There is only sketchy information of how the cooker hood evolved. The earliest forms of extracting unwanted fumes and smells from the conventional standard kitchen, was the chimney. As early forms of cooking were done around the kitchen hearth, houses were quickly affected by grease, smells and dirt.

Larger kitchens in period houses did have wide hoods placed over the main cooking areas, but these were largely ineffective as there was no means of moving waste air to the outside, apart from natural draught. The invention of electric made it possible to develop fan power to move stagnant air and steam away from the kitchen. Most cooker hoods are now integrated into the kitchen furniture. Modern day regulations mean that all kitchens have to have a means of extraction that meet strict standards. Most suppliers of oven hoods and cooker hoods ensure these meet the criteria.

When selecting a hood, the size of the kitchen, together with the type of use a cooker will be put to, should be taken into consideration. A standard kitchen should ideally replace air between ten to fifteen times per hour to be fully functional. This is determined by measuring the cubic size of the room and checking the capacity of the hood you intend to fit. All built in models come in various sizes, both conventional and designer, but most can fit into any size of kitchen. There are two main types of cooker hood-ones that extract air to the outside, and the less practical models that merely re-circulate air over a carbon filter. The latter are becoming less popular for obvious reasons.

When you fit a conventional oven hood in your kitchen, certain important factors should be borne in mind. Firstly, the extraction duct should rise vertically for a minimum of 300mm. Any bends should be at forty five degree angles, or less, rather than at ninety degrees. Materials that you fit should be of galvanised sheet, aluminium and spiral and concertina types should be avoided if possible. Where the ducting exits the building or kitchen, a grill with a back-draft shutter should be fitted. In this way, your cooker hood will perform to its ultimate capacity and provide you with efficient and trouble-free extraction, keeping your home and kitchen clean-the main function of this underrated appliance.