One of the essential kitchen needs for cooking is an energy-efficient range hood. Without a well-performing range hood, grease splatters, steam and moisture, cooking odors and heat from all the stove top cooking can damage the stove and the surrounding areas. It makes sense for a range hood to be as wide as the entire cooking area. You can get a sense of the wide variety of styles and finish options on today’s best range hoods.
Why range hoods are important
Range hoods help prevent your kitchen from accumulating buildup and condensation from cooking effects of steam, moisture, grease splatters and more. Even buildup of carbon monoxide can occur without proper ventilation of the range hood. Here’s how range hoods contribute to the well-being and safety of your kitchen cooking area:
- Draw in Steam and Moisture: Cooking on a hot stove creates moisture and steam in the kitchen air. If you do not use a range hood, your home’s humidity will rise, which could spark mold and mildew in the house.
- Gather the Grease: Range hoods are very effective in trapping grease odors and splatters from cooking. The hood’s filter traps the grease, instead of the grease spreading all over your counter and stovetop. Remember to clean the filter regularly.
- Minimize Heat: Range hoods are very effective at minimizing heat from cooking. Keeping the hot air from cooking to a minimum, will help reduce your air conditioning bill in a hot summer.
- Keep Indoor Air Cleaner: Your range hood sucks in odors and some chemicals like formaldehyde and drives them out of the home through the air duct.
Types of range hoods
The three most common range hood canopies found in US homes are these:
Compact canopies
Compact canopies are popular due to the flexible nature. These can be positioned in different ways; built into an adjoining cupboard, or above your cooking area or exposed as a design feature of your overall kitchen. Some compact canopies offer a recirculation option, for kitchens where ducting to the exterior of the house isn’t possible.
Wall canopies
This range hood style (pictured above) is a popular option, as it delivers excellent performance all around. The air from your cooking gets sent through the ducts to your home’s outside area, either through the roof or a wall.
Island canopies
For kitchens with island cooking areas and large kitchen areas, this is the type of range hood you should look at using. Island canopies have great performance in extracting cooking air and moisture to the outside of your house, most often through the roof.
The versatility of range hoods makes them appealing to homeowners. There are basic units that are wall-mounted and ductless, and there are more expansive systems with multiple features like timers, lights and more. Other range hood designs can be fit in your kitchen over the stove areas – you simply slide it out for use. Another style works as a shelf for a microwave oven, with venting fans underneath.
If you need replacements range hoods for your kitchen stove, check out our catalog of at Appliance Parts Company. We have an assortment of replacement range hoods, all under $60 and available to ship immediately. So if your range hood is not removing the cooking fumes out, check in with us for a replacement range hood.
Appliance Parts Company 