4 Aspects To Understand Before Getting Your Kitchen Hood

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For some people, food is the key to the soul. It unlocks the clarity in one’s mind if done correctly. It is true that people say ‘you are what you eat’. The cleaner the food you consume, the more refreshing you feel everyday.

But how about the kitchen, where you prepare all these food? Does the cleanliness of your kitchen affect your food?

This might sound like a simple question, because a normal person would straight away answer ‘yes’. But do you really mean it? Do you actually practice it?

Whether the effect on hygiene or one’s mood while preparing food, those tiny little stains around your kitchen corner, at the edge of your stove, or right at the mouth of your cups, they are bound to give a certain impact to those who spend a lot of their time in the area.

Among those areas, one corner that is worth mentioning is the kitchen hood. That long airway that suck up smelly fumes from your cooking. Whether you believe it or not, many seem to not understand how to clean and maintain it.

Before deciding how much do you want to spend on that huge air pulling machine, ask yourself whether do you understand these several aspects.

1. Will the design effect my budget?

Kitchen hoods come in several different designs, such as bulky, curvy, thin, wide etc. All of these are offered to suit your personal preference. Keep in mind that the prices may be overly different depending on their market demands.

For instance, the curving hoods may seem elegant and modern. However, the truth is, not many people would choose it due to its impracticality.

Standard kitchen cabinets mostly come with a rectangular compartment where you may fit in the hood easily. The curving design, on the other hand, requires customization which will cost you extra money.

Besides, arch structure has been observed to easily accumulate grease residue from smokes. Prolong usage of it with little cleaning may form grease droplets, and when that happens, what is the point of having such an elegant design?

Another concern pertaining this aspect is the material. Take note on these two and you might want to compare them yourself.

Stainless steel is cheaper. However, despite having a reputation of not turning rusty, it still will eventually if not taken care of properly. Aluminium, on the other hand, may last longer with little cleaning but can be quite costly.

All in all, there are pros and cons to every design. Just be sure to consider those with better lighting that can brighten your entire kitchen area, not just the stove. Don’t mind that extra cost for the light bulbs, because they will all be worth it.

2. How do clean up the grease?

Every hood comes with a tool to trap the oil particles from smoke. The common form is the oil cup or oil tray which allows the oil particles to accumulate and drop into that specific area. The engineering behind it is simple but requires some extra efforts in cleaning them.

If cleaning is not your forte, you may consider getting kitchen hoods with carbon filter. The concept if far simpler as you only to replace the filter every time it gets too greasy.

Another consideration is the bolts around your filter.

The idea of having a bolted filter may not be that awful. It provides safety if you are worried of the things falling onto your hot pan while cooking. However, if it comes in between you and smooth cleaning, you should probably give it a thought or two.

3. Is my cooking suitable for having a hood?

The function of having a hood is to prevent your kitchen or entire home smelling like a greasy sewer. If you are a light cook that that produces minimum fumes and smokes, having a hood should never be a problem.

heavy cook, on the other hand, might render your hoods useless if not properly maintained. Perhaps, a better example would be to get a higher suction power and those models with centralized suction.

If none of these work, get yourself an outdoor kitchen instead. It will save you and your family from the risk of suffocating.

4. Will the warranty last long enough?

Commonly, you will see a 2-year warranty by multiple brands. This will cover up any unexpected damage on panel controller, power supply, motor etc.

In rare occasions, certain brands such as Rinnai, provide up to 6 years of warranty for the motor. If you plan to use the hood for long term, having such warranty may save you tons of cash.