hobs and cooker hoods

[Fred]

Hi,

As you may know, I am slowly looking to refurb my kitchen and I need to choose a cooker hood. It will be extract rather than re circulate and I think function is more important than appearance. Are there good brands and bad brands or are they all the same; surely they are just a fan in a box?

What are the rule about extraction rates? I think they have to be within certain levels for gas hobs; presumably there is a worry that if you have hurricane strength extraction, it might suck the flames out? However, there is no gas here, it will be electric. In that case, do you go for the maximum you can?

If you have a cooker hood, do you find you still need a wall mounted extractor (I'm thinking for things that get cooked but not on the hob, e.g. if you have an electric steamer, deep fat fryer, etc).

I would like to buy an induction hob. I have visited the sheds for quotes on kitchens and they seem to sell zanussi and electrolux. Are they good mid-range brands or are they best avoided? I know for white goods Bosch and Miele are considered the best; is this true for hobs too, particularly induction ones?

TIA

[harry]

Don't forget you have to let air in to replace the extracted air. Also any fires/chimneys you have will be affected (ie air/smoke will be pulled down them)

[Roger Mills]

We've had a Neff induction hob for about 4 years, and it's been pretty good. [Same stable as Bosch, I think].

Are all your saucepans induction-compatible? You might have to buy a lot of new ones, and discard the old ones - but it will be worth it. Induction is very fast, and very controllable - as good as gas, but without the mess.

We solved the compatibility problem by having a 2-ring halogen hob alongside a 4-ring induction. That way, we can use the old pans when necessary - and it's sometimes useful to have more than 4 rings.

We have a wide Bosch cooker hood sitting over the top of both hobs. I don't know about extraction rates in CFM or whatever, but this one has several speeds - and blows (or sucks!) quite a gale on its highest speed. We went for a sloping one - with less risk of blinding ourselves on sharp corners. It seems to work as well as the usual sort. It was quite expensive, but we paid a lot less than full price on account of it being an ex-showroom demo jobbie.

You can see the hood and both hobs in this photo:

[meow2222]

They're just an extractor fan plus filter. Extractor fans take up way less space.

NT

[Roger Mills]

But without a filter, the innards of extractor fans get in a dreadful state if they're anywhere near cooking - particularly frying - operations.

[meow2222]

So add one. Its only thermal curtain lining

NT

[harry]

The hood is far more efficient, it gather up all the humidity etc at source so protecting decorations . The recirculating ones are a waste of space.

[Huge]

J-Cloths work well as cooker hood filters.

[Andy Champ]

We bought a John Lewis branded one, on advice from the fitter. Made in Germany (don't know who by)

We didn't like having to buy all new pans, but it's been worth it. It's so damn FAST!

Andy

[Fred]

Thanks for the replies.

Are you suggesting you would put a fan in the bottom of a cupboard instead of a cooker hood, or are you saying you would keep the cupboard as a cupboard and wall mount a fan? TIA

[Chris J Dixon]

I think you would have trouble meeting the regs with a cupboard directly above a hob.

Chris

[meow2222]

Whatever layout suits you. A hood is only a way to move the point of entry of the air to the fan from A to B. To be effective you want the air entry to the fan to be as close to the cooking as is practical.

Having said that I cant think of any scenario offhand that would require running the air through a cupboard. A photo of your layout could help.

You can have a metal cupboard, not a wooden/chipboard one. A metal cupboard can have the same finish on its front as the rest of the units.

NT

[Fred]

running the air through a cupboard. A photo of your layout could help.

I haven't got a set-up yet, I'm still at the planning stage. When I was talking about fans in cupboards it was in reply to your comment that hoods were expensive. I was trying to as sk whether you would use a wall mounted extractor rather than a hood or whether you would disguise the extractor by fitting it into a cupboard such that it looked like a hood,a DIY hood if you like.

[Jim K]

will be ? tsk ITYM "could be"

Jim K