Kitchen hood buying guide

When it comes to cooking, we can produce a lot of different smells or smoke and fumes depending on the dish. These may linger in the air or discolour your cabinetry, as well as have negative effects on your health. This is when the kitchen hood comes in handy.

In addition to removing unpleasant odours while cooking, other functions of a kitchen hood include protecting your kitchen wall from grease and even adding a touch of luxury to your kitchen design.

There are several different styles of kitchen hood and ultimately it comes down to the layout of your kitchen and venting options. Read about types, capacity, and other must-know tips from our complete buying guide to know how to choose a good kitchen hood.

1. Kitchen hood design & sizing: Things to consider

Kitchen layout & installation

When you start to think about your kitchen design you need to consider how you like to cook, as this should determine the location of your appliances.

Consider your cabinetry

Are you looking to have a more traditional design with your stove and oven paired one under the other or are you wanting to give your kitchen a more modern design by having your oven in a tower layout? We’d recommend positioning the kitchen hood close to your stove but far enough away that you could have two cooks in the kitchen, one taking care of the oven and the other the stove.

Size of kitchen

When it comes to selecting your kitchen hood, you may be limited to what area you have above your stove to use. Before you start looking at models, measure the space and kitchen ceiling so you can narrow down your selection criteria.

Besides, to choose a proper extraction rate, you should measure your kitchen area (height x width x depth) and multiply it by 10. The result is the extraction rate that may fit your kitchen size.

Work triangle or work zones

This choice will ideally come down to the size of your kitchen. When looking at a kitchen work triangle, you would have your appliances configured so that the line drawn between the refrigerator, cooking appliances, and sink/dishwasher creates a triangle which the cook can easily and efficiently move about the space.

Whether you have a small or large space, you may look to have the area broken up into 5 zones, consumables, non-consumables, cleaning, preparation and cooking zones, this allows the space to work in unison of each other.

Kitchen hood sizes

Space

When it comes to selecting your kitchen hood, you may be limited to what area you have above your stove to use. Before you start looking at models, measure the space so you can narrow down your selection criteria.

One that suits your stove

You ideally want a cooker hood that is exactly the same width as your stove or slightly larger. As it will need to be able to easily extract smoke and fumes whilst you are cooking. If your kitchen hood is too small, you will find that it’ll struggle to keep up and this may cause lingering scents and fumes, or for your smoke alarm to go off.

2. Types of kitchen hoods to choose from

Wall mounted chimney kitchen hood

Typically found in commercial kitchens, chimney cooker hoods are a statement piece in any kitchen. With the unit being completely exposed and not installed into cabinetry, a chimney kitchen hood isn't for a household where you want your appliances to be heard but not seen.

Ideal for:

• Large kitchen
• Entertainer

Here are some features to consider when buying a chimney kitchen hood:

Sizes

60 - 90cm

Clear the air quickly

Our chimney kitchen hoods offer powerful extraction rates. Depending on the model, you can clear the air at a rate of 720 - 810 m3/hr kitchen hoods, ensuring your kitchen is clear of cooking odours, vapours and excess heat in no time at all.

Long-lasting LED lighting

With a low energy output and high illumination, our kitchen hoods give you a clear sight on your creations on your stove.

Easy to clean filters

Coming with aluminum micro-mesh filters that can be easily removed and cleaned safely in your dishwasher or hand washed with detergent and a cloth. This should be done at a minimum every six months, with the exception based on how often you cook. Some models have a clean filter indicator, so your kitchen hood will politely remind you it needs to be taken care of.

3 fan speeds with an added boost

Keeping the air clear with adjustable fan speeds is easy with touch controls when you need a quick increase in fan speed press the boost button.

Smooth stainless steel kitchen hood

With a choice of dark or natural stainless steel finishes, our kitchen hoods can be the statement piece in your kitchen.

Ducted for easy clearance

With the ability to have your kitchen hood ducted you are able to not only clear the smoke and fumes from the kitchen but the whole house with the exhaust flue taking them outside.

Equip your kitchen with our top-selling Electrolux chimney kitchen hoods below:

Under cabinet kitchen hood

Popular due to their hidden and seamless nature into any kitchen aesthetic, under cabinet kitchen hoods are the hidden helper when it comes to cooking. They can also be referred to as Integrated, Concealed or Built-In OR undermount Kitchen hoods.

Ideal for:

• Small - Medium family
• Seamless kitchen design
• Apartment living

Here are some features to consider when buying an integrated kitchen hood:

Sizes

60 - 90cm

Clear the air quickly

Our integrated kitchen hoods can clear the air at a rate of 340 - 760m3/hr. Ensuring your kitchen is clear of cooking odours, vapours and excess heat in no time at all.

Standard grease filter for a clean kitchen

High-quality grease filter ensures you can always enjoy cooking in a fresh environment. When it’s time for filter change, you can wash or disassemble it with ease. Your kitchen will stay cleaner for longer.

Smart, inspiring hood lighting

LED lights Hood requires far lower energy than other regular lights and has a much longer lifespan. Efficient and helpful, these LED lights offers exceptional visibility for all your demands while cooking.

Simple settings with mechanical controls

Mechanical Controls made your kitchen hood functions easily reached. Adjust the fan speed or light settings for fast, flexible cooking.

Choice of ducted or re-circulating

You are able to have your kitchen hood ducted or re-circulated when it comes to buying integrated kitchen hood. If you choose to re-circulate cooker hood, you will need to consider the ongoing purchasing replacement of carbon filters, which clean the air before it, redistributed back into your kitchen.

Equip your kitchen with our best integrated kitchen hoods below:

Telescopic kitchen hood

This style of kitchen hood will switch on and off by sliding it in and out. They are generally not as powerful as a canopy kitchen hood but are more seamless in design because some part of it is installed into kitchen cabinetry. They also can be known as retractable kitchen hoods.

Ideal for:

• Small - Medium family
• Apartment living

Here are some features to consider when buying a telescopic cooker hood:

Sizes

60 - 90cm

Clear the air quickly

Our integrated kitchen hoods can clear the air at a rate of 340 - 600m3/hr. Ensuring your kitchen is clear of cooking odours, vapours and excess heat in no time at all.

2 - 3 fan speeds

Keeping the air clear is easy with adjustable fan speeds with press button control.

Seamless integration

Designed to suit any kitchen's aesthetic, the front trim can be installed flush with the cabinetry or removed and replaced with the same material as your cabinetry giving you an integrated look.

Hood control at the push of a button

Enjoy a fresh cooking environment at the push of a button. Simply press to increase or decrease the hood's power.

In addition to those features, telescopic kitchen hoods also offer a range of highlight functions as follows:

• Grease filter: remove unpleasant odours and greasy hot air to give you a fresh cooking environment
• Long-lasting LED lighting: operate at low energy output while offer high illumination
• Smooth stainless steel: ensure a professional and timeless look for your kitchen

Equip your kitchen with our recommended Electrolux telescopic cooker hoods below:

Traditional kitchen hood

Designed to be permanently mounted onto the wall, this style of cooker hood is the most commonly used.

Ideal for:

• Small - Medium family
• Apartment living

Here are some features to consider when buying a traditional cooker hood:

Sizes

60 - 90cm

Easy installation

When installing a fixed cooker hood, you can have it installed partially behind cupboard doors or simply under cabinetry.

Keep your filters clean for best performance

When it comes to having your kitchen hood performing at its best, you need to ensure your filters are clean or in the best shape they can be to clear the air you are breathing efficiently and effectively. It is easy to do so with washable filters.

Noise control

Our products remove odor effectively and creates a quiet cooking environment for your cooking area.

2 - 3 fan speeds

Keeping the air clear is easy with adjustable fan speeds with press button control.

Equip your kitchen with our recommended Electrolux traditional cooker hoods below:

3. Kitchen hood design & other considerations

In addition to the abovementioned kitchen hood buying tips regarding type and features, there are also other factors to take into consideration as follows:  

White, natural or dark stainless steel kitchen hood

If you are looking to choose a kitchen hood that is more on the show than an integrated model, you should consider what finish will complement the rest of your appliance choices and the overall aesthetic of your kitchen.

You have the option of three finishes; there is a traditional white or a modern update natural or dark stainless steel.

Choose from one brand

When upgrading your kitchen, one thing to note is, just as there are 52 shades of white, same goes for appliance finishes. For the best results, purchase your appliances from one brand to make sure all your appliances seamlessly complement one another.

Ducted or recirculating cooker hood

You have two circulation options when choosing a cooker hood, ducted or recirculating. A ducted kitchen hood means it will remove the air out of your kitchen and send it outside via piping.

If you can't send your kitchen hood fumes outside, you will need to look for a recirculating kitchen hood which recirculates the air via a filter and cleans the air before sending it back into the kitchen. However, recirculating is not as powerful as ducted, as you will need to replace filters more regularly.

Power or extraction rate

When looking at the power or extraction rate, it is measured in m3/hour. The higher the rate, the greater the amount of air that will be removed from your kitchen. You will need to consider the type of cooking you do; if you do a lot of cooking on the wok, you should consider a high extraction rate of over 700m3/hour.

Noise

Suppose your home has an open plan living design where kitchen hood noise whilst cooking may impact others who are watching TV. In that case, you might want to consider looking at a kitchen hood with the ability for its motor installed in the roof rather than it being with the kitchen hood unit in the house. By choosing a kitchen hood with this design, you will significantly reduce the noise in your kitchen.

Kitchen hood filters

Whilst all kitchen hoods come with filters, they are not the same filters across every kitchen hood. Most ducted models will have Aluminum filters. These need to be cleaned by hand or in a dishwasher regularly to ensure your kitchen hood is working as hard as it can be.

Carbon filters in recirculating kitchen hoods are used to remove impurities from the air. Once they have reached the end of their lifespan, you will need to replace them with a brand new carbon filter.

4. Kitchen hood support & service

We have a Customer Care team available to assist you over the phone seven days a week, and a national network of experienced technicians and selected service agents. Offering a fixed price guarantee with no additional hidden labour costs, giving you peace of mind that your appliance is in good hands. Click here to contact customer care.