When it comes to buying appliances, it may have been some time in-between purchases and there are new features to consider. We have created a buying guide to help you select the right cooker hood for you and your home.
1. Introduction
When it comes to cooking, we can produce a lot of different smells or smoke and fumes depending on the dish. These may linger in the air or discolour your cabinetry, as well as have negative effects on your health. There are several different styles of cooker hood and ultimately it comes down to the layout of your kitchen and venting options.
2. Sizing
Kitchen Layout
When you start to think about your kitchen design you need to consider how you like to cook, as this should determine the location of your appliances.
Consider your cabinetry
Are you looking to have a more traditional design with your stove and oven paired one under the other or are you wanting to give your kitchen a more modern design by having your oven in a tower layout? We’d recommend positioning the cooker hood close to your stove but far enough away that you could have two cooks in the kitchen, one taking care of the oven and the other the stove
Work triangle or work zones
This choice will ideally come down to the size of your kitchen. When looking at a kitchen work triangle you would have your appliances configured so that the line drawn between the refrigerator, cooking appliances, and sink/dishwasher creates a triangle which the cook can easily and efficiently move about the space. Whether you have a small or large space you may look to have the area broken up into 5 zones, consumables, non-consumables, cleaning, preparation and cooking zones, this allows the space to work in unison of each other.
Purpose of your island bench
Sinks are the most common element found in a kitchen island with a dishwasher to the side. As years have gone by, the island bench has become the centre of the kitchen, it is the place where the work gets done and conversations with guests can happen.
Range hood sizes
Space
When it comes to selecting your kitchen hood you may be limited to what area you have above your stove to use. Before you start looking at models measure the space so you can narrow down your selection criteria.
One that suits your stove
You ideally want a cooker hood that is exactly the same width as your stove or slightly larger. As it will need to be able to easily extract smoke and fumes whilst you are cooking. If your cooker hood is too small, you will find that it’ll struggle to keep up and this may cause lingering scents and fumes, or for your smoke alarm to go off.
3. Types of Range hoods
Multifunctional hood
Multifunctional kitchen hoods are a statement piece in any kitchen. With the unit being completely exposed and not installed into cabinetry, a chimney kitchen hood isn't for a household where you want your appliances to be heard but not seen.
Sizes:
135 mm (H)
710 mm (W)
530 mm (D)
Boost Section Power
Offer a superior performance by the high motor speed to produce a high airflow rate up to 960m3/hr, and guarantee the rapid removal of smoke and odor, to ensure your kitchen always fresh and clean.
3-level Power Selections
You can control with 3 levels of suction powers, to enjoy more flexibility on different cooking modes, and also save more energy.
3 fan speeds with an added boost
Keeping the air clear with adjustable fan speeds is easy with touch controls when you need a quick increase in fan speed press the boost button.
Heating Clean
Heating the interior housing to remove stubborn grease and particles and drained into the grease collector. With the advancement of Heating Clean technology, cleanliness and improved hygiene is just a touch away.
Auto Clean Program with Easy Dismantling Design
One touch of button to start the auto cleaning program and clean your rangehood. With the easy dismantle design, now you can take out the base plate, oil collecting tray and vane to clean the hood easily and quickly.
Auto Clean and Water Refill Reminder
The intelligent design will detect and automatic remind user to start the auto clean program. And when the water tank is empty, an alert will be provided to remind user to refill the water.
Delay Off Function
Just simple setting, then the rangehood will keep running to finish as long as 5 minutes to ensure that the smoke and odor can be cleared completely.
Mechanic Control Hood
Discontinued
Left/Right Independent Control
Control the left and right fan separately to fit with different cooking modes, enjoying the flexibility of Zanussi range hood.
2-level Power Selections
You can control with 2 levels of suction powers, to enjoy more flexibility on different cooking modes, and also save more energy.
Mechanic Hood comes with many familiar functions with Electronic Hoods
- Boost Section Power
- Heating Clean
- Easy Dismantling Design
Touch Control
Discontinued
Touch Control comes with many familiar functions with mechanic Hoods
- Boost Section Power
- Heating Clean
- Easy Dismantling Design
- 2-3 levels power section
- Left/Right Independent Control
4. Design & other considerations
White, Natural or Dark Stainless Steel
If you are looking to choose a cooker hood that is more on the show than an integrated model, you should consider what finish will complement the rest of your appliance choices and the overall aesthetic of your kitchen. You have the option of three finishes; there is a traditional white or a modern update natural or dark stainless steel.
Choose from one brand
When upgrading your kitchen, one thing to note is, just as there are 52 shades of white, same goes for appliance finishes. For the best results, purchase your appliances from one brand to make sure all your appliances seamlessly complement one another.
Ducted or Recirculating
You have two circulation options when choosing a range hood, ducted or recirculating. A ducted cooker hood means it will remove the air out of your kitchen and send it outside via piping.
If you can't send your cooker hood fumes outside, you will need to look for a recirculating cooker hood which recirculates the air via a filter and cleans the air before sending it back into the kitchen. However, recirculating is not as powerful as ducted, as you will need to replace filters more regularly
Power or extraction rate
When looking at the power or extraction rate, it is measured in m3/hour. The higher the rate, the greater the amount of air that will be removed from your kitchen. You will need to consider the type of cooking you do; if you do a lot of cooking on the wok, you should consider a high extraction rate of over 700m3/hour.
Filters
Whilst all cooker hoods come with filters, they are not the same filters across every cooker hood. Most ducted models will have Aluminum filters. These need to be cleaned by hand or in a dishwasher regularly to ensure your cooker hood is working as hard as it can be.
Carbon filters in recirculating cooker hoods are used to remove impurities from the air. Once they have reached the end of their lifespan, you will need to replace them with a brand new carbon filter.
5. Warranty & Service
Warranty
Subject to terms and conditions our kitchen hoods come with 12 months warranty in Hong Kong, following the date of purchase. Click here to view Terms and Conditions.
Support & Service
Click here to contact customer care.
6. Cooker Hood FAQs
What's the difference between ducting and recirculation mode in cooker hood?
Ducting mode: you need to open a hole in the wall above the hood and install a ducting hose to remove the smoke or smell that is being extracted up by the hood.
Recirculation mode: you don't need to install a ducting hose as the air is being filtered using the grease and active carbon filter, then it's recycled back into the kitchen.
What is the minimum and maximum allowance when installing cooker hood from the countertop?
If the cooker hood needs to match with the gas hob:
- Minimum height 650mm
- Maximum height 750mm
If the cooker hood needs to match with the electric hob:
- Minimum height 500mm
What is the term to define the air flow rate (suction power) of cooker hood?
Meter cubic per hour, i.e., 1400m3/hr