Island cooker hood

[Baxdream]

We’re currently having an extension done and we’re looking at kitchens. This is an idea of what we’ll be having (not 100% decided but definitely these units)
I don’t know what to do with an extractor hood.
Those with islands could you show me what you have as I’m struggling! Am I best changing and having the sink in the island?

I love this but it’s pricey!

We are having this dilemma too, considering a down draft extractor so there is nothing hanging down to bash head on, although they take up room in the cupboard below.

We got a Bora hob, which has an inbuilt extractor, expensive but worth it !

We have quite a large room so decided against a cooker hood on the island. We just open the windows or doors when steamy. Working ok so far!

Elica seems to be a good brand for modern island hoods.

I would go for one of the down draft extractors that pop up behind the hob.

When buying check the decibel levels - ours is an overhob chimney one and is super noisy. I hate it. The main reason to have it was for light over the hob but the lights are really shit too! I should have done more research but let the kitchen company choose it. It looks good - that is the only thing going for it!

I have seen one of these in someone's kitchen / expensive but pretty! crystal

I have the island and in two weeks I shall have the worktops installed and the hob and extractor.

I went for a downdraft but bought a cookology one which has excellent reviews but a fraction of the famous brands. I did consider a bora hob but the problem with some of those styles (in my opinion) is that it contradicts one of the USP of inductions, the easily cleaned surface. In addition, I worry that if the extractor goes wrong then I have to replace the whole thing.
I also overspent in one of the project areas so needed to cut some costs somewhere. If my extractor is rubbish it is a £400 mistake, not a £1400 one.
Time will tell.

I have my hob in the island and no extractor! It's against building regs but I have a very large kitchen and have had no problems at all. We have the kitchen in an orangery so a glass and oak roof. We couldn't hang anything directly over the hob because the central beam is waaay above the island and not over the hob. You cannot attach an extractor to glass.

I like the hob in the island. We have a dining area to the left of the hob (far enough away so no-one can touch the hob) and chatting to guests/family whilst cooking suits our family life. Washing up whilst chatting isn't the same somehow! Looking at an extractor wasn't what I had in mind either.

I would go with the hob and have a space built into the island to take the extractor if building regs require one. Over the years I hardly used my extractors. They sounded like they were taking off when on high extraction speed.

I would get a large double sink and no drainer. Mine is built out slightly from the wall so the worktop is not a straight line. There are curved cupboards either side of the sink. This gives a useful area behind the sink and my splash back is a mirror. Not that it ever gets splashed. An island hob doesn't need a splash back - another advantage.

We have an Elica pop up extractor behind the hob on our island and it does a great job.
Very sleek and streamlined when down, has great suction power and the filters are easy to remove and washed in hot soapy water! I love it!

Thanks everyone, this is really helpful. I’m pleased everyone is in agreement to have the job in the island. I love the idea of cooking looking out and being able to chat etc. We’re only having a smaller sink as we are having one in the utility (for dog baths and dirty things!)
Funnily enough the picture above has a built in extractor! I’d like the idea of downlighting above the island..
I love the elica ones but they certainly are pricy!
We’re at howdens Saturday so we’ll find out the cost 😱

Try cookology ones on Amazon. A fraction of the price and the reviews seem very good. Mine was around £400 which is much cheaper.
Give me a few months and I will have my own experience but I am hoping the reviews are genuine......

Ooh they look perfect!

www.bora.com/en/bora-products/bora-basic/

Forget the overhead extractor and get this.

@cacofonix - how does that keep clean? Surely it defeats the object of the clean flat lines of an induction hob?

We are building a bulk head to lower the ceiling over the island slightly, and then installing one of those flush extractors ... something like this:

@QuitMoaning - it is really easy top clean - you pop up the top circle thing and wash and pull out the filter and stick it in the dishwasher. I think it looks loads better than an overhead hood that always gets greasy and dusty and somehow dates the kitchen too! Anyway we love ours.

@cacofonix I am not a fan of the overhead ones either and we have a sloping ceiling so I got a downdraft and then it is away with clean lines when not in use. Compromise is that it is up when I am cooking but I don’t have to use it all the time.

Bora look amazing but £5k is a bit out of budget!
Our extension is double storey so we don’t really have the ceiling height to lower it x

You can put an Xpelair or similar extractor fan in your outside wall if you can find a place outside the steels/structure. They need a 100mm or 150mm hole but then you would have to duct any other extractor outside the same way.

My Bora was just under €3000, I'm in ireland which is way more expensive usually than UK, I suppose it depends on what model you get but mine looks like the one somebody linked above. Its very easy to clean, I was worried that the down draft might break easily if it's going up and down a few times a day and also crumbs might fall down the cracks on either side which I'd hate. Shop around for the Bora. By the time we had paid the builder to build a bulk head from the ceiling (double height), bought an Induction hob and bought good extractor we'd have spent the same as on the Bora!

Just looked at the Cookology one on Amszon but unfortunately it doesn't recirculate, only duct out and we will be too far from an outside wall. Need to keep looking for recirculating island option!

Any reason why you cannot duct out?

IMO there is no point in investing in an expensive piece of kit that is just going to recycle air. It will be no where near as efficient as one that ducts out.

We ended up biting the bullet on extra costs for this as like you our island has hob in middle of kitchen-additional costs were so worth it as just boiling water or frying anything without the extractor on creates lots of steam and smells.

Ours is an Elica and you press a button to bring it out of the island. Really efficient and looks good too!

Hi @QuitMoaning! I'm also looking at the Cookology downdraft... it's so much cheaper than other models. I wondered how you'd got on with it and whether you would recommend? Thanks

Hi I'm having this dilemma at the moment would love to hear which extractor you decided on.

Bora are awful. The extraction is back into the room and the filtration pathetic, so anyone near the cooker smells of whatever is cooking, specially if you’re frying. The searing plate is too shallow, so duck breasts for example would render enough fat to overflow. Add to that, the settings weird out on a regular basis. Bora say it is because the (complicated) cleaning and reinstating routine hasn’t been followed correctly, which is utter nonsense. Avoid at all costs and opt for extraction outside - it is worth it in the end.

Hi i see you bought your Bora back in 2017 may i ask what model and are you still happy with it i am looking into one would like the one with the built in ventilation filter as we have concrete on the floor
Thanks Anna