Features

Select a model at least as wide as the cooking surface underneath. (Island-mount hoods lack a wall or cabinets alongside them to help to funnel fumes, so they should be wider than the cooktop.) These are some range hood features to consider.

Airflow

Manufacturers tout the cubic feet per minute (cfm) of exhausted air. More airflow means faster ventilation, but it doesn't guarantee better smoke capture and removal in your kitchen. Many hoods that we tested that claimed to have modest airflow vented as well as those with twice the airflow.

Number of fan speeds

Most of the hoods we tested offer from three to six fan speeds. One model has a continuously variable speed. We recommend a minimum of two speeds: a high-speed setting to use when cooking and a very low and very quiet setting to use after cooking to continue to ventilate the space while eating. Any more than three set speeds are too many. If the manufacturer wants to provide more than three speeds, it should just use a variable speed switch that the user can easily set to any speed desired.

Thermostat control

A built-in temperature sensor in some models automatically turns on the fan if the temperature below the hood gets too high. This feature is available mainly on over-the-range microwaves. The real purpose of the thermostat is to protect the microwave electronics from being damaged by high temperatures. If the temperature under the microwave is too high, the exhaust fan comes on to draw away the hot air and pull in cooler air from the rest of the kitchen. But we do not recommend this feature on range-hoods because if you are cooking with oil and your pan catches fire, the exhaust fan will come on, drawing more air to the fire, fanning it, and perhaps making matters worse.

Exhaust timer

This convenient feature turns off the fan after a set period of time.

See also:

Ranges

Cooktops & wall ovens

Microwave ovens

Humidifiers