Range Cooker Hoods
Do you really need a range cooker hood in your kitchen? We consider all of the options available to you.
What is a cooker hood?
Have you ever tried cooking mackerel? Or accidentally burnt toast on your simmer plate? Maybe you might be a glasses wearer struggling with steaming your veg! These, and many other reasons, are why cooker hoods, also known as extractor hoods or extractor fans, exist.
A cooker hood sits directly above your range cooker and is there to extract air from your kitchen – whilst you’re cooking and afterwards. It stops smells, steam, and smoke hanging around and helps to keep your kitchen clean and healthy. And your glasses clear!
Whether to invest in a range cooker hood, or not, is a frequent question on our Everhot Discussion Group Facebook page. It’s not essential that you have one, in fact many of our Everhot owners choose not to. But, most importantly, if you do decide to go ahead, don’t leave it as an afterthought as James Rayner, Brand Manager for Westin Hoods says: “It is vital that extraction is thought about as early in the design process as possible. Due to the wealth of resources online now, kitchen and appliance buyers are much more informed than ever before.” Include it as part of your overall kitchen design project because it can be a big decision – literally – and will dictate certain elements of design depending on the layout of your kitchen.
Also, remember that removing smoke and grease from your kitchen can improve the longevity of your kitchen itself, keeping it free of damp, and probably helps your own health as well. James adds, “Aside from the obvious health benefits of not breathing in smoke particles, especially for customers who may not want to aggravate existing respiratory sensitivities, the benefits of effective extraction also mean that odour particles are omitted at source and not allowed to settle on surfaces or, especially, fabrics.”
How does a cooker hood work?
There are two different types of cooker hood – those which extract air and those which recirculate it. An extraction hood removes the air from the kitchen, pumping it outside. Ideally for this style of cooker hood to work most effectively and efficiently you will need to have your Everhot range cooker up against an outside wall. They can sit above a kitchen island or against an internal wall, but much more planning will need to go into your kitchen design in order ensure you will be able to ‘duct’ the air through a channel and outside.
James tell us, “As a rule of thumb, extraction is always the best option. Recirculation technology has come a long way since inception, but for fume clearance efficiency ducting out should always be the ‘plan A’ simply because all smoke particles, odours and fumes are immediately extracted out of the kitchen.”
What about recirculation cooker hoods?
The alternative is a recirculation cooker hood which circulates the air through a filter and back out into the kitchen. This is often chosen by people whose kitchen design means they cannot place their cooker hood in a space within the kitchen where a duct is easy to install.
James says, “Recirculation relies on the filters working at their optimum to clean the air before it is recirculated back into the room. The filters are only able to do this effectively if they are relatively new and clean. As they are used, they will become saturated and the performance will deteriorate, so more of the smoke and odour particles will be allowed back into the room. The beauty of the recirculation filters specified as an option with the Everhot by Westin range hood, is that they are regeneratable rather than having to purchase replacements. The filters can be washed in the dishwasher or by hand, and then dried in the oven to remove the carbonised residue.”
You can buy extraction fans which sit in the ceiling, those which are built into your kitchen cupboards, or sit over an island or mounted on a wall. At Everhot we recommend a wall mounted cooker hood and have teamed up with Westin professional hood designers to produce the Everhot by Westin Cooker Hood which is bespoke to our cooker widths and colours. The Everhot by Westin Cooker Hood combines external extraction with dishwasher safe filters, although you can buy a recirculating version as James mentions above.
What about noise levels, aren’t cooker hoods noisy?
Extractor fans can be noisy, and you might want to take this into account especially if you have an open plan kitchen where you will also be dining or socialising. James tell us, “There will always be a trade off between effectiveness and noise. Typically, the single motor Everhot by Westin Hood will be around 71db at the highest speed. But the beauty of the hood is that due to the large body and vaulted section to the underside, this hood can still be extremely effective running on the lower power settings.
“It is worth noting that noise is very subjective and can be amplified by environmental factors such as little or no soft furnishings to dampen the sound. A large proportion of the noise heard in the kitchen area is actually air movement.”
Should I buy a cooker hood for my Everhot cooker?
Not all of our Everhot owners choose to buy a cooker hood, it is not a prerequisite. You may feel that your kitchen is ventilated enough, or you might prefer to simply open a window when cooking. However, a cooker hood is the most effective way of removing smoke and odours and ventilating your kitchen properly. We regularly receive rave reviews from Everhot customers who have chosen to buy an Everhot by Westin cooker hood to match their new range cooker.
You could also consider the fact that cooker hoods like the Westin one come with LED lights which are incredibly helpful for cooking in darker kitchens. Plus you can change the colour temperature of the lights from cool to warm to fit with your kitchen lighting scheme. If you are thinking about a hood when refurbishing your kitchen, then do consider all of your lighting options first and how these will work together.
Do you need a cooker hood with a range cooker?
Generally, there is no legal requirement to install a cooker hood or ventilation system when buying a range cooker for your kitchen. However, some new build properties, extensions, or houses built without openable windows do need extractor fans in order to fulfill building regulations.
Open plan living often negates a cooker hood because if you eat or socialise in the same room that you are cooking in, then it is much more comfortable to have a quiet extractor to ensure the room stays as smell and smoke free as possible for you and your guests.
If you search on our Everhot Cookers Discussion Group forum on Facebook for ‘extractor’ you will notice that the subject is very 50/50. With some of our owners swearing by a cooker hood, others deciding not to go ahead.
What is the difference between a range hood and a cooker hood?
A certain style of cooker hood definitely looks better above a range cooker, but really it’s all down to personal preference of what you want to achieve and the design of your kitchen. Although James mentions, “A range cooker hood has to be matched to the output of the cooktop below, so there are a number of differences with a dedicated range hood compared to the conventional type, most notably the size.
“Not only does a range hood tend to have to be wider and deeper than a standard hood, but the body of this hood type has to be larger to maximise fume capture. This allows for the all important vaulted section in the underside. In the Everhot by Westin Cooker Hood the base of the hood sits diagonally to the underside, which allows for fumes to collect and not disperse until the motor has a chance to extract the air.”
What size cooker hood do I need for a range cooker?
The ‘size’ of a cooker hood comes down to two different measurements.
The first is the literal physical size of the hood – predominantly its width. As mentioned above by James, you’re advised to choose a cooker hood which is the same width as your cooker because that way it can be most effective at removing smoke – whether you are cooking on the hot or simmer plates on the left-hand side or the induction hobs on the right hand side. The Everhot by Westin hoods perfectly match the width of cooker you have chosen. And the Hoods for the 120, 150 and 160 Series cookers feature dual motors to spread the extraction evenly across the full width of the cooker top.
The second is the amount of power of extraction – often noted in levels or speeds for the fans. The Everhot by Westin cooker hood features three power levels plus an intensive setting for when it’s needed most. James adds, “A lot of appliance manufacturers will have set rules and calculations that state for X size of kitchen, you require X cubic metres per hour of airflow. In theory this is fine, but in practice this does not take into account the cooktop used, or the most important factor – the way you like to cook.
“As a general rule of thumb, cooking against a wall isn’t subject to the same level of cross draughts and disturbance as cooking on an island, so therefore under normal circumstances will require less power. What power to go for can be tricky. Too little, and fumes and odours will escape into the room and ultimately the rest of the house. Too much and this could create an air deficit and will pull air from the rest of the house and take away heat. There is one tip that works across the board no matter what style of hood you have – turn your hood on 10 minutes before you start cooking. This creates a current for the air and aids extraction massively.”
What else do I need to consider when thinking about a cooker hood for my Everhot?
James explains, “One key factor which is often overlooked is ducting. The Everhot by Westin hood requires a minimum duct size of 150mm diameter (or 2 x 150mm diameter ducts for the twin motor model). Decreasing this size even slightly has a hugely detrimental effect on both extraction and noise levels.
“As a rule, you should always fit the best quality ducting available. Try and steer clear of the flexible type, other than for connections, as with powerful motors this type does tend to lose its basic shape and restrict airflow.”
Other elements to consider:
- Warranty – look for the guarantee offered on your cooker hood. The Everhot by Westin design is guaranteed for two years from delivery and will be repaired under the warranty during that time. After two years, Westin will still repair the hood but there may be a charge for doing so.
- Remote control – the Everhot by Westin hoods come with a remote control as well as push buttons on the hood itself. Just to give you flexibility when changing the fan speed or lighting no matter where you are in the kitchen.
- Cleaning – Westin have ensured that the stainless steel baffle filters in their hoods are dishwasher safe. Just like the surrounds on your Everhot hot plate. This makes it incredibly easy for cleaning.
What about fitting a cooker hood?
If you are considering an Everhot by Westin Cooker Hood then Westin advise you to double check the vertical distance between where your hot plates will sit and where the bottom of the cooker hood will sit. The height of the cooker hood matters for safety reasons to prevent over heating of the extractor and its components.
However, this also matters when it comes to the maximum distance between Hood and Range Cooker because you want the extractor to be as efficient as possible. It’s also important to consider whether your ducting from the extractor hood could result in cold draughts entering your kitchen. You can check out all of Westin’s recommendations here.
The Everhot by Westin Cooker Hood
Everhot has chosen to work with professional cooker hood specialists, Westin, to bring you the Everhot by Westin Cooker Hood. Made in Yorkshire, where they have been based since 1921, all of their hoods are British built from high grade stainless steel. Available in every single Everhot cooker width and colour, they also feature dishwasher safe filters and a large vaulted fume catchment area. Put together, your Everhot range cooker and Westin hood make a complementary statement in the kitchen that work perfectly as a pair.
