How to Choose the Best Cooker Hood for Your Kitchen

How do you choose the best cooker hood in 2025? What properties and features should the best cooker hood for your kitchen have to suit your needs? Read our guide and make an informed choice.

The best cooker hood for your kitchenIt’s hard to imagine a modern kitchen without a cooker hood. During cooking, the kitchen is filled with steam, smoke, wet air or unpleasant cooking odours.

These aspects become all the more unpleasant both in summer when the heat is suffocating and the kitchen should have fresh air as well as during the cold season when you have to open the window to air it that means the outside frost to invade the kitchen space .

All these inconveniences are easily solved by purchasing a kitchen hood. The ideal cooker hood contributes to both the appearance and the cleanliness of the kitchen, avoiding oily deposits and smoking the walls or furniture and is beneficial for our health after all. It is not healthy to stay in a room full of steam or smoke.

How to Choose the Best Cooker Hood

Of course, choosing the kitchen hood is the same as with all household appliances: according to individual needs. You have to keep in mind a few important criteria when you are looking to buy the best cooker hood.

Hoods can operate on two principles: air filtration and recirculation or air exhaust. Each of the two types of cooker hood has its advantages and disadvantages.

There are also mixed operation cooker hoods that combine both principles of operation and can be used according to the need of the moment.

Types of Cooker Hoods

Air Recirculation Cooker Hood

The air recirculation cooker hood does not permanently remove the air from the kitchen but recirculates it after it is filtered, as the name says. The advantages of such a hood are that you are not conditioned by fitting the cooker as close as possible to an outside wall or by having outside walls.

It also mounts easily and quickly anywhere. Instead, the disadvantages of a recirculating hood are numerous. The hood filter needs to be changed quite often depending on how much the hood is used, generating a high maintenance cost.

The odours are eliminated only partially, the air being filtered and not permanently discharged, and the heat is not removed from the room.

Air Evacuation Cooker Hood

Powerful and efficient kitchen cooker hoodThe kitchen hood with the air outlet was put on the market before the filter with air recirculation. Such a hood has a much better advantage/drawback ratio than the filter hood.

While a filter hood can be mounted anywhere, the exhaust hood requires a way of communicating with the outside so that the air can be evacuated.

Another great disadvantage of the evacuation hood is that during winter it cools the kitchen air during its operation.

But no matter how unpleasant it is to cool the room during the winter, so useful is the evacuation of hot air during the summer and the maintenance of an adequate temperature.

The ability to remove smoke, steam or odours is much higher than the air re-circulation filter hood, making it useful within certain limits even without the fan being switched on.

Mixed Type Cooker Hood

Mixed kitchen hoods are a combination of the two types of hoods we talked about with exhaustion and filtration. With a simple push of a button, you can switch from filtering to re-circulation of the final exhaust air.

See also:  How to Choose the Best Air Purifying Cooker Hood

The hood combines the advantages of both types of hood, but not the drawbacks, thus offering great flexibility in how to use it.

For example, in the winter you can use the filter function to prevent the frost from entering the room, while in the summer you can use the air exhaust function to remove heat and keep the air fresh.

Design and Functionality

Dimensions

Elegant and powerfull cooker hoodDimensions are an important feature of a kitchen hood, along with its design. Size matters not only for the aesthetic aspect but also for functionality and efficiency.

The size of the hood should be at least as large as that of the cooking appliance, and the ideal size would be even a few centimetres higher.

The dimensions vary greatly depending on the needs, from the smallest hotels to the island-type industrial used in the kitchens of the restaurants, for which I can not say that there is an ideal size.

Of course, the size of the hood along with other criteria has an important say in terms of efficiency.

Design

Regarding the design side, the hoods have advanced a lot in recent years.

The hoods are made of different materials, from sheet metal to glass or even glass.

The design offer is very extensive, from classic to retro or minimalist models. It’s impossible not to find anything to suit your taste or in tune with your kitchen furniture.

Cooker Hood Lighting

Hood lighting is an important aspect both in design and utility. The most cooker hoods are providing light using a neon or two light bulbs.

The latest hood models illuminate the cooking surface with LED systems or other types of spotlights. Keep in mind that light sources must be strong enough and well distributed so that the cooking surface is illuminated as well and as evenly as possible.

Telescopic Cooker Hoods

Telescopic adjustable kitchen cooker hoodTelescopic cooker hoods are hoods with retractable elements made for easier integration into furniture or for better aesthetics.

Telescopic cooker hoods are generally smaller in the rest position and during operation the telescopic elements increase the depth of the hood for better efficiency.

Now that we’ve covered the design, let’s talk about the technical characteristics of a kitchen hood. The capacity, filter type and number of engines your hood has are some of the most important features to check when purchasing.

Technical Specifications

Capacity of a Cooker Hood

The capacity of a kitchen hood refers to cubic meters of air that are evacuated or filtered in an hour. Experts recommend that at least ten air exchanges be made in one hour, so by a simple calculation, the capacity of the best kitchen hood should be at least ten times the volume of the kitchen where it will be installed. The higher the capacity of the hood, the better the ventilation of the space.

All cooker hoods have adjustable capacity depending on the number of speeds. It is good to choose a hood with a maximum number of speeds so it will not always be used at full capacity. The more the hood has a more adjustable capacity, the longer the life will increase and the noise produced will be reduced.

Noise Level

Considering that you will spend the vast majority of the operating time of the hood right next to it, the noise level is another factor to keep in mind. The noise produced by a cooker hood can generally be between 40 and 75 decibels.

It should be said that the price will be inversely proportional to the noise level of the hood, a hood with a low noise level will have a higher price and vice versa. Calculate your budget and choose the hood that fits your needs.

Hood Filters

Aluminium washable hood filterHood filters are the ones that retain the fat from the filtered steam. Grease that would otherwise lie on the kitchen walls and inside the hood, reducing his lifetime.

Not all hoods benefit from such a filter, but it is good to choose a filtering hood when making a purchase. Filters can be of more than one type: disposable, washable or ionic.

  • Disposable filters can not be cleaned and must be changed one to two months depending on the operating times of the hood. These filters are generally made of paper or synthetic materials.
  • Washable filters are metallic, generally aluminum, and can be cleaned without the need for replacement. They generally have to be washed once a month, more often or less, as needed. Such filters bend very easily, so be careful not to damage them during washing.
  • Ion filtration is the latest technology in the industry. Ion filters deal with the negative ionization of recirculated air. By this negative ionization, the efficiency of the hood in eliminating smells is enhanced, eliminating at the same time microbes or viruses in the air, keeping it much fresher. Some hoods even have the air refresh function, which is used outside the cooking time simply to have cleaner air in the room.
See also:  How to Choose the Best Pasta Machine

Cooker Hood Engines

The number of hood engines is not as important as it would be. This technical specification manages to fool many buyers.

Kitchen hoods can have one or two engines. Two engines do not automatically mean greater efficiency. Of a two-engine hood and a single-engine hood, at the same capacity, the one-engine cooker hood will always be much quieter. Study this attentively when purchasing.

Price

The price of a simple cooker hood starts somewhere from 30-40 £  and can even reach up to 2-3000 £ for the most demanding customers. Carefully weigh all the pluses and minuses shown for each type of hood and choose the hood that matches your needs and the kitchen where it is to be fitted.

Recommended Cooker Hoods

We chose some recommended models of kitchen cooker hoods that combine a pleasant look with a quality/price ratio as great as possible.

Recommended Product No. 1
COMFEE' 60 cm Chimney Cooker Hood PYRA17B-60 with LED and Recirculating & Ducting System Wall...
  • 【400m³/h Strong Suction】 Strong suction means there is no more annoying disturbance of cooking fumes, and you can enjoy cooking in a fresh way, as the 400m³/h powerful airflow efficiently removes the most unpleasant odors, steam and grease.
  • 【Dual Extraction Modes & Three Speeds】 Our Comfee hood is applicable to both the duct out type and the internal recirculation type (need the separate purchase of carbon filter ---- search B098XFSKXH), depending on your demands. Duct-out Type does not need carbon filters. With three power options, it can precisely meet your needs and keep your kitchen always fresh.
  • 【5-layer Aluminum Grease Filter】 Our Comfee hood, equipped with 5-layer aluminum filters, efficiently filters out grease and other solid particles. Also, being easily detached and cleaned, it can always sustain its optimal efficiency.
Recommended Product No. 2
CIARRA Cooker Hoods 60cm CBCS6201 Stainless Steel Chimney vent Hood 600mm with Carbon Filters...
  • ENERGY EFFICIENCY COOKER HOOD: A++ energy efficiency cooker hood, designed to enhance your kitchen experience while minimizing energy consumption.
  • 60cm EXTRACTOR HOOD: Suitable for using above a standard-sized hob, 2 pieces grease filters and pyramidal appearanc provide a large extraction area.
  • 370m³/h SUCTION POWER: The suction power is strong enough freshen up your kitchen during your cooking hours. 3 speed levels can be chosen to meet your need.
SaleRecommended Product No. 3
COMFEE' 60 cm Chimney Cooker Hood Stainless Steel Extractor Hood with LED and Recirculating &...
  • 【400m³/h Strong Suction】 Strong suction means there is no more annoying disturbance of cooking fumes, and you can enjoy cooking in a fresh way, as the 400m³/h powerful airflow efficiently removes the most unpleasant odors, steam and grease
  • 【Dual Extraction Modes & Three Speeds】Our Comfee' hood is applicable to both the duct out type and the internal recirculation type (need separate purchase of carbon filter ---- COMFEE' CF04), depending on your demands. Duct-out Type does not need carbon filters. With three power options, it can precisely meet your needs and keep your kitchen always fresh
  • 【Simple & Intuitive】 Intuitive use with a clear operating panel. Push the button and obtain reliable physical haptics. 20000 times service life for the button guarantees your long-lasting usage. Also, push and turn on the LED light, ensuring a decent visibility at your stove-top
SaleRecommended Product No. 4
COMFEE' 60 cm Visor Cooker Hood SLIF17SS-60 LED Under Cabinet Hood Wall Mounted Extractor Fan...
  • 【Strong Suction Power】 Strong suction means there is no more annoying disturbance of cooking fumes, and you can enjoy cooking in a fresh way, as the 200m3/h powerful airflow efficiently removes the most unpleasant odors, steam and grease.
  • 【Dual Extraction Modes & Three Speeds】 Our Comfee hood is applicable to both the duct out type and the internal recirculation type (need separate purchase of cotton filter), depending on your demands. With three power options, it can precisely meet your needs and keep your kitchen always fresh.
  • 【Durable & Easily-cleaned】 The stainless steel body is not only highly resistant to high temperature and salt corrosion, but easy to be cleaned. Also, the detachable aluminum filter is more convenient to clean periodically for the best effectiveness.
Recommended Product No. 5
SIA CHL60BL 60cm Pyramid Chimney Cooker Hood Kitchen Extractor Fan In Black, 5 Year Parts & 2 Year...
  • Ducted or Re-circulated Installation
  • 3 Variable Speeds
  • 2 x Dishwasher Safe Aluminium Grease Filters
SaleRecommended Product No. 6
COMFEE' 60cm Angled Cooker Hood ANGJ64B-60 Tempered Glass Extractor Hood with Touch Screen, LED and...
  • 【400m³/h Strong Suction】 Stronger suction among all cooker hoods, which means there is no more annoying disturbance of cooking fumes, and you can enjoy cooking in a fresh way, as the 400m3/h powerful airflow efficiently removes the most unpleasant odors, steam and grease
  • 【Dual Extraction Modes & Three Speeds】 COMFEE' hood is applicable to both the duct out type and the internal recirculation type (need separate purchase of carbon filter ---- search B098XFHFY3), depending on your demands. Duct-out Type does not need carbon filters. If With three power options, it can precisely meet your needs and keep your kitchen always fresh.
  • 【5-layer Aluminum Grease Filter】 Our Comfee hood, equipped with 5-layer aluminum filters, efficiently filters out grease and other solid particles. Also, being easily detached and cleaned, it can always sustain its optimal efficiency.
SaleRecommended Product No. 7
COMFEE' 60 cm Visor Cooker Hood SLIF17B-60 LED Extractor Hood Under Cabinet Hood Wall Mounted...
  • 【Strong Suction Power】 Strong suction means there is no more annoying disturbance of cooking fumes, and you can enjoy cooking in a fresh way, as the 200m3/h powerful airflow efficiently removes the most unpleasant odors, steam and grease.
  • 【Dual Extraction Modes & Three Speeds】 Our Comfee hood has 2 extraction modes, the duct-out-type and the internal-recirculation-type (requires cotton filter, purchased separately), so is flexible to your kitchens requirements. The three power options allow you to match the setting to your cooking needs.
  • 【Simple & Intuitive】 The operating panel is simple and easy to use and has been designed to be extremely durable. There is a handy LED light to increase stove-top visibility. To illuminate, simply push and turn.
SaleRecommended Product No. 8
Russell Hobbs Chimney Cooker Hood 60cm T-Shaped Kitchen Extractor Fan in Black, 3 Speed Settings &...
  • MODERN DESIGN – This T shaped cooker hood is designed to seamlessly fit into any contemporary kitchen, adding style and practicality to your home
  • BUILT TO LAST – Designed with longevity in mind, this cooker hood is built with high quality metal, ensuring it performs for years to come
  • 3 SPEED SETTINGS – Choose between the 3 speed settings to effectively remove cooking odours and residue, whether you’re cooking up a smoky burger sizzler, or simmering a delicate sauce, this cooker hood has you covered

Last update on 2025-10-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

See also:  How to Choose the Best Selfie Stick

This product presentation was made with AAWP plugin.

ElectroExpert
We will be happy to hear your thoughts

      Leave a reply

      I accept the Privacy Policy

      ElectroGuide.co.uk
      Logo