How to choose the best Cooker Hood

08 September, 2016

Categories: Kitchen

A cooker hood is essential for any kitchen as smoke and airborne grease generated as a by-product of kitchen cooking for extraction purposes. Hoods not only help to remove grease, heat, moisture, and smoke from the cooking area but they enhance the overall look of any kitchen.

Hoods are available in various sizes and finishes and give a perfect fit to your kitchen area. They can neutralise, recycle and remove smoke and cooking odours completely to give you a fresh feel while cooking.

You need to consider few things before purchasing a cooker hood for your cooking area. Below are some guidelines which will help you to make the right decision. Your existing layout will determine some of these choices unless you are going to completely redesign your kitchen.

Choose by dimension

All popular hoods can be fitted with built-in hobs and freestanding cookers. You should measure the width of your hob or cooker and then select a hood with the same width but it is not compulsory. If you have space, a hood of any size can be fitted.

Smaller hoods are suitable for compact kitchens as they are quieter and have usually low extraction rates but larger kitchens require bigger hoods with high extraction rates as they have more powerful motors to recycle a greater volume of air. We offer a range of hoods that feature some with twin motors to work with greater efficiency.

Choose the style

There is a huge range of cooker hoods having different characteristics.

Canopy Cooker Hoods

Hoods that don’t impact on any design schemes are Canopy cooker hoods as they are designed to fit into kitchen cabinets. You can use these hoods above a traditional four-ring freestanding hob or cooker. Air can be cleaned either by re-circulating in your kitchen or can be extracted by using these Canopy hoods. These range of from 52cm to 90cm in width so carefully check the measurements.
There should be at least 75cm space between the base of the hood and hob when you are using a cooker hood with a gas hob. A distance of only 65cm is required for electric hobs.
They are designed for fitting nicely to the underside of a kitchen cabinet and as such they will not detract from your kitchen aesthetic. You will find them suitable for traditional four-ring freestanding cookers or hobs.

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Integrated Cooker Hoods

If you do not want to interrupt your current kitchen design then integrated hoods are a good choice as they fit easily behind a cabinet door. You will find them suitable for a hob or above a traditional four-ring cooker.
As greases, smoke and odours are unwanted in any kitchen so these cooker hoods will keep them away without disturbing your kitchen design. Please make sure that you have checked your required size as these hoods are available in a variety of widths.
Features of integrated hoods are similar to canopy hoods but they will require their own space between two cabinets and you need to place a matching cabinet door in front. You will find them suitable for a four-ring traditional hob and they are available in multiple sizes.
Optional extras: You may require a venting kit or charcoal filters, for more details, please check the product description.

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Chimney Cooker hoods

If your cooker backs onto a wall, a powerful, chimney-stylehood is an option. These consist of a canopy plus a chimney and comes in different sizes and designs. A stainless steel with glass hood is the most popular style in the market.

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Island Cooker Hoods

Island hoods are considered as the largest cooking hoods and are attached to the ceiling. Their design is elegant and they make an incredible focal point to the kitchen and are available in many shapes and styles and will fit well above all types of hobs.

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Downdraft Cooker Hoods

Those of us who don’t like to see traditional cooker hoods in their kitchen or cook on an island will find these downdraft hoods the best option however they are on the higher end of the price range. Do you know what makes them different? At the touch of a button they hide away into base unit. They also offer a flexible approach to your hob position.

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What’s the difference between Extraction and Recirculation Hoods?

Extraction hoods

By extracting the grease and smoke out of the kitchen, these extraction or ducted hoods work in an efficient way and give clean and refreshing air. These Extractor hoods draw in odour and greasy air through a metal filter grease trap before releasing the air outside. Ideal for kitchens that have access for the vent to go outside if there is no extraction in a place where you want to install them then you will require a professional installation.

Recirculation hoods

For recycling the air in the kitchen, these recirculation hoods are a perfect choice as they efficiently recycle the air by passing it through filters that provide clean air. There is a grease filter in these hoods that are usually made of paper, cloth or metal but if you want to neutralise the odours then charcoal or carbon filters will be required. These hoods are easy to install and can be positioned on internal walls. Though they are not as fast or efficient as extraction hoods they are cheaper.