Which cooker hoods are best for you?

Cooker hoods come in all shapes and sizes. To find one that best suits your needs: compare the benefits of ductless vs extractor hoods, weigh up your design and installation options, match the size to your hob and kitchen, consider noise levels, and see what innovative features are available. This helpful cooker hood guide answers the most common questions:

• Ductless vs extraction: which cooker hood is best for me?
• What type of cooker hood should I buy?
• Which island cooker hoods are best for me?
• Power levels: how many cfm do I need for my range hood?
• What size cooker hood do I need?
• Cooker hood noise levels
• What innovative features does Siemens offer?
• What type of filters are there?
• How high should a cooker hood be?

Deciding between a ductless or an extractor range hood is largely a matter of personal preference but there are a few factors to consider. Extractor hoods are generally more efficient and easier to maintain. They are also better at removing heat and moisture and often quieter since they don’t use strong fans to recirculate filtered air. However, they must be professionally installed. Ductless hoods are far more flexible as they can be easily installed, anywhere. This also gives you more design options when remodeling your kitchen. In terms of styling, all cooker hood models are available in ducted or ductless versions.

While extractor hoods are most effective, the specific type you need depends on the layout of your kitchen and installation requirements. Island hobs can be fitted with the following types of kitchen island hood: a ceiling hood, island chimney hood, downdraft hood or vented hob. While built-under hoods, canopy hoods, integrated design hoods, telescopic hoods, wall chimney hoods and vented hobs are suitable for standard kitchens.

To find out which cooker hood is right for your island hob, consider these key differences. Downdraft ventilators are the most quiet and discreet but take up space beneath the worktop. The generally more powerful ceiling cooker hoods are ideal for people who cook a lot and can blend in by sitting flush with the ceiling or double as a design feature. Island chimney hoods are big and bold. These eye-catching hoods are typically used in large open-plan kitchens.

To keep your kitchen free of smoke and odors, your cooker hood must be at least the same width as your hob. However, 1.5 times wider is the ideal size. You should also make sure the extraction rate of the hood is sufficient for the size of your kitchen.

The power of a cooker hood, how much air it can extract, is measured in cubic feet per minute (CFM). The minimum hood CFM required for a standard width electrical hob (60cm) is 600CFM. However, the same size gas hob will give off more heat and therefore need more power. Of course, larger hob sizes and bigger kitchens will need an even higher CFM rating. The CFM requirement is also affected by duct size, starting at 400 CFM for the smallest and exceeding 1200 CFM for the largest ducts.

Since cooker hoods are designed to create a comfortable cooking environment, noise level is an important consideration. The average cooker hood has a noise level of between 60 – 70 decibels. Anything above this is likely to be distracting.

There are three main types of extractor hood filters; fleece filters, metal grease filters and odor filters (also called activated carbon filters). Fleece filters are simple grease filters used in a few, mostly older, Siemens cooker hood models, while metal grease filters are used in both circulating air and exhaust air systems. Odor filters / activated charcoal filters are only used in recirculation mode to remove bad odors from the cooking vapors.

The amount of clearance required depends on which type of hob you choose. For standard electric, ceramic and induction hobs, your cooker hood should be between 55 – 70cm high while gas hobs need a clearance of at least 65cm – and more for larger appliances.