When we decorate a kitchen, we need to pay attention to various nuances and keep in mind several important and even necessary things. One of them is the hood, thanks to which we can avoid spreading odors throughout the apartment and minimize the risk of fogging up the entire room and floating grease vapors.
It can be said that the hood is already a standard piece of equipment in every kitchen. Sometimes, however, especially when we have an island in the kitchen, where the stove is located, its installation in standard form will be difficult or even impossible. And this is where countertop hoods come to our aid. What is the best choice?
First of all, the main difference between a traditional hood and a countertop hood is the way it is installed. The hood is not placed above the cooktop, but built in next to it, and there are also integrated models that combine the two.
In the case of pull-out models, the hood is hidden inside the cabinet on a daily basis, and we thus gain additional working space on the countertop. When we start cooking, we can easily turn on the device, which slides out a dozen or several dozen centimeters above the countertop. Hoods of this type are constructed of tempered glass and stainless steel, usually stainless steel, so we don’t have to worry about them deteriorating quickly. Of course, you can also find permanently mounted countertop hoods on sale, which also look good, although from the perspective of a person cooking, especially in a small kitchen, they are not as practical.
When choosing this type of equipment, we need to consider whether to bet on a model with or without an exhaust. This really depends on the conditions we have. If we decide on a hood installed in the kitchen island at the beginning of planning or before the renovation, we should take care of the proper connection to the exhaust duct, otherwise we will have to choose a hood without an exhaust with a carbon replacement cartridge, which, however, is a little less effective.
When shopping, it is also worth thinking about additional lighting. Some pull-out models also have a built-in LED strip, which will provide us with an extra glow at the stove and make cooking easier.
There are also models of pull-out countertop hoods that have as many as 10 modes and the ability to automatically pull out when they sense steam in the room. It also comes with their high efficiency, which is another aspect we need to pay attention to, because whatever hood we choose, its efficiency must be adapted to the size of the room in which it will be placed. A high number for this parameter will allow us to keep our kitchen clean air free of the hard-to-remove and troublesome grease deposited on the furniture.
Another parameter you need to pay attention to when choosing the perfect hood is its volume. Of course, we want the equipment to be as quiet as possible, and at the same time not lose its efficiency.
Let’s not hide, an important, but not the most important aspect of the ideal countertop hood is its appearance. In our opinion, it is safest to bet on a classic and universal design, which will work in almost any arrangement. Of course, if you like to experiment, you can be tempted by an eye-catching designer model.
main photo: unsplash.com/Jason Briscoe
