Last updated on July 2nd, 2022
Indian cooking definitely calls for a high-performance chimney as it involves the emission of considerable fumes, oils and grease.
But buying a chimney isn’t as straight-forward as you might like to think it is. There are many things you’ll need to consider about, before you zero-in on the perfect chimney for your kitchen. Here are 6 of the most important ones. Have a look!
1. Type Of Chimney
Based on the structure of your kitchen, the place where the chimney needs to be fitted and the placement of your cooking hob, you will need to decide the type of chimney you need. These are the four types of chimneys usually used:
• A Wall-mounted chimney is fitted against or adjacent to a wall.
• An Island chimney hangs from the ceiling right above the stove or hob usually in the center of the kitchen.
• A Built-in chimney is built inside the kitchen cabinets and is located right against the wall.
• A Corner chimney is located in the kitchen corner right above the Hob or stove.
2. Type Of Filter
Before you decide on your chimney, find out what kind of filters does it come with. Does it control just the fumes or does it also take care of cooking odors? What kind of maintenance does it involved? And is this maintenance tough on the pocket?
There are three types of filters in kitchen chimneys and this should be an important consideration before you buy a chimney for your kitchen.
The first is the cassette filter made of aluminium mesh. The smoke and fumes pass through the gaps in the aluminium mesh, which then captures the dirt and grease. These filters need to be cleaned once a week using detergent and water and require some mild scrubbing.
Baffle filters are curved filters that change the direction of the cooking fumes as they pass through them. These are most suited for Indian kitchens. The structure of these filters is such that they drag down the heavy dirt and grease particles and purify the cooking air and they can work as effectively even when choked with dirt and grease particles.
Carbon filters are made using charcoal and their main function is to absorb odor from the cooking. These need to be replaced every 6 months for best performance.
3. Suction Power
The suction power that your chimney would need to have will depend on the size of your home and kitchen. Which is why it is important for you to be sure about the size of your kitchen and the size of your home before you set out to buy a chimney.
If you have a relatively smaller home, a chimney with a suction power of 500-600 m3/hour should be enough. For a larger home, you would need a chimney with a suction power of 700-1000 m3/hour.
4. Size
The size of the chimney you choose for your kitchen should be the same as or bigger than the size of your hob or stove. If the size of the chimney is smaller than that of the hob or stove, it’ll not be able to absorb dirt and grease particles and smoke as efficiently.
5. Brand
The brand of chimney you choose is also an important consideration. A well-known and authentic brand will definitely perform better than its cheaper and lesser-known counterparts. A few brands you may encounter in your chimney shopping experience could be – Pigeon, Sunflame, Prestige, Bosch, IFB, Kaff, Elica, Glen, Hindware etc.
6. Price
Price is yet another factor that you would need to consider as the prices of what’s available today, vary greatly with chimneys starting even at INR 4000-5000. But the cost of your chimney would really depend on the quality, brand, and design you choose.
