In a kitchen, cooking creates odors and water vapor, so-called cooking vapors, which also contain fat particles. If these are not removed, they also reach the rest of the apartment. In a modern open-plan kitchen, the rapid and reliable removal of food odors and cooking vapors is particularly important because they can enter the living area unhindered.
Food odors and cooking vapors that are not removed during cooking usually spread quickly to the rest of the apartment, even with the doors closed. Odors settle in textiles, and the steam settles on surfaces. If it contains fat particles, it leaves behind an unpleasant greasy film. Ventilation alone does not produce the desired effect. Opening a window does not necessarily create an airflow that actually transports odors and steam outside, rather than just swirling them around or even blowing them in the wrong direction. The cooking vapor, which also contains tiny fat particles, also tends to settle on the significantly cooler surface of the open window. Only a targeted airflow, such as that created by a range hood, ensures that odors and cooking vapors are almost completely eliminated.
Reliably eliminate odors and steam
Only a range hood can ensure reliable odor and steam removal from the kitchen. A well-equipped kitchen therefore includes such a hood. Because a range hood is installed directly above the cooktop, it can immediately extract rising odors and cooking vapors. The fan also creates a targeted airflow and sucks in the cooking fumes. The extracted air passes through filters that filter out fat and odor particles before the air is blown out again.
For the range hood to work reliably, its performance must be high enough. This depends on the size of the room and the cubic meters of air to be circulated. This means that a hood in an open-plan kitchen must be more powerful than in a closed kitchen. Range hoods with recirculation and exhaust air technology can be purchased in any well-stocked electronics store, with exhaust air being more effective. Here, the air is not just filtered and circulated, but directed straight outside. In a residential building with controlled ventilation, however, the installation of an exhaust air hood can usually only be realized with great effort.
For reliable removal of odors and cooking vapors, the following guidelines should be observed when choosing a range hood:
- Size of the kitchen – it determines the necessary performance of the hood.
- Possibility for exhaust air.
- Performance, to determine the optimal performance of a hood, there is a simple formula: Optimal performance = kitchen size in m³ x 6 – 12 times air exchange.
- Cleaning option, because filters and the interior of the hood should be cleaned every now and then. For this, the filter should be removable and easily accessible.
- Noise development, especially older models are very loud during operation.
Photo by Sabine, meinhaushalt.at
Read also:Â Cleaning the range hood
