Buying A Kitchen Chimney

Be it the sputtering of hot oil while frying vadas or the tempering of spices to prepare the tadka - these cooking techniques not only add flavour into Indian cuisine but also bring along fumes with it in our kitchen! This is why a kitchen chimney comes into the picture as it extracts all the cooking smoke, grease, and odours, thus purifying the air in our kitchens. But, before you go out to purchase one, here are some things you should consider that will allow you to pick the right kitchen chimney for your home. 

1. Factor in the Size

The size of your cooker hood always depends on the cooktop or the hob you own. It is advisable that you choose a chimney that is slightly larger than the size of your cooktop or hob or has an extended length of smoke extraction panel, as it will effectively extract all the airborne grease and cooking smoke in your kitchen.

Most of the chimneys in the market today come in two standard sizes of 60 cm and 90 cm. If you own a gas hob that is 78 / 80 / 90cm wide, it is advisable to opt for a 90 cm cooker hood such as the Hafele Teresa i90 Plus. This filterfree kitchen chimney has an intelligent smoke management system that automatically detects the air quality. This signifies that the hood has a capacity to detect Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the air. It automatically starts and adjusts the speed level according to the heat and VOC levels in the kitchen. When the kitchen air is clean it signals a GREEN indicator and the hood will automatically switch off. It comes with sleek one touch controls, and even runs quietly in your kitchen!

2. Carefully select the mounting style

The type of mounted chimney you choose depends on your kitchen layout and the available space. There are three mounting styles - wall-mounted, ceiling & island hood, and built-in chimneys. While wall-mounted and built-in chimneys are ideal for kitchens where the cooking stove is placed against the wall, ceiling hoods and island chimneys are great for large kitchens with a cooking counter placed at the center in an island set up.

3. Look for the Filtration Rate

The customer often reels over the suction power of the chimney or the cooker hood they buy, however the most critical aspect and function is often ignored, which is how effectively a hood is able to filter out the smoke from the kitchen. 

The smoke from the cooking consists of oil, grease and moisture which makes it heavier. Therefore just the suction power (rate of intake) of the smoke is not holistic. An effective hood like Teresa i-90 Plus has a three-stage filtration system that separates the heavier elements like oil and moisture in the smoke as soon as it is captured inside the hood. Then it creates the shortest pathway to let out the lighter smoke residue after separating and exhausting out the oil and grease. 

4. Decide if you need filters.

Another crucial aspect before you purchase a chimney is to check its filters. Look for aluminum mesh or even stainless steel filters as they work effectively to purify the air in your kitchen. At Hafele Appliances too, most chimneys come with sleek aluminium mesh filters that suck in all the grease from cooking vapours and reduce odours in the kitchen. However, it’s also important to remember that filters require regular cleaning and constant maintenance!

So, if you’re someone who doesn’t want to bother with the hassle of cleaning filters, you can opt for one of the unique filterfree kitchen chimneys by Hafele.(such as Teresa i90 ) We’re proud to state that we are the first brand to come up with this technology where our filter-free cooker hood extracts all the grease and smoke from your kitchen, just as effectively as a filtered one!

5. Consider the after sales maintenance services

Always opt for reputed brands that offer you proper professional installation services along with regular maintenance services. It’s crucial to opt for this as chimneys require regular servicing to function properly and last longer in your home. Besides this, you must also understand all the maintenance tasks that you may need to do on a frequent basis, such as cleaning the oil collectors, filters and such.

At Hafele Appliances too, we offer these premium services so that your cooker hood can function to its best efficiency for a long time. As our high quality cooker hood models are coupled with the topmost customer service, we are often heralded as the best company to buy a chimney today!