The cooker hood is the appliance people think about last and regret first. It gets chosen on looks, at the end of a kitchen budget, and then spends five years failing to clear the steam off the windows.
The frustrating part is that it is not complicated. Three things decide whether an extractor works: how it vents, how powerful it is, and how wide it is relative to the hob. Get those right and almost any style will do the job. Get them wrong and the most expensive hood on the market will disappoint you.
Ducted or recirculating? Decide this first
This is the single biggest factor in how well your kitchen ends up smelling, and it is the one thing you cannot change easily after the kitchen is fitted.
Ducted extraction pushes air out of the building through a pipe to an external wall or roof vent. Steam, grease, heat and smell all leave. It is considerably more effective, and it is what you should fit if there is any route to an outside wall at all.
Recirculating extraction pulls air through a grease filter and a charcoal filter, then blows it back into the room. It removes odour and grease reasonably well. It does not remove heat or moisture — those stay in your kitchen. It is the right answer for a flat, an island in the middle of a room, or anywhere ducting genuinely is not possible, but it is a compromise and worth knowing it as one.
If you are ducting, two details matter more than the hood you choose:
- Duct diameter. 150mm moves substantially more air than 125mm. Fitting a powerful hood to a narrow duct throttles it.
- Bends. Every 90-degree bend costs you airflow. The shortest, straightest run to the outside wall is always the best run.
Installers sometimes default to the narrower, more convenient route. It is worth asking the question before the plasterboard goes up.
How much extraction do you actually need?
Extraction rate is quoted in cubic metres per hour (m³/h). The working rule is ten air changes an hour.
Measure your kitchen — length × width × height gives the volume in cubic metres. Multiply by 10. That is your minimum.
A 4m × 3m kitchen with a 2.4m ceiling is 28.8m³, so you want at least 288 m³/h. Add more if the kitchen is open-plan into a living area, if you cook a lot of fried or heavily spiced food, or if you have a range cooker rather than a standard hob.
Separately, for new installations in England, Building Regulations Part F sets a minimum kitchen extract rate — 30 litres per second where the extract is adjacent to the hob, or 60 litres per second elsewhere. Your installer should know this, but it is worth being aware of if you are doing a full kitchen.
One caveat on the numbers: manufacturers quote the maximum rate on boost setting, which is also the loudest setting. Nobody cooks with the hood on boost permanently. Look at the normal-running figure too if it is published.
Width: match the hob, or go wider
An extractor only captures what rises within its footprint. A 60cm hood over a 60cm hob misses the steam drifting off the edges of the outer pans.
The rule is simple: never narrower than the hob, and wider if the space allows. A 90cm hood over a 60cm hob is not overkill, it is better extraction. This matters most with range cookers — see our range cooker buying guide, because a 90cm range cooker deserves more than a 90cm hood.
Mounting height matters too. Most manufacturers specify roughly 65–75cm above an electric hob and a little more above gas. Too high and capture drops off sharply; too low and you will bang your head and risk heat damage. Check the manual rather than guessing.
The types, and who each one suits
Chimney hoods
The classic wall-mounted design with a visible flue. Effective, widely available, and the default for most kitchens. The CDA ECH63SS 60cm in stainless steel and the 90cm version are straightforward, no-nonsense options; the CDA CST62SS is the budget end at 60cm.
Angled and curved glass
A more contemporary look, with the canopy angled away from you so there is more headroom over the hob. Genuinely more comfortable to stand at. The CDA EVA60BL 60cm angled in black, the 90cm EVA90BL and the ECP82SS 80cm curved glass cover the common widths, with the ENT60MB in matt black for darker schemes.
Integrated and canopy hoods
These hide inside a wall unit so nothing is visible except a slim pull-out visor. Ideal if you want the extraction without the extractor being part of the design. The CDA EIN60SI disappears entirely, and the EIN60FSI with a full-width slider extends to cover the whole hob area, which noticeably improves capture. The CDA 50cm canopy in white suits a narrower run.
Telescopic hoods
A slim front panel that pulls out when you need it and sits flush when you do not. A neat solution in compact kitchens — the Smeg KSET56LX3 Classic 60cm is a well-made example.
Island hoods
Ceiling-mounted above an island hob. These are a design feature as much as an appliance, and they need the ducting planned into the ceiling before it is boarded. The CDA ECNK91SS 90cm flat glass island and the ENP90KMB in matt black are both built for that job.
T-shape hoods
A wide, flat canopy on a slim central chimney. A strong architectural look for wider hobs and range cookers — the Smeg KATE900EX at 90cm, and the Bertazzoni KT120P1AXT at 120cm for a professional-width range.
Venting hobs and downdraft
An induction hob with extraction built into the surface, pulling steam downwards before it rises. No hood at all, which transforms a kitchen with a low ceiling, a window above the hob, or an island where you do not want anything overhead.
The trade-offs are honest ones: they cost more than a hob and hood bought separately, they need space in the cabinet below for the motor, and they are less effective at catching steam from tall stockpots. But for the right kitchen they are the neatest solution there is. The Smeg SIM3644MB 60cm with Auto-Vent 2.0 and the Smeg 83cm induction hob with integrated extractor show what it looks like at two different widths.
Noise: the spec people ignore and then complain about
Extractor noise is quoted in decibels, usually at maximum. In an open-plan kitchen where people are trying to talk, this matters more than almost anything else on the spec sheet — because a hood that is too loud is a hood you will not switch on.
Broadly, under 55dB on normal running is comfortable, and anything approaching 70dB on boost is genuinely intrusive. If the figures are not published, treat that as information in itself.
Two things that quietly make a difference: a larger hood running on a lower setting is quieter than a small hood working hard, and ducting well reduces noise because the motor is not straining.
Filters and upkeep
Grease filters are aluminium mesh and go in the dishwasher. Do it monthly if you cook a lot. A clogged grease filter is the most common reason an extractor stops working properly, and people almost always blame the hood.
Charcoal filters only apply to recirculating hoods. They cannot be washed — they need replacing, typically every three to six months depending on use. Factor that into the running cost, and check the replacements are easy to get before you buy.
What you should expect to spend
| Budget | What it buys |
|---|---|
| £79–£150 | Basic 60cm chimney and integrated hoods. Perfectly serviceable in a small kitchen with good ducting. |
| £150–£300 | Angled and curved glass, 70–90cm widths, better motors, quieter running, LED lighting. |
| £300–£700 | Designer finishes, telescopic and island hoods, gesture or touch control, higher extraction rates. |
| £700+ | Professional-width T-shape hoods and venting induction hobs. |
Before you order
- Confirm whether you can duct to an outside wall — and if so, insist on 150mm and the shortest run.
- Calculate your room volume × 10 to get the minimum extraction rate.
- Choose a hood at least as wide as the hob, wider if you can.
- Check the required mounting height works with your wall units and your height.
- Check the noise rating, especially in an open-plan room.
- For recirculating: confirm charcoal filters are available and note the replacement cost.
- For island hoods: plan the ceiling ducting before anything is boarded.
An extractor that is correctly sized and properly ducted is invisible in the best sense — you stop noticing the kitchen smells like last night's dinner, because it does not.
Browse the full Core Appliances cooking collection, or get in touch if you want help matching a hood to a particular hob or range cooker before you order.
