Anyone who has struggled to lift a heavy roast out of the oven or gotten burned leaning over an oven door to baste a turkey will appreciate the Lift Oven from Gaggenau. The 24-inch oven mounts on a wall, and the floor of the oven is actually the door—it lowers toward the counter and returns up with the touch of a button.

You can put breads or pizzas directly on the glass ceramic surface without a baking sheet or use a rack hooked to the rear to hold pans. Because heat rises, there’s little energy loss when the oven floor is opened. The oven has 11 cooking modes, including roasting, broiling, and convection pastry.

Although smaller than most standard 27- to 30-inch ovens, the Lift Oven offers real benefits for anyone with back or arm troubles. You can order it through kitchen suppliers for about $3,300. Go toGaggenau-usa.comfor more information.