Do I Really Need A Rangehood? | Fontaine

Nothing could turn me off cooking more than the musty seafood odour of Friday night’s bouillabaisse mingling with tonight’s chocolate cake baking.

Luckily, with the flick off a switch, the gentle reassuring hum of the rangehood deodorises the evidence.

Have you ever had to clean a kitchen that’s used on a regular basis? Then you know just how much of a hassle it is to get rid of that sticky film that covers the cooktop and countertops. One of the benefits of a rangehood is that it filters out the airborne grease before it has a chance to settle everywhere. Instead of spending hours with Jiff on kitchen surfaces, it’s much easier to hit the power button on the range hood and stop the flying grease before it has a chance to settle.

Having an effective way to remove odours also allows greater freedom to experiment with various cuisines. All the things you’ve wanted to try making, but weren’t sure about due to the possibility of the entire house smelling like dinner for days afterwards? Once you have a rangehood, there’s no need to worry any longer.

Of course, the health benefits of kitchen ventilation cannot be overlooked. By eliminating the excess moisture and airborne grease, as well as preventing the formation of the sticky film that attracts mould and bacteria, and encouraging the inflow of fresh outside air, a properly installed and ducted rangehood can vastly improve the air quality - not only in the kitchen but throughout the house. This is especially important for anyone with allergies and breathing problems, but everyone can enjoy the benefits of a rangehood.

But how do you choose the right one? There are thousands of rangehoods on the market - where do you begin? Without going into too many details, here’s a short overview of the basic types of rangehoods, which may help you to narrow down your selection:

Wall-mount (also called “chimney style”) are installed on the wall directly above the range. This requires a clearance between the cabinets as well as some empty wall space above the range.

Retractable rangehoods provide an inexpensive alternative. You can hide the rangehood under overheads or behind cabinets to compliment the design in your kitchen.

It’s also a great advantage if you can buy a rangehood that has substantial illumination underneath. This is useful for when you’re cooking dinner at night to have a spotlight on your food so you can see clearly exactly what you’re doing. All our SALINI rangehoods have lighting on their undersides. The Stainless Steel Canopy Rangehood (below), includes stylish bright white LED strip lighting to illuminate your whole cooktops.

Regardless of the type, the rangehood should be the same width or wider than your cooktop in order to provide an adequate area to capture the smoke and grease. If you need a cooktop (gas, electric or induction) to match your rangehood, see our cooktops available for purchase.

There are plenty of benefits to having a rangehood. From the obvious ones (clean air) to the not-so-obvious secondary effects (cleaner cabinets and creative cooking freedom), adding this important appliance will make your kitchen adventures cleaner and more enjoyable.

Click here to start shopping for rangehoods.