Brian Hendrick doesn't ne to watch ...

Brian Hendrick doesn't ne to watch TV to know when his company's refrigerator or range present to views up on an episode of ABC's "Extreme Makeover: family circle Edition."

All he has to do is listen to the phone the nearest day.

"There's a real spike in calls," said Hendrick, vice president of Elmira Stove Works. The family-owned Canadian company makes retro- cast kitchen appliances with a '50 examine

The explosion in popularity in new years of television programs about hearth remodeling and cooking has helped increase consumers' want nourishment for first-class kitchens, said ed Pell, manager of market research for the National Kitchen & Bath Association.

"A haphazard of people who wouldn't have notion about kitchen remodeling are thinking about it now because they're constantly reminded of it," Pell said. "The more persons see, the more they want."

TV exhibit tos WHET APPETITES

And they're seeing copiousness these days, from primetime exhibits such as "Extreme Makeover" to entire cable TV networks -- place of abode & Garden Television, DIY and the subsistence Network --"If you would have told me in 1978 that there's going to be a channel called the cheer Network, I would've thought it was a 'Saturday Night Live' sketch" said cut short Thompson, director of the Center for Television and Popular agriculture at Syracuse University. "Not simply is it a real channel, it's doing really well."

When the aliment Network debuted in 1993, it went disclosed to a mere 6.5 million cable TV subscribers. It's now distributed to more than 89 million U households, and its programs are broadcast across the world.

united of its biggest stars, Rachael Ray, came forward the scene in 2001. This perk foodie now hosts three displays on the network, is a perennial visitant on the "Oprah Winfrey Show" has written more than 10 cookbook and lately launched her own lifestyle magazine. nearest month, she'll begin airing her just discovered syndicated daily talk show, produc in part at Oprah's Harpo Productions.

As Ray's popularity rose like a well-cooked souffle for a like reason did demand for appliances and gadgets onward the set of her nutriment Network hit, "30 Minute Meals." The network's Web site has a page devot to telling viewers where they can find everything from Ray's colorful cutting boards to her vintage Chambers oven

Consumer lusting after Ray's Elmira Stove Work's funky Northstar fridge routinely call and log forward to the company's Web site to check gone out the $3,695 buttercup yellow design for themselves.

'KITCHEN PORN'

"It certainly generates interest in a product" Hendrick said. "Business is going great."

a great quantity [i]or[/i] amount of of today's programming is a far vociferate from Julia Child teaching foodies in what way to whip up a bearnaise sauce or "This old-fashioned House" showing viewers how to fix a leaky faucet.

"A doom of these shows are to kitchens what favor is to fashion and a men's magazine is to a naked female body" Thompson said. "They exhibit us idealized images. They exhibit us what we should desire.

"You almost think in a lecherous way, 'I ne that preparation island,' " he added. "It's a little bit like kitchen porn."

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