There’s nothing quite like the anticipation of a home-cooked meal – the delicious aroma of dinner simmering on the stove filling the air and making mouths water.
But what can linger long after the dishes have been completed is a smoky haze, with sticky steam residue clinging to surfaces, as the persistent scent of what you’ve just eaten permeates every room in the house.
While opening windows in your kitchen can alleviate some of these unwelcome cooking crimes, you don’t want to let precious heat escape in the cooler months as you cook your favourite family recipe stew.
A Rangehood can efficiently and effectively capture cooking odours and remove airborne grease and moisture, leaving you with a fresher and cleaner kitchen with no remnants of last night’s fish dinner still in the air.
Extractor or Re-circulation: Which Rangehood is Right for You?
When choosing your rangehood, one of the first considerations beyond the obvious aesthetics, is whether your kitchen is best suited to an extractor or a re-circulation rangehood. While both are incredibly effective at removing cooking smells, smoke and steam, it’s where the air goes after it’s filtered that sets them apart. Let’s break down the differences between the two and what’s the best choice for you and your kitchen.
The Extractor (ducted) Rangehood
This type of rangehood works with pipes and ducts usually hidden in your roof or wall. The Extractor rangehood draws air and smells up from your cooktop, passes it through grease and odour filters and vents it all outside, away from the inside of your kitchen.
Re-circulation (ductless) Rangehood
When your kitchen design or home (apartment living) doesn’t allow for ducted extraction, re-circulation is your only option. The re-circulation method draws air, smoke, smells, and moisture up from the cooktop and passes it through grease filters and usually additional changeable activated carbon filters, turning it all into clean, fresh air, which is re-circulated back into your kitchen.
 While they may not be as effective as ducted rangehoods, re-circulation models are still a fantastic option and will do an excellent job keeping your kitchen clean and healthy. Plus, they are much easier and cheaper to install, as you don’t need to worry about installing any ducting.
A breakdown of the key differences
When choosing between the two options, you should consider your kitchen layout, the type of cooktop (gas or electric), budget, and how and what you cook. If you use high temperatures and love to cook aromatic foods like curries (who doesn’t) or foods with intense aromas like fish or bacon, and your kitchen design allows, the extractor rangehood may be the better choice. However, as long as you keep on top of changing out your carbon filters every 3-6 months, the re-circulation is a satisfactory alternative and will work for your ventilation needs.Â
What’s your Rangehood style?
Not all rangehoods are created equal. Depending on your kitchen layout, cooker, fuel type, and personal design taste, you can choose from various styles and functionalities to suit you and your kitchen.
From sleek integrated models to statement chimney hoods –we’ll explore the different types of rangehoods available, their unique benefits and features, and help you discover the perfect fit to complement your kitchen space.
Integrated Hood
For kitchen owners who prefer a simple and clean look where their cabinetry and cooker take centre stage, the Integrated Hood is for you. Its discreet design can be concealed within existing kitchen cabinetry, seamlessly blending in with its surroundings, leaving cleaner lines and freeing up wall and ceiling space, making them ideal for smaller kitchens.
This type of rangehood also offers a powerful extraction – Falcon’s integrated hood rates up to an impressive 870 m³/hr free air delivery, and they are incredibly simple to maintain, with easily removable stainless steel baffle filters that are dishwasher safe. They also have four air speeds, including a boosted intensive level, which is ideal when you need that extra power to remove odours and smoke.
Plain / Classic Hoods
The Plain and Classic Hoods typically refer to the canopy style rangehood with chimneys that are popular in kitchen design. Sleek and modern, these rangehoods provide a clean and simple look, making it easy to integrate into any kitchen design without making them a too dominant feature.
Falcon Classic and Plain Hoods like Falcon Cookers are incredibly high-quality, with the same durability and performance extended throughout the entire range.
Falcon rangehoods come in a variety of sizes and a broader range of colours to coordinate beautifully with Falcon cookers. Making them a bit of a favourite for those looking to design a seamless and stylish cooking zone in their kitchen.
Available as re-circulating or extraction options, these hoods match flawlessly with any Falcon cooker, creating a visually appealing and efficient cooking zone. With powerful extraction and filtering rates, the air quality in your home will be significantly improved. Â
Flat Hoods
Sleek and modern, the flat hood is the perfect blend of contemporary design and powerful performance for those who prefer a paired back, more minimalistic contemporary look for their kitchen design.
The Falcon Flat Hood is the perfect kitchen collaborator for your cooking zone and is available in 90cm/100cm and 110cm widths to fit your chosen Falcon Cooker model. You also have the added flexibility of installing either the extraction rangehood with a supplied ducting kit or the re-circulation option with aluminium and charcoal filters included. Â
Integrated halogen or LED lighting generates extra lighting so you can focus on your cooktop better – while you’re busy creating tonight’s meal, and the three power settings plus intensive mode for when you really need it, make cooking anything with aromatics a breath of fresh air.
The Falcon Plus Flat Hood boosts an even stronger extraction rate than its close cousin, with a maximum ducted extraction of up to 880 m³/hr on the intensive setting and three grease filters to effectively capture grease particles, helping to neutralise odours and keep your kitchen air, fresh and clean from whatever your cooking. Like any Falcon Hood, all models of flat hoods are easy to maintain and clean with dishwasher-safe filters and easy-to-change charcoal filters.
Breathe easy with a Falcon Rangehood in your kitchen.
Rangehoods cannot be overlooked for their ability to provide powerful and efficient ventilation, protecting your kitchen cabinetry and appliances and keeping the air quality in your home clean and fresh. Think of your rangehood as a vital appliance that works tirelessly to improve your kitchen experience, tackling everything from airborne pollutants to stubborn odours, ensuring your kitchen remains a fresh, clean, and welcoming space for you and your loved ones. Now, do you think you can live without one?
Here’s a closer look at the key advantages of installing a rangehood in your kitchen:
- Effectively removes cooking fumes, smoke, and grease particles that can harm you and your kitchen over time.
- Improves the air quality in your home
- Prevents cooking grease and grime from settling on your cabinetry, walls, ceilings and appliances, keeping your kitchen clean and tidy
- Remove that lingering reminder of last night’s fish curry (which was delicious, by the way)
- Provides extra lighting in your kitchen (good to leave on at night for those midnight wanderers or house guests looking for the bathroom)
Ready to experience the benefits in your own kitchen?
Explore our full Falcon Range here