refrigerator doors. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-oven-doors-hinged-at-the-bottom/943682/27 "2021-06-06T15:30:33Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Many (most?) commercial ovens that have side hinged doors have 2 doors half-width doors that meet in the middle. They’re connected by a sprocket & bicycle chain mechanism so they move in unison. I don’t think that the move in unison is all that common. I’ve seen it, but only in (IIRC) two ovens out of the many dozens I’ve worked with. Or maybe they were supposed to be and the mechanisms were just broken. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-oven-doors-hinged-at-the-bottom/943682/28 "2021-06-06T15:31:48Z")
As far as I’m concerned, having the hinge at the top is right out. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-oven-doors-hinged-at-the-bottom/943682/29 "2021-06-06T15:41:59Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > I don’t think that the move in unison is all that common. I’ve seen it, but only in (IIRC) two ovens out of the many dozens I’ve worked with. > > Or maybe they were supposed to be and the mechanisms were just broken. On of my bros is an emergency repairman for restaurants. Something goes haywire in the kitchen, whether it’s an appliance problem, a plumbing problem, or an electrical or gas problem he’ll be there with lights and siren to rescue your day’s revenue. He says you haven’t lived until you’ve been running a large power snake down the grease encrusted floor drain in front of the hot line during the dinner rush while everybody is splashing around in 4" of greasy water carrying hot pots and pans over you as you’re crouched down trying to run the snake and stay out of the way and not get burned. He fixes those door sync mechanisms pretty regularly. They love to get gummed up w greasy smoke. Which is where I got the contention those are commonplace. I’ll have to ask him how common they really are versus the two separate doors. I can certainly see plusses and minuses to each design. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-oven-doors-hinged-at-the-bottom/943682/30 "2021-06-06T16:59:14Z")
In most cases don’t we put the hinges on the long edge of a door? Oven doors are generally wider than they are tall. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-oven-doors-hinged-at-the-bottom/943682/31 "2021-06-06T17:07:33Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Not quite. Broiler is a setting that just turns on the top heating element. The food is usually put on the top shelf so it’s close to the heat. We call that a grill ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-oven-doors-hinged-at-the-bottom/943682/32 "2021-06-06T17:18:37Z")
When I am pulling something out of the oven, I often put it first onto the door, reset the oven pads more securely and move it to the top of the stove. With pizzas, I will put a cutting board down on the oven door and slide the pizza onto it. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-oven-doors-hinged-at-the-bottom/943682/33 "2021-06-06T17:24:53Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > > [@dtilque](#): > > > > Not quite. Broiler is a setting that just turns on the top heating element. The food is usually put on the top shelf so it’s close to the heat. > > We call that a grill Yes. But in the US, a grill is direct heat from below, and a broiler is direct heat from above. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-oven-doors-hinged-at-the-bottom/943682/34 "2021-06-06T19:02:57Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Yes. But in the US, a grill is direct heat from below, and a broiler is direct heat from above. Total opposite to the UK (and most of Europe I suspect). ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-oven-doors-hinged-at-the-bottom/943682/35 "2021-06-06T19:16:37Z")
That’s because you are on the other side of the world, where up is down and down is up. They are still oriented the same way. ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-oven-doors-hinged-at-the-bottom/943682/36 "2021-06-06T19:36:42Z")
All true, except for modern Bosch ovens that turn the bloody broiler element off if the door is open! They also shut it off if it gets too hot by their definition. Which makes them almost useless as true broilers. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-oven-doors-hinged-at-the-bottom/943682/37 "2021-06-06T19:39:01Z")
> [@phs3](#): > > All true, except for modern Bosch ovens that turn the bloody broiler element off if the door is open! 🤨 Was this made by people that had never actually cooked or something? Looked it up, and you aren’t the only one to notice: > **[New electric GE or other brand ovens. Broil with door closed?](https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5743247/new-electric-ge-or-other-brand-ovens-broil-with-door-closed)** > > I am wondering if the following is typical of today’s electric wall ovens or just GE brand electric wall ovens. I have a new GE cCafe electric wall oven. With our previous electric ovens, we kept the door slightly ajar while broiling. > > I didn’t... and here’s an example of a manufactuer’s page about the “feature”. [https://www.subzero-wolf.com/assistance/answers/electric-oven-broiler-use](https://www.subzero-wolf.com/assistance/answers/electric-oven-broiler-use) I note that they can’t even keep their own story straight here: > [@](#): > > - Broilers have instant heat. Preheating is not required. > [@](#): > > - Preheat the broiler for a few minutes before placing the steak in the oven for improved results. If nothing else, I like to keep the door open in order to monitor what’s going on. I often toast bread or buns, and you can’t be opening the door every 10 seconds to check on them. I wonder if this is a new thing for code of some kind, as it seems as though this complaint is across a range of brands. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-oven-doors-hinged-at-the-bottom/943682/38 "2021-06-06T21:30:47Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > > [@DCnDC](#): > > > > Almost no other door one usually encounters works that way; they are almost always hinged on one of the sides. > > Dishwashing machines open the same as ovens. Dishwashers and ovens both need to be loaded with large horizontal trays. There’s not a lot of room for flexibility in a dishwasher’s design, but I think an oven can be loaded and unloaded more easily through a partially open bottom-hinged door than a partially open side-hinged door. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-oven-doors-hinged-at-the-bottom/943682/39 "2021-06-06T21:39:03Z")
The Viking Series 7 ovens come with a ‘French Door’ option. [As seen here.](https://www.macarthurappliances.ca/product/viking-7-series-295-arctic-grey-professional-built-in-double-electric-french-door-wall-oven-vdof7301ag-655547) ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-oven-doors-hinged-at-the-bottom/943682/40 "2021-06-06T22:10:20Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > The Viking Series 7 ovens come with a ‘French Door’ option. For **$13,299.00** I would expect a flunky to open and close them for me [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-oven-doors-hinged-at-the-bottom/943682.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-oven-doors-hinged-at-the-bottom/943682.md?page=3)