The best kitchen extractor (my) money can buy?

[thesaurusgirl]

I've posted about my moneypit flat before and you have all been loads more helpful than the so-called professionals, so unfortunately I'm now going to bother you all again.

My flat is tiny so I'm going open-plan between the sitting room and the kitchen. I love cooking, especially curries, stir fries and roasts, so I can well imagine a time when the entire flat will reek of old beef dripping or stale curry .

So what is the best way of keeping the rooms fresh, especially in winter when I don't want to open my windows and be blown away by the winds rolling in off the common?

I don't want to be reliant on a crummy extractor hood. I have been told to get a vented extractor (so one with a tube that is routed through the wall and blasts into the air), but apparently they're very noisy, which is annoying in a small space.

SW London is full of open-plan kitchen/dining/living rooms, surely someone has come across this problem before? How did you solve it? Have you a very efficient but extremely quiet extractor fan? Or if you have insider info on kitchen appliances (I know there are some of you out there), which model or brand would you recommend? I'm prepared to spend some serious money; without it, my flat would soon become uninhabitable.

It's about how you use your extractor too - many people only switch it on when the room fills with steam or smoke - the trick is to switch the hood on when you turn on the ring/gas etc so that by the time the vapour rises the airflow is happily going in that direction anyway ! ( and don't open windows at the same time as it doesn't help ! ) often the more you pay the quieter the extractor ! But thankfully you can easily check most appliance decibel rating online nowadays - happy hunting !! :-)

Anything you buy from Gutmann will be the best extraction you can buy. The quality is superb. Nothing comes close.

Also you could consider having the motor located externally which would cut down noise.

Who told you they are noisy?

Is the hob against an external wall?

Is there already a hood fitted?

Yes, you must get a vented extractor hood. A recirculating hood serves no purpose, except as a showroom ornament.

Who told you they are noisy?

Is the hob against an external wall?

Is there already a hood fitted?

Yes, you must get a vented extractor hood. A recirculating hood serves no purpose, except as a showroom ornament.

Who told you they are noisy?

Is the hob against an external wall?

Is there already a hood fitted?

Yes, you must get a vented extractor hood. A recirculating hood serves no purpose, except as a showroom ornament.

Thank you for the pointers everyone.

PigletJohn, it can be on an external wall. I was hoping to have it at right angles but I'm realising ventilation has to be the priority in such a small space.

As to noise - I'm going on MN searches and moaning mates, not sure how reliable they are .

I like a big one, so it can catch fumes that drift somewhat sideways (a large, open-plan room will have air currents)

1000mm wide hoods are for some reason scarce, but there are plenty of 900mm ones.

It is helpful to turn them on, low and quiet, every time you use the cooker, and don't turn it off until you have put the pans in the dwr. You may need to turn up the speed for hot fat. Using the hood lights encourages you to turn it on. You will want a wall switch above the worktop, in your row of sockets and switches.

The ones that fold out need more effort so are often not used.

Have it fitted at a height that a normal person can't bang their head on. For some reason there are people who have them fitted too low and then grumble.

Loads of fans on this site

You could look at

A wall mounted fan - internal or external, needs 250l/sec, rather than a cooker hood. Possibly with a humidity sensor so you don't have to turn it on and off. Best if your cooker is fairly near the wall.

A canopy with a remote fan, will be quieter than a unit with a fan in it. i.e. a small fan is either at the end of the duct or on the wall outside.

IME there is no more cleaning grease with or without a cooker hood. You either have to periodically wipe the cupboards near it, or clean the hood itself AND the cupboards near it.

Agree about not mounting a canopy too low. 750mm is the minimum, not the exact height above the hob. I've seen friends with kitchens where they or their DP has the canopy at chin height and can't see the hob.