A range hood, also known as a vent hood or kitchen hood or heat extractor, is a kitchen appliance equipped with a mechanical fan, or blower, that extracts steam, smoke, odors, grease, and heat from your kitchen.
It evacuates air contaminants and heat from your kitchen by capturing them and transporting them to the outside of your home through a duct.
While cooking, the hood draws in moisture, smoke and grease via a fan. Hoods with outside ventilation pull that air out of the home through ductwork. Recirculating range hoods use a series of filters to scrub the air before returning it to the room.
Running your kitchen hood fan for several minutes before you start cooking helps create suction so there is no delay in venting. Running the fan for several minutes after cooking can also help clear any additional smoke and odor from the air.
It is one of the most important appliances in a modern kitchen as it ensures that the air quality in your home remains safe and breathable by removing harmful smoke, steam, and other air contaminants from the air and replenishing your kitchen with fresh air from the outside.
Most respiratory health concerns, like asthma or allergies, are alleviated through regular use of a kitchen heat extractor. Using a kitchen hood also prevents oil from settling on the surfaces of your kitchen, thereby protecting your cooking area from accumulating a layer of sticky grease or stains.
Using a kitchen exhaust hood also mitigates offending odors during food preparation, relieving concerns about unwanted smells lingering after cooking odoriferous foods like fish or snail or even food items like locust beans. Finally, a range hood can help maintain a comfortable temperature in your kitchen by removing excess heat.
We talked extensively about some of the key features to consider when buying a Range Hood for your kitchen in another blogpost.